I finally figured out why my grout keeps cracking in the shower

I kept regrouting my shower corners every 6 months and getting frustrated. Turns out I wasn't letting the thinset under the tiles cure for a full 24 hours before grouting, so the tiles were still shifting. Has anyone else missed this step or found a better way to secure loose tiles before grouting?

3 comments

3 Comments

holly7096d agoMost Upvoted

emma_wells83 that bath mat move is genius. I've got this one shower tile near the corner that has a tiny crack in it and every time I'm in there I stare at it like it personally offended me. My husband tried to fix it with some white caulk and now it's this weird bump that catches the light. Now I just keep a little shampoo bottle perfectly positioned to hide it.

nelson.wren7d ago

Oh man, I did the exact same thing with my bathroom floor and it drove me nuts for months.

emma_wells837d ago

@nelson.wren I feel your pain. I once spent an entire weekend aligning floor tiles only to realize the wall was slightly crooked. Every single tile was a tiny bit off and it made me want to rip them all up and start over. My spouse said nobody would notice but I notice every single day when I brush my teeth. At this point I just keep the bath mat covering the worst part and pretend it's intentional.