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Water Damage and Sealant

As too many homeowners know, water damage in the bathroom is something to be always on guard against. Tile, wood and other materials do an excellent job of keeping water from reaching the underfloor. But water will flow anywhere it can. Gaps in grout, cracks in tile or splits in wood, vinyl tears... water will find any opening that exists.

When that happens, several bad things happen gradually in parallel.

Water that seeps into a crack in tile or grout will become trapped. There it provides a breeding ground for small organisms that were either already in the water or are airborne. There are dozens. Mildew begins to build up and spread. Spiders, one common pest too often found in bathrooms, seek these small droplets out as a source of water. That's why you so often find them in the bathtub.

At the same time, any wooden underfloor begins to rot. The fibers get softened and the floor support is weakened. Organisms that chew wood are encouraged to make of it an even easier meal. Within a few months the underfloor becomes unable to do its job. The added pressure on tile causes cracks to appear. Wood will bow. Vinyl will develop small valleys.

The way to prevent those problems is to carefully seal any new installation, then perform maintenance as needed.

When laying tile, ensure that those around the perimeter are cut precisely. Some gap is necessary because even very precisely cut tile has to be sealed with grout. But make it small. Most tile will expand very little with temperature. An 1/8th of an inch is plenty in most cases.

Next, grout carefully. A 1/4 inch bead is plenty, but it has to be applied evenly. Take care to press out any bubbles that form. Try to force some of the grout well down into the gaps between tiles and between tiles and the wall. That will provide a better seal and increase the tile's ability to support high pressure.

Hardwood bathroom floors are seeing a renaissance. They, too, have to be well sealed to prevent water damage down the road.

Laying planks side by side helps. But no piece of wood is perfectly straight along an edge. Even if it starts that way, temperature and humidity changes will cause some slight variation eventually. Manufacturers know this and the tongue and groove system carved into the sides helps lock planks together, forming a tight seal.

That seal might require a little assistance from wood putty, glue or other sealant, depending on the quality of the planks you use. But after the job is done, there is still ongoing maintenance. Waxes can make a bathroom floor slippery and homeowners might be reluctant to use them in the bath. But remember that surfers ride waxed boards. There are waxes that can seal while actually providing extra friction for safety.

Whatever the material you use for your bathroom floor, it's essential to seal it and keep it sealed. Stone, laminates and every other kind of flooring is only cut so well and can never seal perfectly. It needs to be supplemented with grout and other compounds.

The alternative is to expect a major repair job sometime in the near future.