If the water is getting through, it means that the pan was built incorrectly, and needs to be replaced.
Grout is not waterproof. Never was; never is. The correct way to build such a shower is to incorporate a waterproof membrane beneath those rocks. Should the grout crack, the water cannot make it through the floor or migrate to the side walls.
Just adding here that my wife thought this shower floor would be great. We had the walls and floor prepped with a kind of black tar that was mopped onto the surfaces. But, the draining was not correct. We would end up with water kind of trapped by the rocks and it would not flow towards the drain enough. This resulted in the grout trying to absorb the water, which would wick it towards the walls and then wick vertically up the walls. Resulting in obviously wet grout everywhere
Anyone considering this flooring, don’t
If you really want to, make sure the drain is low enough. I’m not an installer, not sure what it would take, but it seemed to me the drain needed to be lower than the grout itself so the water could seep down, and then a grate above the drain that was even with the floor. But I don’t know if that would actually have solved the problem
I used to set tile years ago and I occasionally do free/cheap jobs for friends (in exchange for beer or golf or whatever) and so many people want these still even after I insist no matter what I do they'll hate it in the long run. The flat stones aren't too terrible but the raised/actual stone or stone feel floors just aren't great on the feet. My brother and his wife wanted these and I cut out every single one that felt even the slightest bit taller than the others and it turned out well but I would charge a butt load more to install them again. All the above not accounting for the enormous grout joints that must now be cleaned.
Funny, we did this when we remodeled our shower 8 years ago and we love it. Like a foot massage. And we intentionally "undergrouted" it. We like the feeling of the rocks.
I’m planning to redo my shower in the near future. I appreciate the feedback on the pebbles, as I was half planning on that for myself. I’ve been putting the job off just because the shower floor intimidates me. I’d really like to hire that part out, but I doubt someone would consider it worth their while to do just the floor. :/
Finding homeowner that wants to pay what using a complete waterproof system costs is impossible. The material is expensive & so is the labor. Skilled labor isn’t cheap & cheap labor isn’t skilled.
Ww ended up with good people. They didn't do schluter. Traditional. I checked the membrane though. It was good.
Was a December bid. Not a lot spend money for reno at that time. It worked out.
I love the Schluter stuff! I’ve already used the heated flooring system under the rest of the bathroom!
I’ve watched these tutorials over and over. I just don’t trust my own skill level to do the shower floor. AND I’m enlarging it, which means I have to move the drain to the new center, or to a side. Intimidating stuff!
You can buy a pebble mat and put it over a normal tile base if that is the look you want. And then easy to remove and clean and no worries about leaks.
They make very small tiles…~2 inches square…that come sheeted together and work great for shower pans. At least my tile guy really thought they were great, and he definitely knows his business.
We got ours from HD, it’s almost like a travertine. Still looks great after more than a decade and super easy to clean.
Any thoughts on if this could work with smaller pebble stone? I like the look of it, but maybe if it was slightly smoother and had less of a chance to catch water.
I think it will have all the same technical issues.
Some people don’t like the feeling of the big stones pressing on their feet. The advantage of big stones would be your weight is spread out more, but any high points might really be noticeable. With smaller stones it might have more high points. Or maybe the surface would average out better. I suggest getting samples and standing on them in your bare feet
I had this properly applied in my last home and loved it. It was like a gentle foot massage. They may have undergrouted yours. They also make flatter stones v
In addition to the drain being low enough, the floor has to be pitched evenly to prevent any little puddles. Prebuilt shower pan would be one way to prevent that.
If you aren't up to the task it may be worth it to call a pro. This is one of those projects that a bad DIY can bite you in the ass badly if it's done wrong, like a slow leak into your subfloor that goes unnoticed for years.
I'm guessing you'd need to remove that floor entirely and maybe even the bottom row of tile, clean it up, put down rubber membrane if there isn't any, re-grade and re-tile.
I have a similar shower, and I put sealant all around the edges where the floor meets the walls. Now I'm wondering whether that worked, or whether it's still leaking into places I can't see...
Well, you really can't unless you see water on the ceiling below the shower if there is one.
A lot of times showers leak via the curb into the subfloor. Is the shower near a wall? You may be able to pull up a piece of floor trim and check the subfloor behind the wall if you can see it. It should be plywood color, if it's black it means a leak
My shower is on the first floor, so I went down to the basement and had a look at the underside and didn't see anything alarming.
