Fixing a leaking shower upstairs with fibreglass at shower tray/tiled wall interface

sami2015

Hi,
I have an ensuite bathroom upstairs that was renovated about 2 years ago. It was tiled down to a shower tray. The tiles are in good shape and the grout etc looks firm and in good condition (no cracks, etc). Both the builder and I have sealed the tile/shower interface with silicon multiple times but it seems to need replacing every few months. I spoke to a guy involved in sealing/tanking bathrooms and he has recommended ripping everything out and using fibreglass to tank the full ensuite and the retile and refit all sanitary wear.

I was wondering has anyone ever tried to sand the top surface of a shower tray and the lower area of the tiles to ensure it adheres and created a 25/30mm "corner piece" of fibreglass to form a seal between the 2 (with possibly a higher upstand along the tiles). It might not be visually attractive but my focus is on functionaility..... I will always have the option of ripping it out in the future!

I would appreciate hearing of anyone's experience of solving such problems....

Calahonda52

looks like there is either very poor adhesion or perhaps crap sealant, or movement.

since aesthetics are not an issue

wash down the area with sugar soap a few times and of course rinse off each time

wander down to your local car parts shop and get a few strips of mesh and some FG or two part epoxy or similar and seal it up

listermint

Are you confident its coming from the Tiles, It could equally be the Drain ?

n97 mini

listermint wrote: »

Are you confident its coming from the Tiles, It could equally be the Drain ?

Or the plumbing to the mixer.

sami2015

Hi Guys,
thanks for the replies, it's much appreciated. I have not used the shower for the last while and have performed various trials to try and pinpoint the problem..... the drain does not leak, nor does the supply water piping. It definitely seems to be the tray-tile interface.....
Has anyone actually tried this? Would it be worth getting in the professionals?

n97 mini

What material is the shower tray? Is it plastic or epoxy covered stone? The plastic ones have flex and I don't think they'll ever be satisfactory.

I built and installed the en suite in our house. It's in the master bedroom. The stone tray is sitting on a bed of cement (the recommended way, on 3/4" ply. The ply is on top of some 3x2 to allow for pipework underneath). Then I sealed between the tray and the wall with silicone before tiling. After tiling I sealed again with a bead of silicone at the tray/tile interface.

Is there any way you could remove the bottom row of tiles without breaking them, and seal where the tray meets the wall? Then put the tiles back and seal again?

SC024

photos?