Hi all,

My parents shower has been leaking from gaps between the tiles and the shower tray for a while now. I have removed old sealant and applied new sealant to no avail. I believe the gaps are to big for sealant to work.

To fill these gaps can I use waterproof expanding foam and then use sealant once it has set?

Is this a recipe for disaster… Novice to DIY but attempting to do as much as possible.

Thanks in advance

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Sparky81 t1_iu1ircb wrote on October 27, 2022 at 9:21 PM

You need to fix the leak. All you're doing is stopping the water from going one way, it'll just go somewhere else

Important_Wealth8837 OP t1_iu1jv97 wrote on October 27, 2022 at 9:29 PM

Sorry I may have not been clear, the leak is due to the gap between the tiles at the bottom of the shower and the shower tray. Water is splashing up and into the gap, or running down the shower walls and into the gap at the bottom. This is causing a leak downstairs. There is no issue with leaking pipes.

PsychoEngineer t1_iu1ll6l wrote on October 27, 2022 at 9:41 PM

If this is what is happening; then the shower and tiles were not installed properly to start with.

Please post some pictures and we maybe able to help with a fix... maybe.

davidmlewisjr t1_iu34xxd wrote on October 28, 2022 at 5:10 AM

If you are new to DIY, maybe consider calling in a pro to look at your situation and give advice, because misunderstanding what you are seeing is not uncommon…

Having said that, if you got everything cleaned down to the base materials, and if the wall surround is physically intact and stable under side load, there are several fixed you could undertake.

My favorite involves fiberglass and epoxy with whatever you want on top of that… but it’s complicated.

[deleted] t1_iu1k2tu wrote on October 27, 2022 at 9:30 PM

[deleted]

Reelplayer t1_iu1puwm wrote on October 27, 2022 at 10:12 PM

There's supposed to be a gap between the tiles and the shower pan. It's so water doesn't crawl up behind the tiles from the hydrostatic pressure. That's not your problem. If you're getting a leak downstairs, it's probably from around the drain or the membrane behind the tile where it meets the floor. Tile grout isn't waterproof. It's porous. Your problem is with the layer that's actually meant to be waterproof.

bms42 t1_iu1nnnu wrote on October 27, 2022 at 9:55 PM

Really need pics. Use Imgur, put the link in as text.

buildyourown t1_iu2fb5v wrote on October 28, 2022 at 1:27 AM

Tiles and grout aren't supposed to be waterproof. There should be a flange on the shower pan that tucks under the tile. If that isn't there, it was installed wrong. The real fix is to replace the pan.

I_R0M_I t1_iu1lkiz wrote on October 27, 2022 at 9:41 PM

Why is the gap so big? Poor tiling?

I guess it's always been big, or has there been movement in the tray?

How big is the gap?

domdogg123 t1_iu2addq wrote on October 28, 2022 at 12:49 AM

Pictures?

Local_Log_1177 t1_iu2jgwy wrote on October 28, 2022 at 1:58 AM

I am not nearly as knowledgable as the rest of the people here, but my MILs shower did this exact thing and I just caulked the shit out of it. It lasted a few years until she could get it properly fixed.

RenzoARG t1_iu3wr0r wrote on October 28, 2022 at 11:19 AM

Despite what you may observe at first glance, it is not the tiles what makes the whole setup "waterproof" but the surface they are installed at.
Whomever made that, needs to be introduced to the concept of "Hydrofuge".