A
Alex Fthenakis
Hi, I'm looking for some next steps advice on a complex situation. I'll try to include any info that I think might be relevant. The irrelevant backstory is at the end for those who are curious.
So tonight I stepped on a tile in front of the kitchen sink and water seeped up around the grout. I've now stopped the leak, pulled up all the loose grout, and am wondering what I'll need to do next once it dries (or to help make it dry).
More about the situation:
First and most important question: do I need to do anything else urgently? Seems to be drying relatively well so far.
Then we're on to next step options. In this case I'm not concerned with appearance, just with making sure I get the floor back to a functional standard. Obviously it's not a shower or wet room, but it is right in front of the kitchen sink so it ends up with drops on it about 3x per day. With that in mind can I:
Photos (and backstory) below. Any advice much appreciated.
Thanks,
Alex
So how did it all happen? Well it's because my washing machine stopped heating water. I figured it would be a simple fix. Called the guy out and he said I needed to just replace the whole washer. So I ordered one immediately (a week ago) so that it would arrive before wash day became too crucial. And of course I was upset about the unexpected expense, so I refused to pay extra for installation or removal. Last night in prep for tomorrow's delivery I decided to disconnect the old washer. No problem, all straightforward. Except the shutoff valve on the mains water supply doesn't actually shut off all the way - it only goes enough to take it down to roughly 1 drip every two seconds. And I didn't notice. Until the drips started coming up through my grout. Good thing I saved £25 by not paying the delivery team for installation!
So tonight I stepped on a tile in front of the kitchen sink and water seeped up around the grout. I've now stopped the leak, pulled up all the loose grout, and am wondering what I'll need to do next once it dries (or to help make it dry).
More about the situation:
- I estimate the leak was a drip every 2 seconds for about 24 hours before I got to it.
- It's a tenement flat, 1st floor. Looks like the subfloor is plywood sheeting over the original poplar floorboards. Under the cabinet is sheeted but un-tiled. This was ground zero for the drip (once it made its way through the cheap particle board cabinet).
- At the point where the wet patch goes under the tiles it looks to be about 3 tiles wide.
- Initial tile (tile 1) is probably 1/3 to 1/2 detached from its adhesive. I tried to pull it up but am pretty sure I'd have to remove the rest of the grout and break the tile in order to do so.
- At the join between the next two tiles moving along the cabinet edge (tiles 2 and 3) it looks like the plywood is warping up slightly. There appears to be a bit of water coming through the grout here - just enough to wet it, not to seep.
- I removed all the grout that came out easily. I was using a grout saw but basically just picked at it and took out all the loose chunks, hoping this would help start the drying process and slow any further damage.
- The tile directly in front of the initial one (one tile away from the cabinet, tile 4) has a hairline crack in it. I'm not sure if I did this or if it's old.
- I have a box of 11 spare tiles that came with the flat. I'm not sure if it will be possible to get more.
First and most important question: do I need to do anything else urgently? Seems to be drying relatively well so far.
Then we're on to next step options. In this case I'm not concerned with appearance, just with making sure I get the floor back to a functional standard. Obviously it's not a shower or wet room, but it is right in front of the kitchen sink so it ends up with drops on it about 3x per day. With that in mind can I:
- re-grout between affected tiles only? Will the loose corner of tile 1 just flex free of the grout again and allow further water ingress?
- replace tile 1 and re-grout the immediate area only? Will the warped tiles 2 and 3 have problems? Will the cracked tile 4 let in too much water?
- replace tiles 1 and 4? or 1-4? and then regrout? How big a risk is it to leave water damaged plywood underneath? I presume it will dry eventually because of the hollow space below it.
Photos (and backstory) below. Any advice much appreciated.
Thanks,
Alex
So how did it all happen? Well it's because my washing machine stopped heating water. I figured it would be a simple fix. Called the guy out and he said I needed to just replace the whole washer. So I ordered one immediately (a week ago) so that it would arrive before wash day became too crucial. And of course I was upset about the unexpected expense, so I refused to pay extra for installation or removal. Last night in prep for tomorrow's delivery I decided to disconnect the old washer. No problem, all straightforward. Except the shutoff valve on the mains water supply doesn't actually shut off all the way - it only goes enough to take it down to roughly 1 drip every two seconds. And I didn't notice. Until the drips started coming up through my grout. Good thing I saved £25 by not paying the delivery team for installation!
