Does it matter if there are cracks in the tile grout?
We recently moved into a renovated 1950s house with a tiled shower in the basement. The tiles are about 10 years old and on the outer wall, there are some cracks, especially around a basement window. Our inspector mentioned that some tiles on that wall seemed to be loose.
Is this something that needs to be addressed? I have looked around the forum and got the impression that the tile grout is not watertight anyway - so does it matter if water gets through a few cracks? Or am I thinking wrong?
We recently moved into a renovated 1950s house with a tiled shower in the basement. The tiles are about 10 years old and on the outer wall, there are some cracks, especially around a basement window. Our inspector mentioned that some tiles on that wall seemed to be loose.
Is this something that needs to be addressed? I have looked around the forum and got the impression that the tile grout is not watertight anyway - so does it matter if water gets through a few cracks? Or am I thinking wrong?
In my eyes, you're thinking wrong. The waterproofing membranes used 10 years ago, for example, are not approved by today's standards. Additionally, they probably didn't use elastic joint sealer, which should be used in wet areas. Then you can also ask yourself how fun it is with loose tiles. 
Edit: Missed that it was in the basement.
Edit: Missed that it was in the basement.
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If the bathroom had been in the house and not in the basement, you might have needed to be more worried, but since this is in a basement and if the bathroom is against concrete walls, there's no cause for concern.
If you make a bathroom today in a basement with concrete walls, you don't use any waterproofing other than in the shower area and around floor drains.
If you make a bathroom today in a basement with concrete walls, you don't use any waterproofing other than in the shower area and around floor drains.
Polskt & Betz:
Are you saying that a ten-year-old waterproof membrane cannot withstand the additional moisture from the cracks in the joints, but it doesn't matter if there is just concrete behind it?
The shower is in a corner where one side is against an exterior wall (concrete) and the other is against an added interior wall which I am pretty sure contains wooden studs (it is part of a sauna that the inspector advised us to tear out eventually, as it was a wood construction against concrete).
The cracks are only in the tiles against the exterior wall, but could the moisture be migrating to the wooden construction?
Would it make sense to regrout in the areas where there are cracks?
Are you saying that a ten-year-old waterproof membrane cannot withstand the additional moisture from the cracks in the joints, but it doesn't matter if there is just concrete behind it?
The shower is in a corner where one side is against an exterior wall (concrete) and the other is against an added interior wall which I am pretty sure contains wooden studs (it is part of a sauna that the inspector advised us to tear out eventually, as it was a wood construction against concrete).
The cracks are only in the tiles against the exterior wall, but could the moisture be migrating to the wooden construction?
Would it make sense to regrout in the areas where there are cracks?
Well, I mean that if there were a waterproof layer behind the tiles, the risk is probably that it has also cracked, leading to leakage to the underlying material. A sauna should really not be against an exterior wall in a basement, as it increases moisture migration when the wall heats up and then cools down, plus wooden studs in a basement are not optimal. If it's just concrete behind, it doesn't react the same way as wood if there's no waterproof layer behind, as it isn't moisture-sensitive in that sense.
The simplest measure might be to tear down a bit from inside the sauna to check how the inner wall looks if you don't want to redo everything now. If it looks fine, you can re-grout and perhaps use something called flex grout that can withstand a bit more movement.
Perhaps the tiles are right up against the window, and when temperature and humidity vary, the wood in the window moves, causing the grout to crack, but that's just a theory.
Feel free to take a picture, and it might be easier to assess.
The simplest measure might be to tear down a bit from inside the sauna to check how the inner wall looks if you don't want to redo everything now. If it looks fine, you can re-grout and perhaps use something called flex grout that can withstand a bit more movement.
Perhaps the tiles are right up against the window, and when temperature and humidity vary, the wood in the window moves, causing the grout to crack, but that's just a theory.
Feel free to take a picture, and it might be easier to assess.
Betz, I think your guess that the window is causing the cracks sounds very plausible.
Here are some pictures of how it looks, the first is to give an idea of where the cracks are in relation to the window and shower. (the text boxes are a bit small, the bottom ring corresponds with the first detail picture, the middle ring with detail picture 2, and the top ring is detail picture three)
Is it safe to chisel away old grout? Isn't there a risk of damaging the waterproofing layer (even more)? Or can you just press new flexible grout into the cracks?
Here are some pictures of how it looks, the first is to give an idea of where the cracks are in relation to the window and shower. (the text boxes are a bit small, the bottom ring corresponds with the first detail picture, the middle ring with detail picture 2, and the top ring is detail picture three)
Is it safe to chisel away old grout? Isn't there a risk of damaging the waterproofing layer (even more)? Or can you just press new flexible grout into the cracks?
