How to repair tiled bathroom floor
Discussion
Our bathroom has a whirpool bath and it was quite slow draining, so my wife decided to try and fix this. She unscrewed the screw in the middle of the plug hole, hoping to be able to remove the plug and clear it out if needed. She unwittingly unscrewed the trap from below the bath and didnt know. She couldnt get the screw to catch when trying to put it back on, so left it off. There have been several baths taken since and i noticed that the tiles started weeping water through the grout, at which point i removed the bath panel and seen that the trap had dropped when she took out the screw.
Since reattached the trap with the aforementioned screw, and no more leaking, but we now have a very wet suspended timber floor and some loose tiles where the grout has now dried and left them loose.
What's the best way to go about repairing this? Will the whole floor need to be replaced, or can we simply lift and regrout the tiles (once the floor has dried). Whats the best way to dry the floor out? The trap hadn't moved very far, but probably about 50% of around 5 bath loads has most likely ended up on my floor. Is this a disaster or easily fixed?
Since reattached the trap with the aforementioned screw, and no more leaking, but we now have a very wet suspended timber floor and some loose tiles where the grout has now dried and left them loose.
What's the best way to go about repairing this? Will the whole floor need to be replaced, or can we simply lift and regrout the tiles (once the floor has dried). Whats the best way to dry the floor out? The trap hadn't moved very far, but probably about 50% of around 5 bath loads has most likely ended up on my floor. Is this a disaster or easily fixed?
TBH I'd be inclined to just call your home insurer and let them sort it.
Sounds like your subfloor (chipboard?) has absorbed a lot of the water and is now swollen.
I suspect to do a proper job you might be looking at ripping out the whole floor (and suite) before putting it back together.
ETA what's going on below? Surely your ceilings will be sodden too, good luck but it potentially sounds like a big job to put it all right.
Sounds like your subfloor (chipboard?) has absorbed a lot of the water and is now swollen.
I suspect to do a proper job you might be looking at ripping out the whole floor (and suite) before putting it back together.
ETA what's going on below? Surely your ceilings will be sodden too, good luck but it potentially sounds like a big job to put it all right.
Edited by MBVitoria on Monday 22 April 14:03
MBVitoria said:
TBH I'd be inclined to just call your home insurer and let them sort it.
Sounds like your subfloor (chipboard?) has absorbed a lot of the water and is now swollen.
I suspect to do a proper job you might be looking at ripping out the whole floor (and suite) before putting it back together.
That's what i was dreading! Just bought the house and got everything exactly the way we wanted! No chance it will dry out on it's own? Wishful thinking...Sounds like your subfloor (chipboard?) has absorbed a lot of the water and is now swollen.
I suspect to do a proper job you might be looking at ripping out the whole floor (and suite) before putting it back together.
MBVitoria said:
TBH I'd be inclined to just call your home insurer and let them sort it.
Sounds like your subfloor (chipboard?) has absorbed a lot of the water and is now swollen.
I suspect to do a proper job you might be looking at ripping out the whole floor (and suite) before putting it back together.
ETA what's going on below? Surely your ceilings will be sodden too, good luck but it potentially sounds like a big job to put it all right.
My house is a bungalow, so no worries about rooms beneath. Could it potentially migrated to adjacent room? There's fitted wardrobes and laminate flooring on the wall adjoining to the bathroom, so practically impossible to check visually.Sounds like your subfloor (chipboard?) has absorbed a lot of the water and is now swollen.
I suspect to do a proper job you might be looking at ripping out the whole floor (and suite) before putting it back together.
ETA what's going on below? Surely your ceilings will be sodden too, good luck but it potentially sounds like a big job to put it all right.
Edited by MBVitoria on Monday 22 April 14:03
mickyc79 said:
MBVitoria said:
TBH I'd be inclined to just call your home insurer and let them sort it.
Sounds like your subfloor (chipboard?) has absorbed a lot of the water and is now swollen.
I suspect to do a proper job you might be looking at ripping out the whole floor (and suite) before putting it back together.
ETA what's going on below? Surely your ceilings will be sodden too, good luck but it potentially sounds like a big job to put it all right.
