Moisture Problems With Carrera Marble And Epoxy Grout

Tallguy1

Hi All,

Quick question, I did a shower a few years back that seems to be a royal pain in the ass and keeps giving me fits. The customer wanted to use epoxy grout as she's lazy (her words) and heard that its easier to clean than the regular Laticrete I usually use. The walls are 1/2 durock with Kerdi membrane and a pvc shower tray over a sloped mud base. The tiles are 12x12 carrera marble and a 1/8th grout line.

The problem is that there was some settling in the house and a small crack formed right outside the shower door. The customer noticed it probably after about a year and a half and some of the floor tiles had darkened and appeared wet. I went in a replaced 6 tiles, which had some dampness below them, but very minor. All the tiles had been presealed with AuGold sealer, at least twice. Once before install and once after.

So now there is some more discoloring and its looks like some more tiles may need to be replaced. Does anyone think that the epoxy grout, which is waterproof, doesnt allow any moisture to escape from behind the tile? Its an old house, brick colonial built in the late 1800s without any real insulation in the walls so the wood movement over the course of a year is signifigant. This may lead to small cracks in the grout (and previously the tile) which to me seem almost unavoidable...

If anyone has any insight into this issue, Id love to hear it. Id much rather not have to tear out this shower on my own dime....

Thanks for your input!

Attached Thumbnails

 

R&D Tile

Exactly how was the pan constructed.

Pre-slope, 2 part drain, pea gravel around the weep holes, etc etc.?

If kerdi on the walls, why didn't you use the kerdi and kerdi drain on the floor?

Tallguy1

Yeah, weep holes, pea stone whole deal, my plumber setup the drain for his PVC style pan, not the Schluter drain, which is the only way I go these days, just SOOO much less fuss and Ive never had a single complaint or peep from any of the installs we've done. Keep in mind this customer also didnt notice that calcium had built up on their rainhead and a jet of water was hitting the wall between the vanity and glass... They wait until the problem (the initial crack) goes too far then mention it...

angus242

Uh, no sir. Epoxy grout is NOT waterproof.

__________________
Angus
L+M+O+P=C
"Promise only what you can deliver. Then deliver more than you promise"

jarvis design

Angus (as usual!) is right, epoxy is not waterproof, however, the absorption rate of epoxy is about 0.5 %. The carrara marble - 20-30%
(I think). Plus, if you are getting moisture on the underside of the tile, is it going through the tile or getting in somewhere else?

Tiles cracking on the outside of the shower is another matter altogether. If the floor is not designed for l/720 deflection- it is not prepared properly.

Glad you've made the switch to all Kerdi!!

__________________
Bathrooms Built for Life.
www.JarvisDesignBuild.com
519-495-4062