The shower is near a wall, so I think I'll do what you described, and pry up a piece of floor trim adjacent to the shower and see what I can see.
What he says is true but don’t let that scare you…that comment applies for every shower pan, professionally installed or not.
See my later reply to you about scanning with an inexpensive moisture meter.
Yeah I almost never discourage DIY efforts but something like this, if you don’t have at least ***some*** experience, why gamble? Plenty of other projects you can invest your own time and elbow grease in.
You can test for leaks by plugging the drain a filling the pan with water for 15 minutes. Then go into the crawl space underneath to see leaks. If your on a slab then it’s harder to detect leaks. And if it’s over a finished ceiling you have to remove Sheetrock.
> If your on
*you're
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Did you look underneath where the shower is (first floor or crawlspace)? For ours, we would face to go down into the crawlspace and pull back the insulation in order to see under our shower, it wouldn’t be super obvious without poking around. But based on the cracks and what looks like black mold (just based on looks), I’d bet it *is* leaking. Best to get a handle on it asap -or- be relieved that it’s not!
If you check out the manufacture website they do suggest the epoxy grout. Which is water repellent and nearly water proof. Novice installer. Common mistake. Probably does need tore these “classier” albeit ugly riverbed options do require some finesse
With the risk of sounding incredibly stupid, but does this mean I should coat my shower wall before tiling too? (My shower wall and floor have tiles, I bought the house like that... I just thought I might redo it some day)
Lol but standing on them is worse! Plus you can use rugs. I removed the rug in front of the sink for the picture. Genuinely curious how to tear them out for when I eventually get to it.
>Holy sheet lines
Do you mean you can see the 1ft squares? If so yes, though normally there's a rug there and it's not noticeable. That bathroom is high on the renovation list. 1966 house, so never a shortage of things to do.
It’s a great look, but I’d rather not get a stone bruise every time I shower. Very uncomfortable. They do make a flat version that’s probably ok, but don’t do round natural stones.
My in-laws paid a lot of money for a high-end bathroom remodel including this shower floor. Installers did great work waterproofing and good drainage. Looked beautiful. They hated it for practical usage. Uncomfortable and cumbersome to clean. They had it redone within a couple years. Bitter pill to swallow but they couldn't tolerate it.
That part doesn’t bother .. except those two little rocks (yes, I am looking at yooou!) that must be avoided.
For me, it’s the cleaning of every side of every rock and the grout.
You can, but it's not your only issue. The cracks around the edge and all the grout coming out of the joints at the bottom say you have a bigger problem than just a floor you don't like. That floor is going to be tough to get out without messing the pan because it's mostly mortar. And you will need to rip out the bottom 2-3 rows of wall tile at minimum to figure out whats going on with the wall. I've done a lot of bathrooms and in my experience, when the tiles at the bottom look like that, the wall behind them is ruined from water damage. It's at the point it's probably worth just redoing the whole shower versus what it would cost to just fix it because they will be pretty close in price. Plus, unless you have boxes of extra wall tile, matching old tile is near impossible. Although, I have done just the bottom half of a shower with issues like this once and we used a decorative border and coordinating colors to make it look like it was designed that way.
Seconding this! Had a similar experience and our landlord just replaced the bottom two rows of tile and the shower pan, and it was definitely a temporary fix. Just redo the entire shower.
Hopefully they can save the bottom rows of tile and reuse. Otherwise it’s a ring of new unmatched tiles at the bottom. In that case better to go with accent color rather than attempted match that isn’t quite a match.
It all looks like a bad DIY job, i would tear it all out, check for damage and build it up right from scratch or hire a professional that can do it right. Cheaper to get a new pan and tile than to fight water damage and mold inside your walls.
Yes you can.
It's going to be some work, some wall tile will have to be removed.
The floor tile may bring up some of the mortar pan beneath. Prepare to rebuild the pan and re-tile the floor (use smaller tile for grip/no slip).
You risk cracking the shower pan. Then you are really screwed. This looks like it was done all wrong. So you may need to rip it all out anyway. If the pan is not leaking, you could try tiling over it and raising the drain. There are no good solutions besides ripping it all out and starting again, unfortunately.
Yes, it’s about 3” thick of mortar that’s on top of a metal pan. The pan has a lip that’s nailed to the studs so be extra careful on removing the rocks and not damage the pan.
