ceramic shower tiles falling out

[wjbourre]

My home is approx 30 yrs old and has a ceramic tile shower. Recently, about 12 inches from the bottom of he shower wall the tiles began to bow out. Cracks in the shower grout noticable. Attempted to recaulk. Worked for a little while. Now the tiles are coming out. What is the most econical way of repairing? Would it be best to remove all the tiles and install a fiberglass shower enclosure or attempt to continue to regrout tiles as they become loose?

[prashster]

Grout just fills the gaps between tiles; it's not responsible for adhesion to the wall. If the tiles are coming off, the problem is (I believe) moisture rupturing the drywall supporting the tile. You gotta fix that. Regrouting/caulking will only partially delay more damage, and won't help tiles to stick to brittle surface.

If it were me, I'd just pop off tiles in the offending area, cut out a section of drywall, attach new backerboard, and re-adhere/re-grout the tiles. It's been my experience that as long as the grout is regularly sealed, it doesn't permit that much water damage. The real problem is around the perimeters, where the tiles meet the wall or the tub. That should be caulked with silicone. If you only have to do this once every 30 years, you're doing well!

[jadnashua]

Sounds like the wall is coming apart...it will continue to fail unless replaced. Grout is not waterproof (unless it is one of the epoxy ones) - it lets moisture through. That and any failed caulk can let moisture get to the surface behind the tile. Sounds like it is drywall. Drywall has no use in a tub/shower surround except for the ceiling. Greenboard is not good either. When drywall gets wet, it swells, that cracks the grout and can crack the tile (but the grout is usually weaker, so it fails first, letting the tile pop off the now defunct surface). You might also find that the studs behind that wall are rotten. If you are lucky, it won't be that bad.

A good tile job, done properly, will outlive you. So, depending on what you want, and how you want it to look, you could replace the walls with new tile, or tear it out and put up a plastic surround. Either way, I think you will need to repair the wall. If you want some help on tiling issues, check out www.johnbridge.com , they'll set you straight and offer good help.