First time Homeowner, Rust in Tile Grout, Cracks in Bathroom Tile? (color, cleaner)
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Hi, I'm a first time homebuyer and was looking to get some advice, please forgive me if I'm naive, lol! Our home was built in 1969, and the bathroom has old tile in it that we eventually want to replace, however I'm wondering if what I'm looking at is a pressing issue that I need to get looked at immediately.
Near the edge of the tub, the grout on the wall has rust stains. I was able to use a bissell steamer to get it clean and white, but then hours later the rust returned. This is on the back wall of the shower, not near the faucet. As you can see in the photos there's also some hairline cracks in the tile around the soap holder. They're not visible when I clean them, but when the rust returns it seems to show up.
I'm not sure if that occurred when they put in the soap holder, or if there's some pressure coming from behind that caused it to crack. Just can't imagine what would happen in a shower that would cause a tile to hairline crack like that.
I couldn't find any specific information about this problem online. I looked at the floorboards underneath which are in our laundry room and I don't see any evidence of water damage so I'm not sure what's going on here, and why the rust returns after I clean it. Photos attached. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated, thanks in advance!
In our older tiled bathrooms the grout was not resealed often, and the cement board was not as water resistant as newer versions. Water seeped through the grout and wallboard and into the wood. We had to gut and renovate one shower, just finished in fact, and will have to do the other bathroom someday too. Fortunately that's just a spare bathroom.
I tend to doubt it's a structural issue - but perhaps other people can address that. Doesn't look like rust to me - more like mold (but perhaps the color in the pictures is off). Try some X-14 and see if that works for now. Robyn
I don't see any rust either. Are you sure you're actually getting it clean and it is coming back? Because if it gets wet from a steam cleaning and it is some kind of soap scum or whatever, it might "disappear" until it gets dry again. That might also explain the cracks. Try just running water on it and see if it doesn't look like you cleaned it.
I'm not sure what X-14 is, but you need to use an actual cleaner with something to remove soap scum and then you can see what you got after that. As for the hairline cracks, I wouldn't worry about it being a sign of a big problem.
The color must be off from the camera flash. It's definitely a reddish rusty color and not mildew. I tried bleach, vinegar\baking soda, tilex mildew penetrator, a bleach pen, and finally the steam cleaner which did get it back to white, but like I said it seeped back through and made the cracks visible again.
Just worried that maybe it's something that's putting pressure on the tiles and rusting behind there?
It's rust in the wire mesh behind the tiles. The only thing that's waterproof in your shower is the tile itself - the grout was not sealed so moisture was able to penetrate through it and into the thinset and wire mesh behind the tile.
FWIW cement board and green board aren't waterproof either. If you're talking to potential contractors about replacing the tile and one of them claims that either of those items are waterproof you should move on to the next one.
If you really want the stains gone you'll need to remove the affected grout and regrout the area (you'll be out maybe $5), then clean the grout all around and seal it up.
Couple of things. The one tile in the pic appears to be crazed. Crazing can be caused by several issues including not being fired right but what's important to you is that this tile is leaking. It's not stopping the water and it's letting the moisture go thru the tile. What I see appears to be mold in the grout. That would be consistent with the crazing issue as moisture is now behind the tile. This is only going to go downhill on you and eventually it will have to come out and the entire tub surround replaced. Considering the house was built in the late 60's, probabilities are high you have a plaster type backing. It too most likely will have to be removed. I'm not a fan of the cementious type products considering I have a crew that replaces that all week long as their primary job. Might look at other products along with a complete water proofed tub enclosure when you have to replace it. We use GP Denshield fiberglas covered backer and 2 coats of Red Gard water proofing and allow that to cure for 2 days before putting up the tile with a thinset adhesive. I've never had any issues with that installation. Depending on the rates in your area, you're looking at $1000.+ to replace for a ballpark number.
Fwiw, when we just redid our shower we used cement board meant for the shower, with a sheet of plastic between the board and the 2x4's. We then coated the cement board with a waterproofer called redgard. Then tiled and sealed the grout.
In our case the shower base was carved right out of the concrete pad. The moisture over decades attracted termites. We had to get rid of them and replace all the studs.
Crazing is a phenomenon limited to the glaze ON the tile rather than being a crack IN the tile body. It's very unlikely that your tile is leaking. If it is in fact rust, the discoloration in the grout is most likely, as ScubaSteve pointed out, sourced at the metal lath in the mortar bed. His solution is also a good one. Remove the grout to a minimum of 75% of the depth of the joint, seal and let dry, then apply new unsanded grout, and seal that too. Your ultimate fix would be to re-grout with SpectraLock epoxy grout made by Laticrete. No sealers required, and the stuff is practically bomb-proof.
If you see actual chips in the face of the tile that expose the bisque, you can coat that with 5 minute epoxy by Loctite or Devcon. They are clear. In a pinch, you can also use a couple of coats of Sally Hansen Hard as Nails, a clear nail polish/protectant that is very durable.
Regards,
Streamer1212
NOTE: It may also be worth your while to have your water tested for mineral content. That can sometimes be the iron/rust stain source culprit.
The color must be off from the camera flash. It's definitely a reddish rusty color and not mildew.
I'd bet it is mold. Get some mold killer at the hardware store, spray it on, it'll go away for a while. My shower tends to get the same rusty-brown stains in the grout lines (and on the tile itself eventually).
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