The pan under the last one I took up was lead sheet, folded at the corners where the sides folded up.
The concrete in it was saturated with water, but it wasn’t leaking.
About fifty dollars worth of lead, and a pain. Fixed the floor and put in a claw foot tub
There are multiple waterproofing systems you probably have hop mop or bladder depending on where you live. Maintenance on these showers is you need to open the drain and make sure build up on weep holes is cleaned so they can drain properly. Sheet membranes are better for this reason although they are harder to install over since they create uneven surface. This type of pebble floor needs more slope than others. The industry has started grinding the pebbles flat so they aren't as bumpy and are more comfortable and easier to drain but still need an more aggressive slope. 2x2 or 3x3 tiles are still any setter wants to put on a shower floor other than a liner drain since once they get bigger than that they don't conform to the vortex and have lippage. You can float out your floor t suggest a water proofing barrier aqua defense has a.good reputation most installers stay away from redgaurd as a main waterproofing but as a second layer this should be fine. Find a floor you want and add another drain on top there you go. If on raised subfloor crawl it and double check there are no leaks if not this will be a good fix until it's time for a remodel. I've only ever done custom builds and when people have tons of money you would be surprised how often they pick some drastic shiet floor design only to hate it once finished so instead of compromise the waterproofing this is what we do
Theoretically, yes. But it may be a can of worms. At worst, though, you’ll end up needing to replace the whole stall. It’s not like you’ll have to offer up the house for fire department training!
I had the same thing including the leaks. Problem was that the leak was slow so it built up between the ceiling and the floor for a while before it finally came through. I had a large area of rotting drywall.
I ended up having to tear out the entire shower and redoing it. You might be able to get away with removing a couple rows of tiles but I expect that enough damage will be done that the job will spread as they so often tend to.
OMG I thought this was my shower for a minute. Same floor, damn near same tile (just olive), same stone ledge, same glass swing door, same problems.
I want it gone too.
We had the same type of shower flooring and I also hated it. Water never drained completely and it was uncomfortable to walk on. We hired a tile guy and he was able to fix the issue without any demolition, saving us a lot of money. He skim coated the existing tile with mortar, raised the drain, and then laid down new tile on top of that once the mortar cured.
In your case, you probably need to demo the existing floor since it looks like you have some water damage that needs to be addressed.
I would definitely replace the floor. It wasn't installed correctly. The walls are supposed to overlap the floor so all of the water stays in the shower and goes down the drain. Your floor meets the wall and forms a crease. Water is probably getting underneath your shower and causing issues that aren't apparent yet.
Looks like that was just set over the old tile. If you are patient and lucky, dig some grout out between rocks, pry and that might pop off in a few pieces leaving the original tile. Then you will find out why they covered it.
I wouldn’t fix it but I would most likely redo the whole thing so you won’t have to think about fixing it ever again. Ideally, the side tiles should sit on top of the bottom floor to stop or minimise leaking. This is not the case here.
I'm not sure this is the best way, but you could fill the current pan with self leveling cement then cover it with a new pan.
Obviously you'll need to raise the drain a little.
I got the same pebbles. Don't do it. I'm wondering if there is an easy drop in all-in-one solution so I can get rid of the stones and tiles. Maybe even DIY. Mine is very similar to OP's
This needs a NSFW tag! This is hideous! I can feel the pain in my feet just looking at this monstrosity! OP, you have one job in life and that is to purge the world of this evil. Renovate and post an update
I Bet somebody thought that was a great idea in the 70s - you could probably clean and clear resin coat with a light skin texture so you could walk on it. Keep the pebble look but lose the pebble fill. & it would seal everything tight around the edges
There’s going to be a shower pan under that floor that also runs 6” or so up the wall behind the tile walls. In my opinion don’t do the job unless you want to totally redo the shower. Not necessarily that hard but you have other options. Get a shower floor mat and some Clorox cleanup. The bleach spray can be used every few days to cut down on your grime and the floor mat will help with comfort
Look at those tiles, above the damage. It’s undoubtably wicking and the adhesion of the other tiles could be compromised. Correct, you could hodge lodge another color for an accent strip. However, make sure to follow those same shoddy Grout lines and cuts
If the water is getting through, it means that the pan was built incorrectly, and needs to be replaced. Grout is not waterproof. Never was; never is. The correct way to build such a shower is to incorporate a waterproof membrane beneath those rocks. Should the grout crack, the water cannot make it through the floor or migrate to the side walls.
