Hello & advice on shower tray / tiles / possible moving floor?

[AndyZR81]

Hello there,

Relatively recently we had a new en-suite fitted (complete rip out of the old fittings, and old wall tiles and floor carpet). This consisted of a quadrant shower enclosure, a stone-resin shower tray, new ceramic tiles on the floor and half tiling on the walls. All the work (including the tiling) was performed by a single bathroom installer.

We were happy with the result and for the first few months there were no issues. The en-suite was used, but not extensively. However, after about 7 months we began to notice a very large creaking sound whenever you walk in the room. It does sound like plastic cracking so at first we thought that the issue was with the shower tray / enclosure itself but having contacted manufacturer and the supplier they are both adamant that the issue is not with them, and instead the issue is with the fitting. The suggestion is that there is movement in the floor.

I have a video but it won't let me add it to this post. It is here
youtube.com/shorts/GR_579XtOjU

Because we have now looked at the fitting / tiling more closely other possible issues we have spotted include:

• grout seems to have been used everywhere. The only silicone seems to be inside the shower enclosure / tray itself.
• The grout between the wall tiles and floor tiles, around the perimeter of the floor is already cracking.
• Around the bottom of the shower tray where the tray meets the tiles is cracking and breaking away.
• Grout where the floor tiles meet the kickboard of the bathroom units.
• And around the toilet where it meets the floor.
• ... is all this grout normal or should some have been silicone?

Annoyingly we did not see exactly how the floor / ceramic tiles were fitted, but the quote stated plywood would be used and we definitely saw that laid down. However, we do not know if any back boards were used for example or adjustments to the sub-floor were made if it was not found to be solid / stable.

Interestingly, the level of creaking seems to vary with temperature but I guess that is just linked to the expansion / contraction of the plastic and how it is responding to movements in the floor? We have performed the ‘drummy’ test on the floor tiles and to our ear there is no hollow sound and the grout between the tiles is not showing any signs of cracking (yet).

Would we be fair to ask the bathroom installer to come back and inspect their work? The cracking grout is annoying but we could probably rectify ourselves but we fear there is something more sinister going on (especially as the room has had minimal use so far).

If there is movement in the floor is there anything that can be done or are we just waiting for the inevitable fail of the tiles? Any idea on how long this might take to happen? If the tiles did fail could a new floor somehow be fitted or are we looking at a complete rip out. Could anything be saved? ☹

Thank you!

 

[Timmy D]

All changes of plane (wall to floor/wall corner to wall etc), should be silicone, not grout.

Around toilet, bottom external shower tray grout.

I suspect the noise is slight movement in the wooden sub floor (expected) and if only a small amount it’s ok. The noise is likely because there is grout between tiles and external shower tray vertical face.

The grout needs to be removed and replaced with silicone.

 

[AndyZR81]

All changes of plane (wall to floor/wall corner to wall etc), should be silicone, not grout.

Around toilet, bottom external shower tray grout.

I suspect the noise is slight movement in the wooden sub floor (expected) and if only a small amount it’s ok. The noise is likely because there is grout between tiles and external shower tray vertical face.

The grout needs to be removed and replaced with silicone.

Hello there. Many thanks for this really helpful reply. We will certainly now look to get the grout changed out for silicone and hopefully the noise goes / reduces at least. Best wishes.

 

[Timmy D]

Hello there. Many thanks for this really helpful reply. We will certainly now look to get the grout changed out for silicone and hopefully the noise goes / reduces at least. Best wishes.

Not sure what I was trying to say when I wrote the following….
“Around toilet, bottom external shower tray grout.”

But those areas should also be silicone, I guess I was trying to say, as they’re currently grout, they could be causing the noise.

Good luck, update us with progress!

 

[AndyZR81]

Not sure what I was trying to say when I wrote the following….
“Around toilet, bottom external shower tray grout.”

But those areas should also be silicone, I guess I was trying to say, as they’re currently grout, they could be causing the noise.

Good luck, update us with progress!

The fitter has agreed to replace the grout where wall tiles meets floor tiles and around the bottom of the shower tray, where it meets the floor tiles, with silicone. We are hoping this improves things. Hopefully this will be done in the next few weeks. We will let you know if we end up with a silent / less creaking shower room

Thanks again.

 

[Timmy D]

The fitter has agreed to replace the grout where wall tiles meets floor tiles and around the bottom of the shower tray, where it meets the floor tiles, with silicone. We are hoping this improves things. Hopefully this will be done in the next few weeks. We will let you know if we end up with a silent / less creaking shower room

Thanks again.

Thanks for the update.

You need to make sure the all of the grout is removed, don’t just silicone over the top. If this is causing the noise and the grout isn’t removed, the noise will remain.

 

[AndyZR81]

Hello All. Sorry for the time it has taken to provide an update, but the grout around the shower tray and between where wall and floor tiles meet was replaced with silicone a couple of days ago.

It looks a lot better, but sadly the creaking noise still persists. It does sound like it is the frame of the shower enclosure that is creaking.

We are not entirely sure that the old grout was fully dug out (that could be the problem) but we are now resigned to just keeping a 'watching brief' on the floor / living with the noise and at some point in the future be prepared for the floor to fail (hopefully that is not the case).

Thanks all for your help with this.