Advice Request - Shower Tiling/Mud floor fix
Was hoping to get feedback from professionals on next steps since I am worried about the steps my contractor is taking to fix our shower floor tile.
Context:
I noticed that my tile floor in the shower was cracking and lifting in a few spots and has been getting worse over the years. I have tried to get my builder out to fix it, but it required the tile to lift further for them to inspect it since they previously thought I dropped something heavy on the floor and cracked it that way.
The builder warranty is about to expire, so I wanted to get this resolved before I run out of time in a few months.
This weekend they sent someone out to tear up the tile and replace it since they said it was a defective tile. I was skeptical of this claim because it seems like lifting tile would indicate moisture was putting pressure on it.
We stopped the worker from immediately covering the mud floor with hydraulic cement since I wanted to do more research to ensure they were addressing the actual problem (see photos).
When I inspected the mud floor, there was standing water (from using the shower a few days ago), which made me worry that the water wasn’t properly draining through the weep holes. My understanding was that some moisture in the cement can be normal, but standing water might mean that some of the weep holes are partially or fully blocked.
After chatting with my partner, we decided to call another contractor that specializes in tile to get a second opinion. They advised that we do not use hydraulic cement and instead replace the mud floor to verify the waterproofing layer isn’t compromised and ensure the structural integrity of the mud floor. They also advised cleaning out the weep holes and using small rocks or gravel around the drain to ensure everything is flowing correctly.
Fast forward to today, and the building contractor came by while I was at work to clean out the loose parts in the mud bed, so my partner let them in. She didn’t realize they were also going to start laying down the hydraulic cement, so by the time I got there it was too late to stop them and they put a layer over the entire mud floor which caused instant concerns from me around how it will bond to the mud floor and potential drainage issues since it is less permeable.
After a long conversation, I asked them to verify the following before reinstalling the tile:
- Wait 48 hours for the hydraulic cement to cure
- Run a 24-hour flood test to make sure there are no leaks
- Test the weep holes around the drain to make sure they are not clogged (getting a lot of pushback on this)
- Promise a 5 year warranty on the work (not sure if enforceable since my state only allows 2 years)
Ask:
I am worried this is a minimum-effort fix and that I will have to deal with this again in a few years if moisture isn’t draining properly. Can I get advice on the quality of this fix and what steps you would take if this was happening in your home? I am open to working with a different contractor if they would actually fix the issue (even if I have to pay out of pocket).