Leaking shower and bathroom repair in Melbourne
Failed shower and bathroom waterproofing stripped back, redone to AS 3740, and the room put back together - tiling, plumbing and electrical included.
Where waterproofing matters most
A shower is wet every day, so its waterproofing works harder than anywhere else in the building. When it fails, resealing the grout does not fix it: the membrane underneath has to be redone.
So the tiles come up, whatever the water has damaged is repaired, and a new membrane goes down to AS 3740. Then the bathroom is rebuilt - re-tiled, with any plumbing or electrical work the repair needs done as part of the same job.
What a bathroom repair can involve
Not every job needs all of it. What yours needs is set out before any work starts.
- Strip-out
- Tiles, bed and the failed membrane removed back to a sound substrate.
- Substrate and falls
- Water-damaged sheeting or framing replaced, and the screed relaid to fall so water runs to the waste.
- Waterproofing
- A new membrane to AS 3740, detailed at the wall-floor junctions, the penetrations and the hob, and given the cure time it needs.
- Plumbing
- Wastes, puddle flanges and tap bodies reset or replaced while the walls and floor are open.
- Electrical
- Lights, exhaust fan and power points disconnected for the work and refitted afterwards.
- Tiling and finishes
- Re-tiled and grouted, with the screen, tapware and fittings refitted.
Frequently asked questions
It depends where the failure is. Waterproofing inside a lot is usually the owner's, but the leak often turns out to be at a junction, a penetration or a common-property element, which changes the answer. As with any strata water claim, the source has to be established before liability can be settled fairly - which is what an inspection and a written report are for.
Who pays when a shower leaks into the apartment belowSometimes. Where the leak is at the grout, a penetration or the screen and the substrate below is sound, a targeted repair holds. Where the membrane under the bed has failed, it does not - and sealing the surface over a failed membrane is what produces a shower that leaks again within a year. We establish which of the two you have before quoting.
AS 3740 covers waterproofing of domestic wet areas, and it governs how the wall-floor junctions, penetrations, hobs and screed falls have to be detailed - not just which product is used. Most of the failures we are called to are compliant products installed to non-compliant details.
A contained repair is usually a matter of days; a full rectification with the screed and tiling reinstated takes longer, because membranes and adhesives have cure times that cannot be rushed without causing the next failure. You get the timeframe in writing after the assessment so it can be planned around the occupants.