Repair grout in shower where floor meets wall


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Old 12-29-15, 03:00 PM
J
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Repair grout in shower where floor meets wall

The grout in my 3 year old shower is cracking, missing in some spots, and very dark in a couple of spots (mold/mildew). This is all on the floor where it meets the wall. The grout on the rest of the floor is in great shape. There is also so minor cracking in corners of walls but not too bad.

Wondering is best way to fix this. Remove grout and replace with more grout? Or should I replace with a caulk that matches grout color?
 
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Old 12-29-15, 03:08 PM
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Removed as much of old grout as possible. Refill with new grout of the correct type. Let cure and then add a bead of silicon caulk.
 
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Old 12-29-15, 03:44 PM
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Removed as much of old grout as possible. Refill with new grout of the correct type. Let cure and then add a bead of silicon caulk.
Sorry, this is not the correct procedure. Anywhere that there is a change in plane - be it wall meets another wall, or wall meets floor - you want flexible caulking. Different sections expand and contact at different rates. Grout does not move and therefore cracks out as you have noticed. They make color matching caulk that will blend seamlessly with your grout so that you will not notice the different. If there is already grout in the crack in the corner, you can supplement that with the color match caulk to seal the corner. The existing grout will act as a backer rod to save on over use of caulking. If there is excessive grout in the corners, you may need to remove some to allow for a more sleek installation of the caulking.
 
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Old 12-29-15, 03:56 PM
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Cizzi, so what you're saying is that when I tile a floor I do not want to grout up to the wall that borders the floor? I've always done it that way and never experienced problems. I understand the idea of different expansion rates of material and that is why I use a silicone bead over the grout at the floor meets wall area.

My first answer was going to be that his wall shifted and caused cracking. If that is the cause then most likely it has settled to a static stated. All that needs be is a repair by replacing the grout.
 
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Old 12-30-15, 05:15 AM
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Norm, the next time you are in big orange, go in the bathroom. They are usually tiled floor to ceiling. Look in any corner or along the floor, the grout will be cracked. It is that way in most every shower I go to look at. In your floor scenario, you used a bead of silicone in the corner. I choose to use a color matching caulk so that it looks like the grout but it isn't grout, but caulk. Same thing, only I prefer to blend mine in differently. Only time to use a white caulk is when the tiles themselves are white or the tile is up against a white base/tub. Then you can choose which looks better, match the tub or the grout.

To your second point, the OP said that the grout was cracked, not missing. What is gained by removing grout and putting grout (that will also crack) back in before running a bead of caulk? Just go over what is there and seal it. Remove only if there was an excess amount of grout used in the corners and you can enhance by redoing it.
 
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Old 12-31-15, 11:17 AM
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The grout is cracked in some spots loose in others and missing in other spots. My plan is to remove what grout is remaining then use a commercial 100% silicone caulk that matches color of grout. Was going to use the colored sanded caulk that you get at big box store, but the manufacturer of the product suggested the 100% silicone instead as the other would not hold up as well in wet conditions.
 
 

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