Is this shower tile grout ok?

3/4/2017 at 5:53:05 PM

This should be easily addressed by the contractor. It's not uncommon to have a few minor grout holes here and there, but a good contractor would address them before handing it over to you.

Grout is not and never has been waterproof. That's a common misunderstanding. Tile in wet areas (like a shower) should be installed on top of a quality waterproof system to prevent water from getting to the building structure and provide a means to guide water that gets behind the tile to a drain system. Tile/grout in itself is not waterproof.

3/4/2017 at 6:44:05 PM

That's unsanded grout. That will crack in almost any space wider than 1/8". Should have used sanded grout, and than sealed it.

3/4/2017 at 7:27:47 PM

Looks like a pretty amateur job to begin with, to me. Not sure, but it looks like the brownish tile is recessed which would allow for moisture to leak in, but as another poster mentioned the walls are required to be waterproofed prior to installation of tile.The shelf( niche base) should extend slightly passed the shower wall tile anyway. The white shower tile looks all chipped as well.Find out if it was waterproofed first and if it wasn't then expect problem down the road in my opinion.

3/4/2017 at 7:37:27 PM

Niche example

3/5/2017 at 12:32:34 PM

Hi Ryan,

Yes, I can see from you pics. that this is a very poor job. Always use unsanded grout for walls , vertical surfaces and sanded grout for floors. Very often wall tiles are glazed smooth and shiny to help repel water/moisture. Sanded grout in this location will scratch the tile and the complete surface can be sealed well after everything is completely dry. 90 % of the time sand grout does not scratch floor tile because these tile are usually Not shiny /rougher for obvious safety reasons. All the exposed outside edges of the tiles ( around the niche etc ) should have a metal or plastic finished edging on them, unfortunately it is to late now as this goes on during installation.