How much does it cost to reseal a leaking shower?

A reseal replaces failed silicone and grout at the joints of a shower. It fixes leaks through the tiled surface, not a failed membrane underneath.

The price is driven by how much has failed, the size and layout of the shower, the condition of the tiles and whether water is already behind them.

Finding where the water gets in comes first. A reseal done on the wrong leak costs you twice.

The shower stays out of use until the new sealant has cured, so plan around it.

The joints in a shower are where it leaks first: the internal corners, the line where the walls meet the base, the edges of the screen or hob, and the grout between tiles. A reseal cuts out the old silicone from the movement joints, rakes out cracked or porous grout, cleans and dries everything properly, regrouts where needed, and lays new silicone made for wet areas. Done well, it stops water getting through the tiled surface, and it's done without lifting a single tile.

Under the tiles of every shower is a waterproof membrane. The silicone and grout are the first line of defence, and the membrane is the last. If the joints have failed but the membrane is intact, a reseal fixes the leak. If the membrane itself has failed, water gets through whatever is done to the surface, and the shower needs rewaterproofing, which means the tiles come up. Signs the problem is deeper include water through the ceiling below, rotten timber around the shower, and loose or hollow-sounding tiles across the floor. We'll tell you which one you're looking at before quoting either.

A plumber answers 24/7. We find the cause and put a fixed price in writing before we start.

Before anything is sealed, we work out the path of the water. The base can be tested separately from the walls, the waste separately from both, and the mixer and pipes in the wall separately again. Damp walls outside the shower are checked with thermal imaging. It matters because a leaking shower waste or a weeping mixer behind the tiles looks exactly like a failed seal from the outside, and resealing it changes nothing.

The old silicone is cut out of every movement joint, not just the ones that look bad. Cracked, loose or porous grout is raked out and the joints are cleaned of soap scum and mould. The surfaces are left to dry, because sealing a damp joint is how reseals fail. Grout is replaced where it has gone, then a wet-area silicone goes into the corners, the wall-to-base line and around the screen and hob. The shower is left to cure, the mess goes with us, and you get the price in writing before any of it starts.

Most of the time on a reseal is preparation: cutting out, raking, cleaning and letting the joints dry, because silicone laid over damp grout fails early. The new silicone then needs time to cure before water hits it, as the product specifies. In practice, plan on the shower being out of use until the next day. If there's a second bathroom, it's a minor inconvenience; if not, we'll plan the timing with you.

Silicone run over old silicone doesn't stick. Silicone laid over wet or mouldy grout traps the moisture and the mould behind it. General-purpose sealant in a shower goes black and lifts. Each of these looks tidy on the day and leaks again before long. The difference in a reseal that lasts is almost entirely in the preparation, which is also where the time goes.

In a NSW rental, the landlord must keep the property in reasonable repair, and the tenant should report damage or disrepair as soon as possible, which includes a shower that's leaking into a wall. In most strata schemes, plumbing in internal walls and fixtures is the lot owner's, while boundary walls and floors sit with the owners corporation, but each scheme's plan and by-laws decide the detail, especially for waterproofing. Check before you book, so the right person gets the quote.

Silicone joints alone are a smaller job than silicone plus a full regrout of the walls and base. Raking out grout by hand is where most of the time goes.

A small corner shower has fewer and shorter joints than a large walk-in shower or a shower over a bath, and fewer surfaces to prepare.

Fixed screens, framed doors and tiled hobs add joints to seal, and some screens have to be loosened to reach the joint behind them properly.

Cracked or loose tiles have to be refixed or replaced before sealing, or the new joints will crack again as the tile moves.

If the wall or floor is wet, it has to dry before sealing, and damaged framing or sheeting is found and priced first. We stop, show you and price it before touching it.

A leaking shower waste or mixer is a plumbing repair on top of, or instead of, a reseal. Testing each part separately tells us which.

Get your price in writing. We price the job, not the hour, and there's a $0 call-out on any job you book.

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