My house is a bungalow, so no worries about rooms beneath. Could it potentially migrated to adjacent room? There's fitted wardrobes and laminate flooring on the wall adjoining to the bathroom, so practically impossible to check visually.Sounds like your subfloor (chipboard?) has absorbed a lot of the water and is now swollen.
I suspect to do a proper job you might be looking at ripping out the whole floor (and suite) before putting it back together.
ETA what's going on below? Surely your ceilings will be sodden too, good luck but it potentially sounds like a big job to put it all right.
Edited by MBVitoria on Monday 22 April 14:03
I guess the alternative if you aren't covered (or don't want to claim) would be to strip back the loose tiles and get a dehumidifier in there. Might take several days or even weeks to dry though. You'll want to dry it slowly and with lots of ventilation rather than heat.
p.s. I'm no pro by the way, although have done a fair bit of DIY myself!
Vanden Saab said:
Take a loose tile or two up and take a picture of what is on the back of the tile and on the floor and post them here so I can tell you the best course of action.
30 years a tiler been there etc.
Thanks for the offer, i'd really appreciate that! I'll take the loose tiles up tonight and post pics. 30 years a tiler been there etc.
This is the back of the tile and the floor under the tile and bath. Floor seems to be drying in well. I've got a 12L /day dehumidifier running in thr bathroom just now.
Would I just need to scrape off all the stuff onthe floor and relay tiles, then regrout? Only 2 tiles are loose.
My biggest concern is the wood that the bath legs are fixed to. This is some sort of chipboard which seems to have absorbed most of the water. Will this dry out and be string enough to hold a full bath with person?
Don't do this. /\/\
Personally I would lift all the tiles for three reasons.
1. The tiles are porcelain but have not been back buttered so there is no glue stuck to them. I will confidently state you will be able to slide a scraper under each tile and lift them all. The only thing stopping the tiles lifting is gravity and grout.
2. The glue has been put directly onto the chipboard. This inevitably dries it out so as you can see it has already dried before the tiles were laid making the non- sticking tile situation worse.
3. There will still be moisture under the remaining tiles which if left will rot the chipboard and lead to further 'loose' tiles.
The solution is to lift all the tiles, scrape all the glue off and lay a 6mm layer of deltaboard, then retile.
Personally I would lift all the tiles for three reasons.
1. The tiles are porcelain but have not been back buttered so there is no glue stuck to them. I will confidently state you will be able to slide a scraper under each tile and lift them all. The only thing stopping the tiles lifting is gravity and grout.
2. The glue has been put directly onto the chipboard. This inevitably dries it out so as you can see it has already dried before the tiles were laid making the non- sticking tile situation worse.
3. There will still be moisture under the remaining tiles which if left will rot the chipboard and lead to further 'loose' tiles.
The solution is to lift all the tiles, scrape all the glue off and lay a 6mm layer of deltaboard, then retile.
The bath legs should be adjustable so wind one up remove the wet chipboard and replace with a piece of ply. Then do all the others one at a time.
If the legs are on the floor see if you can wind one leg up enough to slide a piece of ply underneath. Then wind it down again. If you can dry the floor out before you fit the ply all the better. Only do one leg at a time.
If the legs are on the floor see if you can wind one leg up enough to slide a piece of ply underneath. Then wind it down again. If you can dry the floor out before you fit the ply all the better. Only do one leg at a time.
Edited by Vanden Saab on Thursday 25th April 23:03
hidetheelephants said:
Or he could do it properly and use tile adhesive.
All depends on approach, theres nothing like enough adhesive on back of tile or floor, but nothing to suggest they will all come up without breaking.bennno said:
Dont scrape it off just apply some ofxa tube of sticks like sh*t and fix then back here they came from
As has been suggested a thorough job would be to lift all tiles, scrape all clean, put down 6mm board bedded on flexi s1 or s2 tile adhesive and secured with screws then use a tile decoupling mat and more s1 / s2 tile adhesive. Clearly if tiles go under sink or wc then that’ll all need to come out as well and you’d need to check you’ve got 8-10mm of height flexibility at the base of the walls and under the bath panel - if the tiles go under the wall tiles then that approach is a can of worms and you’ll end up ripping out whole bathroom.
