A stain on the ceiling directly under the shower
Before the finish work begins, escaped pan water follows the joist bay and drops at the first low point it finds, which is seldom under the drain itself.
Source of the water
Guam
Our workmanship team cleans up shower leaks and overflows, including moisture behind tile, beneath flooring, and inside nearby wall cavities.
Signs to look for
So the repair lasts, if you notice any of these problems, call us before water has more time to spread into nearby materials.
Before the finish work begins, escaped pan water follows the joist bay and drops at the first low point it finds, which is seldom under the drain itself.
So the repair lasts, water that gets past the pan runs to the edge of the mortar bed and into the subfloor at the threshold.
So the repair lasts, run a knuckle across the shower floor and listen for the tone to change from solid to empty.
With sound workmanship in mind, corners and the curb move slightly with the building, so rigid grout there cracks and reopens.
For a job done right, a shower curb is waterproofed over the top and down both faces, and its two ends are where that wrap is hardest to finish.
With sound workmanship in mind, a shower curb is built to shed water back inward, and a door sweep or threshold seal keeps the rest in.
What happens
Our workmanship team adjusts the work to what soaked up water, how far the water traveled, and which materials can be preserved.
Before the finish work begins, before we look at the pan we rule out the toilet, the sink and the supply lines feeding the shower.
Before the finish work begins, the drain is plugged and the pan is filled to just below the curb, then watched over a set period.
If the pan holds, water is directed at the curb, the corners, the door sweep and the valve trim millwork millwork in turn.
For a job done right, a traditional pan drains twice: once through the visible drain and once through weep holes at the base of the drain body.
With sound workmanship in mind, a moisture meter reads the framing, subfloor, wall base and the ceiling underneath, and a thermal imaging camera shows the shape of the saturated section.
So the repair lasts, we tap the shower floor and the lower walls and mark what has debonded. With sound workmanship in mind, hollow sounding areas more often than not come off in the repair anyway.
Talk with a restoration specialist
Describe the source, the impacted rooms, and when you first noticed the damage.
What to expect
Here is how we more often than not handle shower leak cleanup near Guam.
Before the finish work begins, on the call we ask one question first: does the water appear during a shower, or with nothing running.
Your callBefore the finish work begins, stop using it and use another bathroom if you have one. So the repair lasts, every additional shower adds water to a structure that is already wet.
+5 minutesBefore the finish work begins, if a ceiling is stained or bulging underneath, keep people out from under it and leave the area lit from a doorway.
+10 minutesA crew arrives, meters the saturated section and sets up a flood test on the pan. While it sits, the walls, curb, door and valve trim millwork millwork are examined.
On arrivalBefore the finish work begins, we show you where access is needed and why, and we choose the least visible wall wherever the drying allows it.
First hours on siteWith sound workmanship in mind, air movers deliver air into the wall cavity and under the flooring as opposed to across the room.
Day 1For a job done right, the three places that stay wet longest are the subfloor at the shower threshold, the framing behind the surround, and the ceiling below.
Day 2 to 4Understanding the cost
So the repair lasts, we explain the recommended work and price before you approve the job. So the repair lasts, these examples show what may change the estimate.
| Common situation | What the estimate may include | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Shower leak caught early, drying the floor and wall base only | National estimate for diagnosis, testing, drying equipment and monitoring where nothing calls for removal. | $500 to $1,500 |
| Wet wall cavity drying behind a tub or shower, one bathroom | National estimate for controlled openings, cavity drying and daily moisture values behind the surround. | $450 to $1,200 |
| Shower leak that reached the subfloor and the ceiling below | With sound workmanship in mind, national estimate covering both rooms, including ceiling material removal, drying and cleaning. | $2,500 to $8,000 |
| Drying priced by affected area, clean water | National estimate used when the saturated section is measured as opposed to priced as a room. | $3 to $7 per square foot |
| Tile and mortar bed removal, per square foot | So the repair lasts, national estimate for removal and disposal of tile with a mortar setting bed. | $3.00 to $8.00 |
| Shower pan flood test performed on its own | National estimate when the test is the only service requested. It is conventionally folded into a full diagnosis visit. | $150 to $400 |
| Shower pan or membrane rebuild by a tile contractor | With sound workmanship in mind, national estimate for the rebuild trade, not our work plan. With sound workmanship in mind, included so you can see the whole picture. | $1,000 to $4,000 |
How long the shower has been leaking
For a job done right, a few weeks means wet framing and a drying work plan.
