Replacing floor tile in shower

jlweber

I have a shower with 1"x1" tiles in the floor. Whoever put it down did a lousy job and apparently didn't seal the grout. It's breaking up...tiles pop off easily. Not a big deal to replace that except for one thing....they used the Schluter-Keri shower system. The system is great if you're starting from scratch. but since I have 16x16 tiles on the walls that I'm not going to remove, I can't go up the walls with the Kerdi membrane. Here's what I'm thinking. Please poke holes in my logic.

I'll pull up the tile and cut out the old Kerdi..leaving about 2 inches around the perimeter of the floor. I'll pull off the old thinset from that two inch border (it pulls off with the thin layer of felt on the Keri...but not easily). Then I'll cut a new piece of Kerdi to fit the floor, apply thinset, and lay down the new Kerdi.. tucking the edges underneath the 2" border. I'll seal the edges that overlap with Kerdi Fix or some other high quality silicone sealant. Then I'll lay down my thinset and tile, grout.

Will it work? Thanks!

ARI001

No, it will most definitely leak it would just be a matter of when. You need to run the membrane at least 6" up the wall. I know its a lot of time, money, and trouble but your best bet is probably to demo the thing and start over. It will cost you more in the long run if you do get leaks.

Paragon

Jl,

I am with ARI I think too that it will leak.

I think the best thing to do is get that kerdi up the walls and lapped correctly. If you can't do this properly then I wouldn't do it at all because if it is done incorrectly it is merely placing a band aid on the wound and it may create a separate set of problems.

Like ARI said it is a pain and probably a lot of extra work but will be done right and then you can sleep at night not wondering. It may be something you can replace components but it may be something that is a tear out and replace.

Good luck and be safe!

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jlweber

Thank you for your comments! So it looks like I need to take off the first bottom row of tile from the sides and the inside of the step. Tear out the old Keri, replace it with new Kerdi and replace the tile. Sound about right?

What is the best way to get through the old grout and loosen those 16 x 16 tiles?

Thanks again.