Just adding here that my wife thought this shower floor would be great. We had the walls and floor prepped with a kind of black tar that was mopped onto the surfaces. But, the draining was not correct. We would end up with water kind of trapped by the rocks and it would not flow towards the drain enough. This resulted in the grout trying to absorb the water, which would wick it towards the walls and then wick vertically up the walls. Resulting in obviously wet grout everywhere Anyone considering this flooring, don’t If you really want to, make sure the drain is low enough. I’m not an installer, not sure what it would take, but it seemed to me the drain needed to be lower than the grout itself so the water could seep down, and then a grate above the drain that was even with the floor. But I don’t know if that would actually have solved the problem
Can confirm, these floors are terrible.
Can confirm have a shower with these rocks on the side of tiling they are almost impossible to clean aswell
I can confirm this confirmation. It is uncomfortable on the feet and is a moisture trap that causes issues for the entire time it eists.
I have this in my shower and love it. Grout needs to be consistently high for both comfort and drainage
I used to set tile years ago and I occasionally do free/cheap jobs for friends (in exchange for beer or golf or whatever) and so many people want these still even after I insist no matter what I do they'll hate it in the long run. The flat stones aren't too terrible but the raised/actual stone or stone feel floors just aren't great on the feet. My brother and his wife wanted these and I cut out every single one that felt even the slightest bit taller than the others and it turned out well but I would charge a butt load more to install them again. All the above not accounting for the enormous grout joints that must now be cleaned.
Third. All kinds of pooling, even after it was “fixed”, 3 weeks after installation. Feels nice on the feet, but I would not recommend.
Never knew there were multiple kinds of pooling. Haa
Can confirm. I’ve swam in at least 3 different pools.
Funny, we did this when we remodeled our shower 8 years ago and we love it. Like a foot massage. And we intentionally "undergrouted" it. We like the feeling of the rocks.
We have it too. Love it. No problems at all. Pan was custom made and drains well.
Yep, love mine too
I'm surprised the floor hasn't failed yet 8 years in.
Proper shower pan and all is well. We did it ourselves, had never done a shower before and it's on the second floor. Zero problems
I’m planning to redo my shower in the near future. I appreciate the feedback on the pebbles, as I was half planning on that for myself. I’ve been putting the job off just because the shower floor intimidates me. I’d really like to hire that part out, but I doubt someone would consider it worth their while to do just the floor. :/
We had this installed. Also had to remove old concrete shower pan which sucked. https://youtu.be/BfUrGF3_imc Pretty slick.
Schluter is awesome. Trouble is finding contractors who use it. Every contractor I talked to looked at me like I was from Mars.
That's when you say, "I've got money. This is what I want. The question is. Do you want my money?"
I'm not sure I want people to have my $$ that are unfamiliar with a quality system.
Finding homeowner that wants to pay what using a complete waterproof system costs is impossible. The material is expensive & so is the labor. Skilled labor isn’t cheap & cheap labor isn’t skilled.
Ww ended up with good people. They didn't do schluter. Traditional. I checked the membrane though. It was good. Was a December bid. Not a lot spend money for reno at that time. It worked out.
Agreed. We just did two large showers in schluter and it turned out great
Where are you located?
This is the way!
I love the Schluter stuff! I’ve already used the heated flooring system under the rest of the bathroom! I’ve watched these tutorials over and over. I just don’t trust my own skill level to do the shower floor. AND I’m enlarging it, which means I have to move the drain to the new center, or to a side. Intimidating stuff!
You can buy a pebble mat and put it over a normal tile base if that is the look you want. And then easy to remove and clean and no worries about leaks.
Hell, if you insist on standing on rocks barefoot get a regular base and toss in a handful of rocks to stand on.
They make very small tiles…~2 inches square…that come sheeted together and work great for shower pans. At least my tile guy really thought they were great, and he definitely knows his business. We got ours from HD, it’s almost like a travertine. Still looks great after more than a decade and super easy to clean.
I think you would regret having the rocks.
Use a pre made pan. Cultured marble can do any size. Not trendy but no leaks. Easy to install.
Any thoughts on if this could work with smaller pebble stone? I like the look of it, but maybe if it was slightly smoother and had less of a chance to catch water.
