shower remodel question

[robert smith]

i discovered water has been leaking from our neo-angle shower unit which has a fiberglass receptacle (shower pan) and 4x4 glazed tiles on the walls. i think the leak has been getting through cracks in the grout lines.

the water has done a lot of damage. the hardwood floor in the bathroom is severely cupped (it has gotten more cupped as the subfloor dries out after being wet for quite a while). the hardwood floors outside of the bathrooms and down the hallway are slightly unlevel and many (most,actually) of the doors around that area (bedroom, pantry, exit doors) don't shut right which i think is due to the subfloor moving so much.

anyway, a plumber said tear it all out and re-do. if i do that, can i reuse the pan if it is in good shape?

should i tear out the all the tile walls and put another finish material in there (either new tile (maybe bigger grout lines this time) or swanstone type unit)?

i can find some big cracks in the tile especially around the shower glass door, could i regrout it?

how do i decide when i can regrout and when i have to replace?

thanks for all opinions!

[HeresJohnny]

Robert

Tile and grout by itself is not waterproof. It is likely that what is behind the tile is probably sheetrock and it is probably soaked. These days, cement board is used in wet areas like this. The cement board will also wick water but will not deteriorate or get damaged in any way. Additionally, moisture barriers are used behind the cement board that will direct any moisture that gets through the cement board back into the shower, protecting the framing and insulation. I agree with the plumber, tear it all out and replace it.

Give some consideration to replacing the hardwood floor with a proper tile floor in the bathroom.

The walls must go, regrouting is not going to help here. You could keep the swanstone pan, but give some consideration to what condition it is in. Also give some consideration to the fact that the plumbing may be old (maybe old cast iron) and this may be the perfect time to replace this as well. A new shower installation when done properly may long outlast your existing plumbing and you dont want that to happen.

Good Luck

[robert smith]

thanks for the advice.

the house was built in 1992 so the plumbing is PVC. there is greenboard behind the tile.

i definitely will have to replace the woodfloor in the bathroom. i am sure i will have to replace the subfloor because as it has dried it has cupped like a tent. the subfloor is exterior grade plywood.

what kind of vapor barrier do i put behind the cementboard?

the insulation has a paper face that does not face the shower walls, it faces away from the shower walls. will this cause a double vapor barier which i have heard traps moisture?

thanks

[HeresJohnny]

Robert

A friend at another site wanted to point out that the water damage may be covered by your insurance. You should check with them before proceeding any further.

[CargoJon]

Per code I believe the vapor barrier must be 4 mil or thicker plastic. It's available in roll for from most hardware/home improvement stores. This will go between the insulation and the backer board. The paper on the insulation IIRC is not a vapor barrior, but if you have doubts you can replace the insulation - you are going to have everything ripped out to the studs at this point, you might as well go for broke while you're in there.