order of home renovations

[Sasha Leans]

Hello,

I was planning on retiling a home- it is currently unoccupied

. The current tile is popping off and cracking in many spots all over the home and the tenants just moved out. While tenants were living there tiles were cracking at the bottom of the shower. I wanted to also address this while it's empty. I removed the cracked tile and found it's wet inside, and there is some mold on the inside. The person I spoke to said it's denshield inside- there is mold on the denshield. I imagine the base of the shower has this because tiles are cracking around the base. So instead of a repair, I am assuming I need to completely redo the shower. Does that sound/ look right?

The tile person I am speaking to- asked me about starting the tile work next Monday. Initially I was ok with that- because I thought the shower would be a small repair. But From what I have read online ( since I don't really know myself) you should do the shower re-do before you do the floor tile redo. The tiler told me he just covers his walkways and it's no big deal to do the floor tile before you do a shower re-do?

Anyone have experience with this?

I am hesitant about that- also because I want to get multiple quotes for the shower re-do and if they start the tile demo (of the home) next monday- I would have to wait on getting shower estimates.

And then if I need to re-do the shower I was wondering what good options are- I am assuming retiling it would be the most expensive.

I am looking for durability, good quality/ not leaking again, price, and decent warranty. Any recommendations for what to re-do the shower with? Thanks

[Marc Winter]

It's fortunate you found the damage before moving forward.  If you just patch over the existing problem, you'll be back at it again in time, and it will cost much more to correct.

Put the tile install on hold, demo the shower and lower walls, until you find no more water damage, usually about 3 or 4 feet up from the ground.  Treat for mold, and if any wood is seriously damaged, replace that as well.  You'll also need to demo out the flooring to see how far the water affected the floor.

After all the demo is completed, have the bathroom checked by a competent pro, and make sure the moisture/mold remediation is completed.  Make sure the new sheetrock is green/purple water resistant type.  Paint the walls and floor where the new shower will be installed with a waterproof sealer paint. 

Then, and only then, should you install your new shower and wall/floor tiling.