Grout or caulking, repair

[PeoplesElbow]

I've got a shower with 12 inch tile walls and acrylic pan. At the bottom where the tile meets the pan there is a line of grout, I thought it should have been caulking instead of grout there but it was built with grout.

Now I have a small piece of grout missing right at the bottom, can I get some matching grout and patch?

 

[UglyBear]

I’m a “belt and suspenders” kinda guy myself, so here’s what I’d do:

— patch up the missing grout with whatever grout you have
— caulk over it and all the seams anyways — if a piece is missing, the rest might be getting old too, and couldn’t hurt with extra waterproofing

— I agree with you, it should have been caulked from the beginning

 

[glhs837]

Spent a lot of hours on Johnbridge learning myself before tackling the conversion of my upstairs 1980s acrylic tub/shower to full tiled walk in shower. And it seems this is war zone of a topic.

Big Debate: Caulk or Grout around shower perimeter [Archive] - Ceramic Tile Advice Forums - John Bridge Ceramic Tile

[Archive] Big Debate: Caulk or Grout around shower perimeter Professionals' Hangout

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One thing I did read a lot was that if you were to caulk that joint, you should lay in a few pieces of fishing line (one each short wall, two on the long wall) before, and pull them after to allow the joint to weep moisture. REmember, your tile isn't what keeps the water in, it's whatever is behind the tile. In my case, the orange membrane.

 

[Sneakers]

I would "test" the remaining grout to see if it chips loose. If one piece came loose, others may too. Clean it well, then caulk.

Not specifically applicable here, but when I had my countertop put in, the installed showed me how to caulk and make it look absolutely clean and professional. Before you caulk, lay down painter's tape above and below the line to be caulked. Put down the caulk, wipe the excess, then peel the tape. There will be a slight edge in the caulk, just wet your finger and LIGHTLY run it down to smooth the edge.

 

[PeoplesElbow]

REmember, your tile isn't what keeps the water in, it's whatever is behind the tile. In my case, the orange membrane.

That is what I thought, but when I redid tile in a shower/bath that was from the 70s the subway tile was applied right on drywall and the drywall still looked great.

My shower was new in 2012.