advice on cracked shower grout just completed by repairman - TilersForums.com

[syl]

I had a couple small spots of mildew between grout and caulk at the edge between the bottom tile and the top edge of the porcelain shower floor, so hired a repair person to clean this up. I had tried to do this myself but when I tried to remove the caulk, the grout came off in bits the size of small gravel. He charged $800 for 4 days to remove the grout, and regrout with silicon grout. That much just to regrout the 6 ft edge between the bottom tile and the top edge of the porcelain shower floor. He redid the whole edge so it would match, so he said. (he also regrouted part of another tub edge (2 ft)and added caulk to the edge of 2 sinks for that price.) Now the grout has cracks in it, looks wet in places and has no sealant or caulk over top.
1) Does this need to be redone due to the cracks ? He says because it is silicon grout that it is not a problem and does not require sealer or caulk.
2) Is that price excessive considering he could have removed the grout in less than an hour with a circular drill and done the rest in a day total? I appreciate all responses.

 

[Italy]

Hi, It is not allowed to talk about prices.
In trends open to the public
Thanks

 

[Time's Ran Out]

The issue seems to be if you accepted his price before he did the work, or whether he just took 4 days to do a half day job!
If there are any gaps/cracks in the new grout it needs to be redone. From the pictures it looks like a ready mixed grout and it has shrunk.
If you've paid him I doubt he'll come back and put it right at his own expense.
Over here we would call him a Cowboy!(not wishing to offend your heritage)
But in America it could be a Bandit.

 

[Matt Bott]

Looks like gripfill round the bath
Unsatisfactory job, tbh even if we could talk price I don't know how American cost of living/business compares. I vote it needs to be put right

 

[Time's Ran Out]

£600.21 for 4 days work at today's currency exchange rate, for a job that should have cost 1 day maximum (allowing expenses such as feed for his horse and travelling time etc.)

 

[One Day]

I would say he doesn't know what he is doing and you should not have been charged more than one day's labour.
Grout is not waterproof (unless it is epoxy).
Yours appears to be standard sand/cement grout.
There is no such thing as "silicone grout" either.
A bead of silicone caulk should be between the bottom row of tiles and the bath tub.
There appears to be some kind of caulk on the photo but that looks like a decorating caulk. Good quality sanitary silcone caulk should be glossy and highly flexible, allowing for movement in the bath tub.

 

[LM]

Looks like gripfill round the bath

I agree.
You've been ripped of by a pretender

 

[One Day]

Looks like gripfill round the bath

Well spotted! I agree now I've looked again. It's the right colour.
Do they use the same in Canada?

 

[syl]

I would say he doesn't know what he is doing and you should not have been charged more than one day's labour.
Grout is not waterproof (unless it is epoxy).
Yours appears to be standard sand/cement grout.
There is no such thing as "silicone grout" either.
A bead of silicone caulk should be between the bottom row of tiles and the bath tub.
There appears to be some kind of caulk on the photo but that looks like a decorating caulk. Good quality sanitary silcone caulk should be glossy and highly flexible, allowing for movement in the bath tub.

Thank you for your reply "impish". Before the job started there was a layer of grout then a layer of clear flexible silicone ? caulk over top., and this is in the small gap between the bottom tile of the wall and the top edge of the porcelain shower floor. The 2 very small spots of mildew were in between those 2 layers, in the corner. So to do the job correctly, should the grout be completely removed, then only a layer of silicone caulk filled in the gap or both grout then silicone caulk on top ? Thanks so much for your help.

 

[syl]

Well spotted! I agree now I've looked again. It's the right colour.
Do they use the same in Canada?

I haven't hear of gripfil. It sounds like an adhesive but not sure what it's used for?