Edina Shower Rebuilt With 100% Epoxy Grout Mold in the grout of a brand-new shower is not something any homeowner expects to deal with. That is exactly what Steve was fighting in his Edina home, where the grout had gone dark and would not come clean no matter what he tried. Steve owns a newly built house in Edina, Minnesota, and the shower in it was never built the way a tiled shower should be. The grout used on the original installation was cheap and was not properly sealed, so it absorbed moisture every time the shower ran. Over time that trapped water turned the joints dark and moldy. He called us for an honest opinion on what could actually be done about it. Key Takeaways THE CHALLENGE Unsealed cement grout in a newly built shower was absorbing moisture and growing mold that would not clean off. THE BUILD We rebuilt the shower from the studs with a presloped mud bed, new liner, second mud bed, Go-Board, and 100% epoxy grout. THE RESULT Steve now has a stain-resistant, mold-resistant, waterproof grout joint that needs no ongoing sealing or scrubbing. We gave Steve two honest options, and we told him straight that regrouting a moldy shower usually buys you a year, not a decade. Mold spores sit in the joints and behind the tile, so new grout often darkens again shortly after it goes in. Rebuilding the shower correctly and finishing it with 100% epoxy grout instead of standard cement grout was the only path that solved the cause rather than covering it. Project Summary Client Profile: Steve, homeowner in a newly built house Project Location: Edina, Minnesota Primary Objective: Stop recurring grout mold for good with a properly built Shower Remodeling Contractor rebuild. Shower Build: Presloped mud bed, new liner, second mud bed, Go-Board, Ardex X77 mortar, large-format tile, and Laticrete 100% epoxy grout, installed by our Tile Contractor Service crew. Key Outcome: A watertight shower with stain-resistant, mold-resistant grout and no maintenance routine Why New Shower Grout Molded The shower looked new, but it was improperly built from the start. The grout on the walls and floor was a cheap product that was never properly sealed, so it behaved like a sponge every time the water ran. Moisture went into the joints, stayed there, and eventually turned the grout dark and moldy. Tear-out told the rest of the story. We found signs of water staining past the shower walls and past the shower base, which meant moisture had been moving behind the tile, not just sitting on the surface. A surface-level regrout would have sealed that problem inside the wall instead of fixing it, and the new grout would have been affected by the mold spores already present in the joints and behind the tile. Rebuilding The Shower Waterproofing System We repaired or replaced every area affected by the water staining, then started the build from the floor up. First came a preslope so the liner would sit on a surface pitched toward the drain. We installed a new shower liner that runs up the walls at least two inches higher than the height of the shower curb, then floated a second mud bed over the liner, again sloping toward the drain. Go-Board went on the walls next, a waterproofed backerboard, and we waterproofed every seam and corner before a single tile was set. "A to Z construction did a great job installing some floor tile for me. It was quick and done well. They recently did a full bathroom remodel as well, and everything went smoothly. They have hard working people who do a really good job. I would recommend them!" - (Meredith, A to Z Construction) Large-format tile went on the walls, set in Ardex X77, a high-end mortar that holds big tile flat and tight to the board. We grouted the walls and floor with Laticrete 100% epoxy grout, then ran 100% silicone around the shower fixtures and in the corners where movement happens, so nothing cracks down the road. If you want to see more of this kind of work before you commit, take a look at our Bathrooms gallery or start with a Free Estimate and we will walk your bathroom with you. Large-format wall tile set in Ardex X77 mortar and grouted with 100% epoxy grout. A Shower That Stays Clean Epoxy grout is 100% stain resistant, mold resistant, and waterproof. Steve no longer has to seal joints, scrub dark lines, or hire anyone to come clean the shower back to presentable. The grout simply stops being a maintenance item. Steve was thrilled with how everything turned out and glad he went with our recommendation on how to properly build a tiled shower. The real trick on a job like this is building the shower so it stays dry and no moisture gets anywhere behind the tile on the walls or floor. That is what keeps a shower looking new and easy to clean for the long haul. Get an Honest Shower Assessment We have been building tiled showers across the Twin Cities metro since 2005, and we have seen plenty of newer homes with showers that were put together wrong behind the tile. We will tell you straight whether a repair will hold or whether the shower needs to come out. No pressure, no upsell. Dealing with moldy grout or a leaking shower in Edina or anywhere in the metro? Give us a call and we will take a look. A to Z Construction 124 County Rd 81, Maple Grove, MN 55369 Call (612) 366-1386 or Schedule Online Frequently Asked Questions Is epoxy grout worth the extra cost in Edina? Yes, 100% epoxy grout is worth the cost. The added expense of providing and installing epoxy grout is less than hiring someone to come out and do a full cleanup of your shower, and that does not even count the constant maintenance you would be doing yourself to keep cement grout from going moldy. You pay once instead of fighting it every year. Can a moldy shower just be regrouted instead? Usually not with lasting results. When grout gets moldy, mold often gets trapped behind the tile as well, so after the old grout is removed and new grout goes in, the spores still sitting in the joints or behind the tile affect the new grout and it turns moldy again shortly after. That is why we rebuilt Steve's shower rather than regrouting it. How long does a full shower rebuild take? A full shower rebuild like Steve's usually takes five to eight days from start to finish. Knowing that up front lets you plan around the downtime. Once it is done with epoxy grout and silicone at the movement joints, there is no sealing schedule to keep up with afterward.