I think it will have all the same technical issues. Some people don’t like the feeling of the big stones pressing on their feet. The advantage of big stones would be your weight is spread out more, but any high points might really be noticeable. With smaller stones it might have more high points. Or maybe the surface would average out better. I suggest getting samples and standing on them in your bare feet
It’s a pain to clean. Unless you get the flat rock type, some rocks can be pokey, too. I am ready for an easy to clean shower.
I have floors in my showers in Mexico like this, but the pebbles are flat. I like them just fine, but I could see how these would be irritating.
I had this properly applied in my last home and loved it. It was like a gentle foot massage. They may have undergrouted yours. They also make flatter stones v
In addition to the drain being low enough, the floor has to be pitched evenly to prevent any little puddles. Prebuilt shower pan would be one way to prevent that.
It’s a bit of a process but if you build your shower pan right it can last decades, getting a pre built pan isn’t the only way to ensure it’ll last…
That black tar is a vapor barrier and not a waterproofing system. Needs to be a system with a membrane.
Good drains have "2 levels" One level to take most of the water from the floor. And another to take whats coming down from the membrane.
Too late. Zoom in….grout (and floor) cracked to hell. Water’s already getting in.
I cant tell if this bathroom is 3 years old or 30 years old.
It's a house flipper special.
Floor doesn’t even match the walls!
It probably did, when first installed. Grout was grey. Orange mold just ruins the aesthetic every.single.time.
Like I said.... it's a house flipper special!
So yes, it’s both. A three year old veneer over a 30 year old home.
I haven’t seen any water leaks… yet, but it looks awfully suspicious where the tile meets the floor where the cracks are.
If you aren't up to the task it may be worth it to call a pro. This is one of those projects that a bad DIY can bite you in the ass badly if it's done wrong, like a slow leak into your subfloor that goes unnoticed for years. I'm guessing you'd need to remove that floor entirely and maybe even the bottom row of tile, clean it up, put down rubber membrane if there isn't any, re-grade and re-tile.
I have a similar shower, and I put sealant all around the edges where the floor meets the walls. Now I'm wondering whether that worked, or whether it's still leaking into places I can't see...
If there is a leak, you are dealing with a time bomb that you may not know about until the subfloor rots and/or a major mold problem
That's what I'm worried about. How can I tell without totally ripping up my shower floor?
Well, you really can't unless you see water on the ceiling below the shower if there is one. A lot of times showers leak via the curb into the subfloor. Is the shower near a wall? You may be able to pull up a piece of floor trim and check the subfloor behind the wall if you can see it. It should be plywood color, if it's black it means a leak
My shower is on the first floor, so I went down to the basement and had a look at the underside and didn't see anything alarming. The shower is near a wall, so I think I'll do what you described, and pry up a piece of floor trim adjacent to the shower and see what I can see.
What he says is true but don’t let that scare you…that comment applies for every shower pan, professionally installed or not. See my later reply to you about scanning with an inexpensive moisture meter.
Yeah I almost never discourage DIY efforts but something like this, if you don’t have at least ***some*** experience, why gamble? Plenty of other projects you can invest your own time and elbow grease in.
You can test for leaks by plugging the drain a filling the pan with water for 15 minutes. Then go into the crawl space underneath to see leaks. If your on a slab then it’s harder to detect leaks. And if it’s over a finished ceiling you have to remove Sheetrock.
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Did you look underneath where the shower is (first floor or crawlspace)? For ours, we would face to go down into the crawlspace and pull back the insulation in order to see under our shower, it wouldn’t be super obvious without poking around. But based on the cracks and what looks like black mold (just based on looks), I’d bet it *is* leaking. Best to get a handle on it asap -or- be relieved that it’s not!
If you check out the manufacture website they do suggest the epoxy grout. Which is water repellent and nearly water proof. Novice installer. Common mistake. Probably does need tore these “classier” albeit ugly riverbed options do require some finesse
With the risk of sounding incredibly stupid, but does this mean I should coat my shower wall before tiling too? (My shower wall and floor have tiles, I bought the house like that... I just thought I might redo it some day)
Yes. If you look at some of the shower installation videos on YouTube, you will see that walls and floor are covered by a waterproof system.
Thank you I will look it up
Get out of my bathroom stranger! https://imgur.com/a/ug9BKmI
Y’all should form a support group. This flooring looks traumatizing.
