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Noticed this because the piece outside the shower was lifting and there was some water around the edge.

Is this as simple as getting a grout saw/knife and scraping out the old and putting in new grout?

Do I need to worry about any moisture underneath? Didn't own the home when it was installed so not sure what's going on underneath.

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3 Answers 3

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Grout is more an aesthetic here. It's porous, so it's not a prevention against water intrusion. Water will penetrate your grout. It's the stuff underneath the tile that should prevent water intrusion to the things that cannot get wet.

I would scrape or grout saw the old grout out. Ideally, you want to do this to the whole bathroom, as this new grout is unlikely to match the tone of the old.

The other answer mentioned caulk. The catch with caulk in an application like this is that caulk tends to be less durable than grout, especially if you use a simple latex caulk. I would grout rather than caulk in this case.

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  • Thanks. I agree matching the color is going to be a pain. I had used a polyblend sanded caulk to supplement cracks on the floor/wall edge in this bathroom. Good to know that I shouldn't need to worry about the water barrier, it should already be in place.
    – TEEKAY
    Nov 15, 2019 at 14:04
  • Epoxy grout is waterproof and very durable.
    – JACK
    Nov 15, 2019 at 14:26
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I used caulk to fix issues like this. You can order it in different colors to fit your grout (amazon link). I also recommend getting a caulk gun. I didn't get one the first time and it was a pain. It is doable without though but caulk guns are cheap and actually pretty useful in other situations as well with different types of caulk. Dry time is pretty long though. It was annoying to keep the family out of the shower.

Grout versus caulk: I can't really speak to that. I assume caulking is easier but less durable. Maybe someone else can comment on that.

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I would carefully remove old grout do not use anything too sharp in case where waterproof membrane has been used … when replacing the grout make sure it is adequate for some of the larger gaps as some grouts can do up to 1/8"gaps only...after all that is done … use a good grout sealer approx 1 week after grout application

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