The shower pan is the waterproof layer under your shower floor tile. You never see it, so the first signs of trouble usually show up somewhere else: on the floor outside the shower, on the ceiling below, or in grout that will not stay clean. Catching those signs early can keep a pan repair from turning into subfloor and framing repairs. Here is what to look for.
1. Water Pools on the Shower Floor
A shower floor should slope evenly to the drain. If water collects in the corners or along the edges, the slope may have shifted or the pan underneath may be failing. Standing water also soaks into the grout, which speeds up the damage.
2. Cracked, Loose or Hollow-Sounding Floor Tile
Cracked tile, crumbling grout or a floor tile that sounds hollow when you tap it can mean the mortar bed under it is wet or breaking down. Even a small crack lets water reach the pan and the subfloor.
3. Mold and Mildew That Keeps Coming Back
Some mildew is normal in a shower. Mildew that returns a few days after cleaning, or dark grout lines that never fully clear, often means water is sitting under the tile instead of draining away.
4. Stains or Damage Outside the Shower
Water stains on the bathroom floor next to the shower, a loose baseboard, or a stain on the ceiling of the room below are signs that water is getting past the pan. This is often where homeowners notice the problem first.
5. A Soft or Spongy Floor
If the floor around the shower gives a little when you step on it, water has likely reached the subfloor. Have it looked at before the damage spreads into the framing.
6. A Musty Smell That Will Not Clear
A damp, musty smell that stays after the bathroom has aired out can come from water trapped under the pan or behind the shower walls.
7. Water Escaping While You Shower
A shower pan has to hold water until it reaches the drain. If water shows up outside the shower while it is running, or seems to disappear at the edges of the floor, the pan or the seal at the curb may have failed.
Repair or Rebuild?
Some problems can be fixed by regrouting and resealing. Others mean the floor tile has to come up so the pan can be rebuilt with new waterproofing. We look at the shower first and tell you which one it needs, and we would rather tell you a pan needs rebuilding than retile over a leak. See how we handle shower pan repair.
Seeing one of these signs? Call (404) 927-2441 or schedule a free consultation, and we will come look at the shower.