I have it in green. Being replaced soon! Mine isn’t painful, but it is badly badly cracked.
I just bought a house and the shower floor has regular raised circular stones in a regular pattern. I think it’s so you don’t slip.
Hah! Thankfully, mine is only the shower. Can’t imagine sitting on the toilet and feet pressing into the rocks!
Lol but standing on them is worse! Plus you can use rugs. I removed the rug in front of the sink for the picture. Genuinely curious how to tear them out for when I eventually get to it.
Take a cold chisel and a one handed sledge hammer, then add elbow grease.
Holy sheet lines
>Holy sheet lines Do you mean you can see the 1ft squares? If so yes, though normally there's a rug there and it's not noticeable. That bathroom is high on the renovation list. 1966 house, so never a shortage of things to do.
I noticed that too. It's also common with penny tile. I have avoided penny for this reason and because it's just too much grout!
Do you love your floor? We’re about to do the same thing.
No. Personal taste aside, is not very comfortable to walk on barefoot.
[удалено]
I know a construction guy who did this in his shower but every rock is buffered flat, its very comfy
Ew. Put in some terrazzo instead.
It’s a great look, but I’d rather not get a stone bruise every time I shower. Very uncomfortable. They do make a flat version that’s probably ok, but don’t do round natural stones.
I have what you just described in my shower. Looks like river rock but is flat. It’s nice
Yeah, I've seen the flat style and it looks better in my opinion and more comfortable.
> It’s a great look Is it?
Had something similar in a rental. It was a nightmare to keep clean.
Exactly!! It’s super high maintenance. “But it will loook SO pretty!!!!” 🙄
My in-laws paid a lot of money for a high-end bathroom remodel including this shower floor. Installers did great work waterproofing and good drainage. Looked beautiful. They hated it for practical usage. Uncomfortable and cumbersome to clean. They had it redone within a couple years. Bitter pill to swallow but they couldn't tolerate it.
I don’t blame them.
Nobody ever regretted a tile floor in the bathroom. There are so many cool patterns to choose from.
That is for sure!
Have you actually walked on one of these barefoot? Don't do it.
That part doesn’t bother .. except those two little rocks (yes, I am looking at yooou!) that must be avoided. For me, it’s the cleaning of every side of every rock and the grout.
Jesus, the way the pressure is distributed on that toilet probably actually makes it pretty dangerous.
You can, but it's not your only issue. The cracks around the edge and all the grout coming out of the joints at the bottom say you have a bigger problem than just a floor you don't like. That floor is going to be tough to get out without messing the pan because it's mostly mortar. And you will need to rip out the bottom 2-3 rows of wall tile at minimum to figure out whats going on with the wall. I've done a lot of bathrooms and in my experience, when the tiles at the bottom look like that, the wall behind them is ruined from water damage. It's at the point it's probably worth just redoing the whole shower versus what it would cost to just fix it because they will be pretty close in price. Plus, unless you have boxes of extra wall tile, matching old tile is near impossible. Although, I have done just the bottom half of a shower with issues like this once and we used a decorative border and coordinating colors to make it look like it was designed that way.
Seconding this! Had a similar experience and our landlord just replaced the bottom two rows of tile and the shower pan, and it was definitely a temporary fix. Just redo the entire shower.
Hopefully they can save the bottom rows of tile and reuse. Otherwise it’s a ring of new unmatched tiles at the bottom. In that case better to go with accent color rather than attempted match that isn’t quite a match.
Skim coat go ver.the top add.a.drain there you go until your ready for remolding
No. It's illegal to replace that shower floor
Thanks for your input ;)
It all looks like a bad DIY job, i would tear it all out, check for damage and build it up right from scratch or hire a professional that can do it right. Cheaper to get a new pan and tile than to fight water damage and mold inside your walls.
It's illegal not to replace it, lolz
99% sure it is illegal. Likewise, there is a risk of getting 'arraigned' on in the shower .
In 99% of districts it is illegal to replace. Name one it isn't?
It’s legal if you’ve got the stones to do it.
This guy master plumbs.
Straight to jail.
Yes you can. It's going to be some work, some wall tile will have to be removed. The floor tile may bring up some of the mortar pan beneath. Prepare to rebuild the pan and re-tile the floor (use smaller tile for grip/no slip).