A simple alternative would be to refix selected tiles with sticks like sh*t, which will adhere porcelain to the existing adhesive and floor better than tile adhesive and save you the mess of missing up and trying to level using tile adhesive. I was sceptical when we had a broken a shower tray fixed and the very experienced professional tiler removed porcelain tiles and used a tube to refix 4 tiles on a overboarded chipboard floor - 3 years on it worked perfectly in a busy area of the bathroom.
If you’ve not used modern polymer based adhesives like obd1 or sticks like, you’d be supervised what they are capable of.
One way or another you need it dry and by all accounts there is a lot of water that needed somewhere to go.
If the amount of water you suggest has leaked where has it gone ?
It is a bungalow. What is under the chipboard ? if a 2021 build it won't just be a void to soil but will have been insulated in some way.
Knowing what is below will give you some idea of how far it is likely to have spread and what is will take to dry it out. As above you are talking a lot of water.
Given it was not all over the floor in the first place it must have drained relatively quickly which to some extent is a plus. It can't have been standing for long as it would have gone all over the floor within moments.
Only you can really figure this out of as someone else said get your insurance company involved as this is what they are there for.
If the amount of water you suggest has leaked where has it gone ?
It is a bungalow. What is under the chipboard ? if a 2021 build it won't just be a void to soil but will have been insulated in some way.
Knowing what is below will give you some idea of how far it is likely to have spread and what is will take to dry it out. As above you are talking a lot of water.
Given it was not all over the floor in the first place it must have drained relatively quickly which to some extent is a plus. It can't have been standing for long as it would have gone all over the floor within moments.
Only you can really figure this out of as someone else said get your insurance company involved as this is what they are there for.
Thanks for all the advice. The legs do look a bit ropey, so will take the tips about rasing one at time and replacing wood underneath.
I think I've got quite lucky in that it's only 2 tiles loose. The one I've lifted and the one around the radiator leg. This is where I think the water must have went to.
It's a 1990 bungalow with a suspended floor, so about 2ft void under the floor to soil. The solum is vented to the outside.
The tiles were laid above the wall tiles, so thankfully any solution shouldn't require taking the wall tiles off too...I hope.
More pics for advice. Looks like the tiles were laid on another board on top of the chipboard floor.
I think I've got quite lucky in that it's only 2 tiles loose. The one I've lifted and the one around the radiator leg. This is where I think the water must have went to.
It's a 1990 bungalow with a suspended floor, so about 2ft void under the floor to soil. The solum is vented to the outside.
The tiles were laid above the wall tiles, so thankfully any solution shouldn't require taking the wall tiles off too...I hope.
More pics for advice. Looks like the tiles were laid on another board on top of the chipboard floor.
Here's what I would do.
Leave it to dry as you are doing.
BATH LEGS
Once fully dry, press the board firmly under where the bath legs are. If it is soft, or has given, or you are unhappy, I would not cut any board out....
I would get Marine ply offcuts, wind the leg of the bath up, put the Marine Play off cut under each leg - you are then spreading the weight of that leg across a larger area. The bath will still be level. You are trying to cut board in a confined space and re-piece bits in.
The Off cuts don't need to be too big. This will most certainly work.
TILES
Leave it for a while to dry.
If you can, put a fan outside blowing air into the air brick that provides ventilation under the floor of the bathroom.
Then try and wobble the tiles that aren't moving. Stand on the edges of the tiles and bounce a bit. If they are stuck down, great! If not, lift them.
Wipe down the back of each tile, so it's clean. Bruch then hoover the old adhesive stuck to the floor.
Then use No Nails/Sticks Like St/ etc suitable for porcelain, to stick back down. Grout to match the correct colour.
I would not rip the whole thing out. If the above works, then it works and it's manageable DIY.
If it ends up not working a few years down the line, and you have to rip it up, you have lost nothing.
Ripping it up now seems to be overzealous and unnecessary.
