Repairing a leaking shower curb

[@basiliochavez8033]

Just the video I was looking for. A+

[@nubienne34]

This was great!!!! My shower curb is rotted out. I just moved into my home two years ago and discovered it while remodeling my bathroom.

[@fieromike1]

Congrats on the new bathroom! Make sure you keep an eye on your inside corner grout joints. They will always seem to open up. 😉

[@D-NICE33]

Is it possible to stack another marble on top of the one I currently have to make it a little higher?

[@fieromike1]

Sure. It is important to remember that mortar and grout will wick water. So I would be sure to put a bead of silicone down the middle to create a stop. Does that make sense? Also scuff up the existing curb to give the new thin, set some tooth to grab onto.

[@D-NICE33]

@fieromike1 I was going to use silicone between the 2 saddles on top of the shower curb. I don't want to have to break and remove the existing one, I'd rather just add one to it so I can get a little more height to the curb.

[@fieromike1]

@@D-NICE33 awesome. That sounds like it will work.

[@80Ragincajun]

Thinset isnt waterproof. Eventually you will have same issue again right?

[@fieromike1]

That is true thinset isn’t waterproof. You wouldn’t want to use it to hold back standing water. however the previous installment had wide open grouting and their was no drip edge on the inside of the stone. Water was literally drooling into the curb and channeling to the open side of the pan liner. Their Was actually even hair that had washed under the curb. I would guarantee that this reinstallation of the curb will not be the reason anyone would need to revisit this curb. 😉

[@jorgecorona4061]

I have the same issue I have a granite curb with a lip already but turns out the the lip (horizontal) meets the inside curb (vertical) wasn’t grouted at all so the whole curb had a gap a few mm where water is entering and leaking into my first floor. Do you think grouting it with prism grout is sufficient or will I have to remove doors and fill thinset into curb as you did as well? My other bathroom just have silicone in that same gap that isn’t used much so silicone is still in place

[@fieromike1]

If you’re fairly sure that is where the water is getting in I wouldn’t hurt to try just grouting it but I would think it would be a temporary fix. Grout lines crack very easily when they are at the corner of two planes. Also grout isn’t water proof. Water wicks into it over time. If you can clean the joint out and let it dry out I would use silicon. I hate to say this but if it was me I would remove the glass and the stone and make sure that it is all water tight.

[@jorgecorona4061]

@@fieromike1 thank you so much, yes had two different plumbers and had a tile remodel on just the shower floor to fix the issue since it would have been expensive to remove my granite walls so just redid the tile floor but that wasn’t it, there is a water membrane just on the floor and behind the walls but the membrana does not go over the curb so after investigating and the water lines the gap is pretty significant I can stick a trowel in the hole completely. I saw in your video you stated that grouting it would prevent the water from going in and go into the shower pan instead, thought grout prism would be good since it can be submerged but it is the lip so it is not direct water, I know the right way is the way you did and just fill the curb with thinset. Was just hoping for an easy fix!

[@dizzygrit]

Doesn't the shower saddle need an Ever So slight slant going into the shower

[@fieromike1]

Yes. I always pitch at least 1/4” per foot. 6:30 You can pitch more if you want but if you are using swinging glass doors more than 1/4” can be a problem for the gasket.

[@I-TILE]

Good Investigation

[@Chanmantroop10]

if it was properly waterproofed in the first place shouldn't it have prevented the rot even if water got under?

[@Swenser]

Is paint on waterproof membrane available in the US? I see many using plastic films and pans and susceptible joints. A solid structure with a waterproof paint on membrane surely is easiest and most fail-safe?

[@greenfringe13]

Thanks for the video! I believe my curb is leaking from the edges. Right now it’s caulked and that’s preventing it for now. Do you think this process will fix that?

[@fieromike1]

I would think that if the conditions are the same it would. Making sure that water doesn’t have unrestricted access to the curb is the first step but making sure that if it does make it past it is important to make sure that the pan liners are pitched correctly is very important. Good luck with your project! Thanks for commenting. 👍😉

[@michellewilliams5127]

... so did the ledge lean towards the shower a little - to keep the water rolling back into the shower? I hope that makes sense (I’m a homeowner and just trying to understand the process). TIA

[@fieromike1]

Sorry for the late response. Yes the shower curbs are both patched into the shower at about 1/4 inch per foot. Good luck with your projects!

[@AllenHubbard]

Why did you need to remove and replace those tiles? It seems like the new curb would have covered them.

[@fieromike1]

The new curb stone was larger and I would rather the wall tile sit on top of the curb stone rather than the curb set against a wall tile. Whenever there are two walls that come together or when a wall meets the floor or in this case where the wall meets the curb, there is a strong likelihood that the grout joint will open up due to expansion and contraction Of the two surfaces. Having walls sit on top of floors reduces the likelihood of water seeping down into an open grout joint.

[@coachfarrell83]

Good shout out bro! Nice work! Now watch the haters hate.

[@fieromike1]

😂If people aren’t criticizing you you’re doing it wrong!

[@bashtile]

Waterproofing is not done. This shower pan will leak again.

[@fieromike1]

There is an intact vinyl shower pan the shower pan will not leak again. There’s no need to put waterproofing on it. You’re talking about adding a product that is relatively new considering the fact that shower pans have been done this way for over 100 years.

[@bashtile]

@@fieromike1 you cant have any holes on the vinyl shower pan that is on top of the wood curb. The way it is done here is unacceptable.

[@fieromike1]

@@bashtile The holes on the top of the shower pan on that shower curb are above the acceptable flood rim, 2 inches above the drain. That is national code. This is a shower curb, not the ledge of an infinity pool. Honestly, you don’t know what you are talking about!

[@k0harmer]

@@fieromike1 The pan is not installed correctly. There should be no penetrations on top of the curb. The Liner should wrap to the outside of the curb and be fastened there. Water penetrated the top of the curb and got the wood wet. The wood expands causing the curb to expand and cracks the joints. The only way to fix this is to remove pan liner and install new one. Seeing how the pan was installed incorrectly, it probably needs a peoslope also.

[@fieromike1]

@@k0harmer It hurts to have to answer the same way every time, but here we go. First. The top of the curb is above the flood rim. Second. The original curb was never even grouted or sealed. That is why it was leaking. Third. If there is so much water that is penetrating the top of the curb that it is compromising the wood framing your problem it’s not the shower pan! This original shower pan was not my doing. And there are definitely many things in this previous installation that should’ve been done differently. The repair that I have done is definitely not one of them.

[@C2IT678]

Just silicone it and move on

[@fieromike1]

@@C2IT678 that would be a Handy Man hack job