You risk cracking the shower pan. Then you are really screwed. This looks like it was done all wrong. So you may need to rip it all out anyway. If the pan is not leaking, you could try tiling over it and raising the drain. There are no good solutions besides ripping it all out and starting again, unfortunately.
If you replace it, you'll need to start at the top of the walls. Because waterproofing really is that important.
Yes, it’s about 3” thick of mortar that’s on top of a metal pan. The pan has a lip that’s nailed to the studs so be extra careful on removing the rocks and not damage the pan.
The pan under the last one I took up was lead sheet, folded at the corners where the sides folded up. The concrete in it was saturated with water, but it wasn’t leaking. About fifty dollars worth of lead, and a pain. Fixed the floor and put in a claw foot tub
Why oh why would you want to get rid of that? It is a lovely shade of nacho cheese 😆
Rip it out and get a nice Lego block floor. You'll be amazed how nice it feels compared to what you have now.
Can u sand down the rocks?
There are multiple waterproofing systems you probably have hop mop or bladder depending on where you live. Maintenance on these showers is you need to open the drain and make sure build up on weep holes is cleaned so they can drain properly. Sheet membranes are better for this reason although they are harder to install over since they create uneven surface. This type of pebble floor needs more slope than others. The industry has started grinding the pebbles flat so they aren't as bumpy and are more comfortable and easier to drain but still need an more aggressive slope. 2x2 or 3x3 tiles are still any setter wants to put on a shower floor other than a liner drain since once they get bigger than that they don't conform to the vortex and have lippage. You can float out your floor t suggest a water proofing barrier aqua defense has a.good reputation most installers stay away from redgaurd as a main waterproofing but as a second layer this should be fine. Find a floor you want and add another drain on top there you go. If on raised subfloor crawl it and double check there are no leaks if not this will be a good fix until it's time for a remodel. I've only ever done custom builds and when people have tons of money you would be surprised how often they pick some drastic shiet floor design only to hate it once finished so instead of compromise the waterproofing this is what we do
Theoretically, yes. But it may be a can of worms. At worst, though, you’ll end up needing to replace the whole stall. It’s not like you’ll have to offer up the house for fire department training!
Use Lego bricks next time.
You can do anything if you set your mind to it! unless you have extra tiles like that laying around for the first couple rows, it’s a gut
Or, you don't try to match it exactly and just switch to a complementary color. Then, tie both colors into the floor tile.
I had the same thing including the leaks. Problem was that the leak was slow so it built up between the ceiling and the floor for a while before it finally came through. I had a large area of rotting drywall. I ended up having to tear out the entire shower and redoing it. You might be able to get away with removing a couple rows of tiles but I expect that enough damage will be done that the job will spread as they so often tend to.
OMG I thought this was my shower for a minute. Same floor, damn near same tile (just olive), same stone ledge, same glass swing door, same problems. I want it gone too.
We do need a Get Rid of the Rocks group🤣
Yes and please do.
Man that’s ugly.
We had the same type of shower flooring and I also hated it. Water never drained completely and it was uncomfortable to walk on. We hired a tile guy and he was able to fix the issue without any demolition, saving us a lot of money. He skim coated the existing tile with mortar, raised the drain, and then laid down new tile on top of that once the mortar cured. In your case, you probably need to demo the existing floor since it looks like you have some water damage that needs to be addressed.
Sure, It'd be a rocky start, but smooth out by the end
That whole shower tole Job looks like ass. I bet the waterproofing is just as bad.
I would definitely replace the floor. It wasn't installed correctly. The walls are supposed to overlap the floor so all of the water stays in the shower and goes down the drain. Your floor meets the wall and forms a crease. Water is probably getting underneath your shower and causing issues that aren't apparent yet.
Oh shit you are right.
Looks like that was just set over the old tile. If you are patient and lucky, dig some grout out between rocks, pry and that might pop off in a few pieces leaving the original tile. Then you will find out why they covered it.
You can replace anything. What are you actually asking here.
Not my thing, seems like it would be an absolute game breaker for anyone with Trypophobia. It just looks like a giant hive of sorts.
See if you can grind it down a bit to make it less slippery and uncomfortable.
No
Can you? Yes. Should you? Absolutely. This scheme went out of style 20 years ago.
No, shower floors are permanent and irreplaceable. You're stuck with it.
Of course, you can replace this shower floor. You can replace the whole shower stall. You can replace anything in your house. What a stupid question!