As for calling your insurance over this, I wouldn't. They probably won't pay out, and they will up your insurance..
Leave it to dry as you are doing.
BATH LEGS
Once fully dry, press the board firmly under where the bath legs are. If it is soft, or has given, or you are unhappy, I would not cut any board out....
I would get Marine ply offcuts, wind the leg of the bath up, put the Marine Play off cut under each leg - you are then spreading the weight of that leg across a larger area. The bath will still be level. You are trying to cut board in a confined space and re-piece bits in.
The Off cuts don't need to be too big. This will most certainly work.
TILES
Leave it for a while to dry.
If you can, put a fan outside blowing air into the air brick that provides ventilation under the floor of the bathroom.
Then try and wobble the tiles that aren't moving. Stand on the edges of the tiles and bounce a bit. If they are stuck down, great! If not, lift them.
Wipe down the back of each tile, so it's clean. Bruch then hoover the old adhesive stuck to the floor.
Then use No Nails/Sticks Like St/ etc suitable for porcelain, to stick back down. Grout to match the correct colour.
I would not rip the whole thing out. If the above works, then it works and it's manageable DIY.
If it ends up not working a few years down the line, and you have to rip it up, you have lost nothing.
Ripping it up now seems to be overzealous and unnecessary.
As for calling your insurance over this, I wouldn't. They probably won't pay out, and they will up your insurance..
TCruise said:
Here's what I would do.
Leave it to dry as you are doing.
BATH LEGS
Once fully dry, press the board firmly under where the bath legs are. If it is soft, or has given, or you are unhappy, I would not cut any board out....
I would get Marine ply offcuts, wind the leg of the bath up, put the Marine Play off cut under each leg - you are then spreading the weight of that leg across a larger area. The bath will still be level. You are trying to cut board in a confined space and re-piece bits in.
The Off cuts don't need to be too big. This will most certainly work.
TILES
Leave it for a while to dry.
If you can, put a fan outside blowing air into the air brick that provides ventilation under the floor of the bathroom.
Then try and wobble the tiles that aren't moving. Stand on the edges of the tiles and bounce a bit. If they are stuck down, great! If not, lift them.
Wipe down the back of each tile, so it's clean. Bruch then hoover the old adhesive stuck to the floor.
Then use No Nails/Sticks Like St/ etc suitable for porcelain, to stick back down. Grout to match the correct colour.
I would not rip the whole thing out. If the above works, then it works and it's manageable DIY.
If it ends up not working a few years down the line, and you have to rip it up, you have lost nothing.
Ripping it up now seems to be overzealous and unnecessary.
As for calling your insurance over this, I wouldn't. They probably won't pay out, and they will up your insurance..
Grateful for all the advise on here and will most likely try your suggestion TCruise as a first fix. As you say, if it works, great. A lot of work could be saved when I dot think the damage is too extensive. Leave it to dry as you are doing.
BATH LEGS
Once fully dry, press the board firmly under where the bath legs are. If it is soft, or has given, or you are unhappy, I would not cut any board out....
I would get Marine ply offcuts, wind the leg of the bath up, put the Marine Play off cut under each leg - you are then spreading the weight of that leg across a larger area. The bath will still be level. You are trying to cut board in a confined space and re-piece bits in.
The Off cuts don't need to be too big. This will most certainly work.
TILES
Leave it for a while to dry.
If you can, put a fan outside blowing air into the air brick that provides ventilation under the floor of the bathroom.
Then try and wobble the tiles that aren't moving. Stand on the edges of the tiles and bounce a bit. If they are stuck down, great! If not, lift them.
Wipe down the back of each tile, so it's clean. Bruch then hoover the old adhesive stuck to the floor.
Then use No Nails/Sticks Like St/ etc suitable for porcelain, to stick back down. Grout to match the correct colour.
I would not rip the whole thing out. If the above works, then it works and it's manageable DIY.
If it ends up not working a few years down the line, and you have to rip it up, you have lost nothing.
Ripping it up now seems to be overzealous and unnecessary.
As for calling your insurance over this, I wouldn't. They probably won't pay out, and they will up your insurance..
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