what to do with cracked grout on ceiling in shower - Page 3

> > > rank beginner wrote:
> > > > Hello,
> > > > I had a new shower with tiled walls and ceiling put in about 5 year=
> > > > ago. This year the grout in one specific row of tiles on the ceilin=
> > > > is really starting to crack. This started last year as a hairline
> > > > crack in the grout along the entire length of the row of tiles. Now
> > > > the crack has widened and I must do something to repair it ASAP. Th=
> > > > thing is, I'm not sure what it is that should be done.
> > > > Photos here:
> > > >http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb241/phungirl/showerstalltile_01=

> > > >http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb241/phungirl/showerstalltile_02=

> > > > Should I regrout the whole cracked area? If so, should all the old
> > > > grout be scraped out first? What would be the best way to do that
> > > > (if indeed that is what I should do)? Tools?
> > > > Also, is it a problem if water has seeped into the crack a bit?
> > > > (There were drips from the ceiling tile where the crack is today).
> > > > My hope is that no permanent moisture has entered the ceiling.
> > > > Any and all help or advice is greatly appreciated.
> > > The grout is cracked because the ceiling is moving; could be moving
> > > laterally, could be moving down.
> > > If you had drips from the ceiling tile, moisture *has* entered the
> > > ceiling...those drips didn't get there from the shower (unless you
> > > are an extremely frenetic showerer). =A0It is most likely the water
> > > that is causing the ceiling to move.
> > > The first thing to do is locate the source of the water. =A0If an att=
> > > is above the shower, check the roof; if not or if you have plumbing
> > > above the shower, check it too.
> > > Next, fix the source of the leak.
> > > Next, you need to make the ceiling that is under the tile sound once
> > > again. I assume it is drywall? =A0Drywall - even "moisture resistant"
> > > drywall - and water do not play nice together. =A0If it were me, I'd
> > > remove all ceiling tile and replace the drywall. =A0Again, if it were
> > > me, I'd not replace tile on the ceiling...the tile isn't all that
> > > heavy but it is pulling the drywall downward against the screw/nail
> > > heads. =A0Drywall isn't all that strong to begin with and - especiall=
> > > with a bit of moisture - the weight of the tile would tend to pull
> > > the fastener head further into the drywall causing the ceiling to sag
> > > slightly, sag cracking grout.
> > Yes, for a gap that big something is moving, either sideways to open th=
> > gap -- not likely, or vertically. Lay a straightedge on the ceiling and=

> > will probably see that the ceiling is sagging -- the lowest point at th=
> > crack. Do you know what material was used for the ceiling, as mentioned
> > above drywall or even any other gypsum product is bad news anywhere in =
> > shower. I would wager that there is also a seam in the backing material=

> > close and parallel to the crack. You may have to drop the ceiling and r=

> > it with cement board and some new tiles.
> Thank you to everyone for your suggestions.
> They have helped considerably in finding a solution
> to this.
> A few things I'd like to point out/mention, though:
> =95 =A0I'm almost certain the water I saw dripping out
> was not because of a roof leak. First, the bathroom is
> on the ground level of the house (we expanded a
> half-bath to a full bath in the dwonstairs rec room),
> so there is no roof to the exterior anywhere near
> the ceiling of the bathroom. Immediately above
> the shower is the subfloor of the kitchen.
> =95 The water probably got into the cracks in the grout and started
> dripping perhaps through steam from the hot water when showering.
> Since the shower ceiling is quite low (little over =A06 ft.), the water/
> steam
> does not have far to travel. It's possible that the steam penetrated
> the crack
> in the grout, and then later, cooled down and condensed back into
> water.
> The drip-drip only lasted for a minute or two, and it started several
> hours after
> I had showered in it. This fact is what leads me to think that steam
> is getting
> behind the tiles in the ceiling and then later condensing once the
> temperature drops.
> =95 Yes, there is drywall behind
> the tiled walls and ceiling of the shower.
> =95 As far as lateral or vertical movement
> above the shower ceiling maybe being the cause - this is where I've
> deduced, thanks to your helpful replies, the root of the problem:
> New hardwood floors were installed 2 years ago, and the old floor tile
> was ripped out, and other significant
> construction was done in the kitchen during the summer of '07,
> including installing cabinets
> against the wall right above where the downstairs shower is. The new
> cabinets
> that replaced the old ones now house a pretty heavy microwave and
> regular
> oven built into the cabinetry. Before the kitchen renovation, by that
> wall (which is right above
> the shower), there was an old refrigerator that was leaky. At one
> point, before I got rid
> of it, it would leak water onto the carpet and at one point it seeped
> down into the subflooring. I subsequently had
> to replace a section of the sublfoor with new plywood, but that's
> another story. To sum up, that section of the
> kitchen floor was never quite the same, even with the new plywood.
> While they were doing the kitchen reno, I had a chance
> to check out the repair job I did with the subfloor (about a 2 sq. ft.
> area). Well, it was holding up, but the floor still "gave" a bit and
> had some sag, especially if you walked over it and put your weight a
> bit over it. So, I've come to the conclusion that this is
> the cause of the drywall sagging and the grout cracking.
> =95 What gives even more support to this is the fact that I took a
> straightedge to the tiled ceiling and indeed
> the lowest point of the sag is exactly where the cracked grout runs.
> So I think this adds further weight
> to the theory that the compromised subfloor and all the activity in
> the kitchen is what has made
> the drywall move and the grout crack.
> =95 Fixing this is the right way, i.e., taking the ceiling tile out,
> replacing the drywall with cement board
> and replacing with new tile, is beyond my $$ means, as well beyond my
> own skill level. I'll just have
> to settle for redoing the grout. I don't have a dremel, so I will
> consider getting a hold of one with
> the appropriate attachment, if you think it's worth it. I wonder how
> much a secondhand dremel
> with the attachment can be had for? I'll check eBay for one.
> Whew...got some work to do.
> Thanks again for your quick replies and excellent suggestions/advice.