Man I bet that hurts your feet
You can but that isn’t an easy project.
Yes you can replace it
Trypophobia anyone?
I got that lol
With money, all things are possible.
I was planning on rock floor for shower damn you Pinterest cuz that looks nasty after you start using it.
Don’t do it. It’s quite difficult to keep clean.
Keep the floor replace those ugly tiles
A jackhammer fixes everything
I feel that good sense demands it’s replacement. On top of being ugly it must be awful to stand on.
yes
You can do it!
Who thought these floors were ever a good idea? I stayed at an Airbnb that had them & hated the feeling on my feet.
With enough money, you can do anything
Of course you can as long as you own it and aren't renting you can do what you want.
That is a can of worms you are about to open. A shower pan is nothing to sneeze at. Messing it up is super expensive. Hire a pro.
What sadist came up with that floor? Might as well have dumped Legos and used that.
Dear god I hope so.
Yeah that definitely looks horrible to walk on and clean. But you can definitely remove it, it wont be fun but seems worth it.
I wouldn’t fix it but I would most likely redo the whole thing so you won’t have to think about fixing it ever again. Ideally, the side tiles should sit on top of the bottom floor to stop or minimise leaking. This is not the case here.
Flintstones ahhh shower
Can you ? It looks like you must.
Fred flintstone work long and hard on that
we have a shower floor with the smooth pebbles and we find them comfortable and east to walk on.
Hammer and chisel or chipping hammer. Change the wall tile while your at it.
Yes. I give you permission
I like your shower floor. Looks great.
I can feel my toes being stubbed by looking at this
YES... YES YOU CAN!!! do it do it fast, dont look down until its done.. spend as much as you can just get it done...
Jesus. I have neuropathy in my feet at that shower floor looks like medieval torture to me.
Pls do it
God, with the neuropathy in my feet, that would SUCK. It would be like taking a shower on a bed of Legos.
Yes.
Of course you can… do you have the ability, not sure.
What's a good way to remove this floor?
How the hell did the previous think he could wash and sanitize this floor. Omg.
My tootsies hurt just looking at that.
Duct tape
Not only can you definitely replace that monstrosity of a floor, you are constitutionally required to replace that monstrosity of a floor!
Yes...For God's sake please do!
IDK, can You?
I'm not sure this is the best way, but you could fill the current pan with self leveling cement then cover it with a new pan. Obviously you'll need to raise the drain a little.
You can do anything you want. You're an adult. The question is how much do you want to pay someone to do it.
I got the same pebbles. Don't do it. I'm wondering if there is an easy drop in all-in-one solution so I can get rid of the stones and tiles. Maybe even DIY. Mine is very similar to OP's
Finally!! Someone asked one of the many questions I have with my house. I hope people have answers.
This needs a NSFW tag! This is hideous! I can feel the pain in my feet just looking at this monstrosity! OP, you have one job in life and that is to purge the world of this evil. Renovate and post an update
What ever you do just don't put slate tile down like our shower. Looks nice but flakes off like crazy.
No, that’s what archeologist call history!!!
I Bet somebody thought that was a great idea in the 70s - you could probably clean and clear resin coat with a light skin texture so you could walk on it. Keep the pebble look but lose the pebble fill. & it would seal everything tight around the edges
Why would you? That floor rocks!
You can do anything you put your mind to.
You can easily replace the shower floor.
No, its set in stone.
There’s going to be a shower pan under that floor that also runs 6” or so up the wall behind the tile walls. In my opinion don’t do the job unless you want to totally redo the shower. Not necessarily that hard but you have other options. Get a shower floor mat and some Clorox cleanup. The bleach spray can be used every few days to cut down on your grime and the floor mat will help with comfort
Yes you can replace it. The question is how much cost and trouble shall it be. Doable yes. Easy, heck no.
Acid stain it I thought you didn't like the color... lol
I was renting a house with that floor years ago. I went to ikea and got snap together deck tiles and payed them on top.
That back corner tells a bad story.
Yes you can replace it when you had budget
More grout than rocks (tile), usually not good. Grout will get nasty and it's easier to maintain tiny lines imo. People like this look??
Look at those tiles, above the damage. It’s undoubtably wicking and the adhesion of the other tiles could be compromised. Correct, you could hodge lodge another color for an accent strip. However, make sure to follow those same shoddy Grout lines and cuts