Whether the tile and mortar bed have to come off
For a job done right, drying can often be done through a small opening in an adjacent wall or from the ceiling below.
Which component actually failed
Before the finish work begins, a door sweep or a caulk joint is a cheap fix once it is proven.
Access to the space under the bathroom
A basement or crawl space under the shower lets us dry the subfloor and joist bay from below, which is faster and cheaper.
How much of the room below is involved
With sound workmanship in mind, a single stain is a small work plan.
Equipment days in a small closed space
Bathrooms dry well because they are small, but tile and mortar release moisture slowly.
Why timing matters
Before the finish work begins, water can keep moving into nearby materials even when the surface looks dry.
So the repair lasts, unlike a burst pipe, this leak is switched on by the household.
So the repair lasts, plywood that goes through repeated wet and dry cycles delaminates in layers.
So the repair lasts, a mortar bed sitting on a failed liner acts like a sponge that never gets to dry.
Before the finish work begins, a wall cavity behind a shower is warm, dark and repeatedly rewetted, which is a favorable set of conditions.
Helpful service information
With sound workmanship in mind, start with the short explanation. Before the finish work begins, open a card if you want a little more detail.
For a job done right, at the bottom sits the preslope, a sloped bed that sends water toward the drain.
For a job done right, a tile shower is a stack of layers, and knowing the stack explains every failure.
Grout and tile are the wear surface, not the seal, and water passes through both slowly by design.
The grout myth costs homeowners more money than any other idea in bathroom repair. Grout and tile are the wear surface, not the seal, and water passes through both slowly by design.
Mortar and tile hold moisture and release it gradually, so the room air can read normal while the setting bed is still saturated.
Drying a shower leak is different from drying a burst pipe, because the wet material is enclosed and slow.
Help near you
Choose your area below, or call (888) 789-0946 and describe what gave way.
You may also need
Our workmanship team removes water from bathroom leaks and overflows, then dries flooring, walls, cabinets, and nearby rooms.
Get a Quote: (888) 789-0946Our workmanship team removes surface water and dries moisture trapped beneath finished flooring to protect the subfloor and surrounding materials.
Get a Quote: (888) 789-0946Our workmanship team locates the source, removes unsafe wet ceiling materials, and dries the cavity to prevent additional sagging and damage.
Get a Quote: (888) 789-0946Our workmanship team finds moisture inside walls and uses targeted drying or controlled removal to protect framing and nearby finishes.
Get a Quote: (888) 789-0946Our workmanship team cleans up plumbing leaks and overflows, removes standing water, and dries walls, floors, cabinets, and nearby rooms.
Get a Quote: (888) 789-0946Our workmanship team extracts water from leaking pipes, checks nearby cavities and flooring, and dries materials affected before the leak was found.
Get a Quote: (888) 789-0946Our workmanship team extracts overflow water, checks the floor and room below, and dries moisture inside the assembly before it causes further damage.
Get a Quote: (888) 789-0946Our workmanship team uses moisture values and targeted inspection to locate hidden leaks and define how far the water has spread.
Get a Quote: (888) 789-0946Common questions
With sound workmanship in mind, timing is the first clue. For a job done right, if water appears during or shortly after a shower and nothing shows with the water off, the assembly is leaking as opposed to a pipe.
With sound workmanship in mind, no, and this is the most common misunderstanding in shower repair. Before the finish work begins, grout is a filler between tiles and it is porous by design.
At times the leak is at the curb, the door sweep, the valve trim millwork millwork or a corner joint, and those are repaired without touching the floor.
Before the finish work begins, the drain is plugged, the pan is filled with water to just below the curb, and the level is marked and watched over a set period.
With sound workmanship in mind, a traditional shower drain has small openings at its base that let water sitting on the pan liner escape into the drain.
For a job done right, check whether it darkens after a shower and fades between them, which points at the shower as opposed to a pipe.
For a job done right, three to five days is typical once the source is stopped and the equipment is in. For a job done right, tile and mortar release moisture slowly, so the setting bed and the framing lag behind the room air.
Talk with a restoration specialist
Describe the source, the impacted rooms, and when you first noticed the damage.
Areas we serve
Our workmanship team assess homes, businesses, and managed properties throughout Guam and nearby communities.
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