Shower Leak and Tile Repair in Newark, DE
- Leaks Found Before Tile Comes Off
- Tub Edge, Grout and Spout Repairs
- Valve Work Inside the Wall
Notice whether the stain follows baths, showers, or both? Mention it when you call.
A leak in the only shower in the house is two problems at once. Water is getting into the wall or the floor, and the household needs that bathroom back. In a Newark house built with one full bath, that is the job in front of us.
The count that matters here is the number of days without a shower. The repair is planned to keep that count short. It starts with a water test of the surround before any price.
Who Is Working on Your Tub Surround
Tub edge checked first
The caulk joint where the tub meets the tile is the first place the test looks.
Plumbing kept in-house
A dripping spout or valve connection is repaired by Jimmy himself.
Caulk at the tub edge
The joint that moves with the tub gets flexible caulk, with grout kept out of it.
What a Tiled Tub Surround Leaks Through
Tile over a tub has no shower pan. The tub itself catches the water, and everything above it depends on three things staying sealed: the joint where the tile meets the tub, the grout between the tiles, and the openings cut into the wall for the spout and the handle.
The tub edge and the inside corners
A tub moves. Fill it with water and a person, and it settles slightly against its frame, then rises again when it drains. The joint between the tub rim and the first row of tile has to take up that movement, so it is sealed with flexible caulk and kept free of grout. When that caulk pulls away, water running down the wall slips behind the tile right at the tub flange, soaking the bottom of the backer board and the subfloor beside the tub. The two inside corners of the surround work and fail the same way.
The spout and handle wall
The wall with the plumbing in it has holes in it. Spray hitting the tub spout bounces back at the wall, and an unsealed gap around the spout or the handle trim lets that water into the cavity. Inside the cavity, the valve, the pipe feeding the spout, and the riser to the shower arm can each drip at a joint.
Finding the leak first in a one-bath Newark house
Some Newark houses, including townhouses, were built with three bedrooms and a single full bathroom. When the tub-shower in a house like that leaks, the household has nowhere else to shower. So each part of the surround is wetted on its own, the one that leaks is opened, and the rest is left alone, and Jimmy orders the work around the curing time of the grout and caulk.
Before the Tub Surround Comes Apart
A full tub puts water against the overflow, and a shower never fills it that high. When the stain follows baths, the overflow gasket or the drain under the tub is the likely path, and the tub itself is filled during the test to check them.
It can be either one. Water can get in around the spout from the bathroom side, or the pipe that feeds the spout can drip inside the wall. The test tells them apart, and Jimmy handles both, so you don't need a separate plumber for the second half of the job.
A cracked tub or a failed tub drain changes the job. Replacing the tub is a different project, handled through our shower and tub replacement work, and Jimmy will tell you at the estimate if that is where the test points.
It can. Grout that has been in a wall for decades has picked up color, so a freshly regrouted wall can read lighter than its neighbors. Whether to regrout one wall or the entire surround is to be decided together at the estimate.
On some tubs, yes. The overflow plate comes off from the tub side, and the gasket behind it can be reached from there. Where it can't, the route to the drain and overflow is chosen during your visit.
Working the Surround Back Together
A call or text about what you're seeing
Call or text to set up the visit, at a time when the bathroom can be out of use for the test.
Jimmy at the house
He looks over the surround and the place where the water showed up, listens for tile that rings hollow under a knuckle, and checks the caulk line at the tub.
The part-by-part water test
The tub edge, walls, spout, and handle are wetted one at a time, starting at the caulk line where the tub meets the tile.
Opening the surround
Floors from the front door to the bathroom are covered first. Where the failure reaches the tub, the bottom course of tile comes off, allowing the backer to be checked right down to the tub flange.
Closing up and the first shower
Soft backer is replaced to the flange, and the course is set back; the joint at the tub gets new caulk. Each layer gets its curing time before the tub is used, and then the shower is yours again.
What the Surround Repair Covers
| Part of the tub-shower | The repair | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Caulk joint at the tub edge | Old bead cut out, joint cleaned, new caulk laid | Grout above it is checked at the same time |
| Grout on the surround | Raked out and regrouted | One wall or all three, chosen at the estimate |
| Loose tile above the tub rim | Reset on firm backing | Spare tiles from the house help the match |
| Spout, valve or supply leak | Repaired inside the wall, soldered or ProPress | Route into the wall chosen at the estimate |
| Soft subfloor beside the tub | Rotted section cut out and the floor stiffened | Repaired before the floor is closed |
We don't paint walls, ceilings, or trim; repaired areas are left ready for your painter.
Drying a soaked wall and removing mold are done by others; we rebuild the surround after that.
If the test shows the surround is past repair, the shower can be rebuilt from the framing out.
What a Newark Tub-Shower Repair Runs
- Job
Shower leak and tile repair
Range$1,000 to $3,000 - Job
Surround rebuilt as a custom tile shower
Range$6,000 to $12,000
Tile over a tub gets more involved the lower the failure sits on the wall. Recaulking the tub edge on its own may be a small job, billed as a $100 service call plus $25 for every 15 minutes. A regrouted wall involves raking out and refilling every joint on it. When the backer at the tub flange has gone soft, the bottom of the wall has to come apart, which moves the job up its range.
Jimmy prices every project in person at your home, never from a photo or a text. Project estimates are free and are usually scheduled in the evening.
Our warranty
Our work carries a one-year workmanship warranty, dated from the day the job is finished.
Shower Leak Repair Reviews on Google
More reviews from our customers, straight from Google.
Get Your Newark Shower Back in Use
Call or text Jimmy about the tub-shower. The visit starts at the tub edge and works up the wall from there.
Precision Home Worx · Based in Claymont, DE · (302) 321-3577 (call or text) · Monday through Sunday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Delaware business license #223872998 · General liability insurance and RLI surety bond #LMS1971327
Serving Wilmington, Claymont, North Wilmington, Hockessin, Pike Creek, Greenville, Newark, New Castle, Bear and the rest of northern Delaware.
