I hired someone to do my tile work, thinking I'd save some cash, but it turned out to be a disaster. There's a gap between the wall and the tub, especially on the water side, and he tried to fix it with a mix of grout and silicone. Now, he admits it cracks when there's too much weight in the tub. He also used this mixture in random spots, which has caused color issues, and the small tiles along the side look terrible. Do I really need to rip everything out and start fresh, or can a skilled tile worker salvage this?
3 Answers
It sounds like your tile meets the tub needs to be caulked, not grouted. You should fill the tub at least halfway before caulking, so it stretches but doesn’t tear. If the tile was laid correctly, you might not need to take it all out, but you'll need to fix that grout job for sure. If you can handle the look of the grout on the walls, just focus on where it meets the tub for now.
You're right, that area isn't supposed to be grouted because it will crack under pressure. You can find color-matched, sanded caulk that mimics the grout without the cracking issues. Just take a sample of the grout to a tile store, and they should help you find a match. Carefully remove the problematic areas and replace them with this caulking for a much better outcome.
Checking out the pictures, it looks like the tile might be set above the tub's flange. If your tub only has a single flange, then the install is definitely wrong and needs a complete redo. It won't be waterproof in the long run, which could lead to severe issues with rot and mold. It’s better to fix it now rather than face bigger problems later.