Leaking Shower Repair in Coombabah Uncovers Hidden Subfloor Damage

Leaking Shower Repair: The Situation

Margo and her husband bought their Coombabah home three years ago, and like many homeowners, trusted their building report to flag any major issues. It mentioned a leak under the ensuite — but when a plumber came to check it out, everything passed the usual pressure tests. Another plumber gave the same verdict: no visible leak, nothing to worry about.

But the leak was there — just not where anyone expected.

Later, a second plumber was called in for another opinion — and this time, he found the real issue. Water was leaking down the outside of the shower drain pipe into the subfloor cavity — a slow, hidden leak that had gone undetected because the pipes themselves passed the usual tests. After that visit, Margo sent us a video showing the leak in action. We immediately advised her to stop using the shower, as prolonged exposure could rot the timber subfloor and potentially cause it to give way — a serious safety risk.

Our Solution: Save the Walls, Retile the Base

Because the wall tiles were a custom design running through the whole bathroom, we offered our floor + first row retiling package — a waterproofed solution that avoids the cost of a full wall retile while still fixing the root issue.

We:

• Removed the shower base and first row of wall tiles

• Waterproofed, screeded, and re-tiled with matching white floor tiles

• Applied epoxy grout and sealants for long-term protection

• Reinstalled the existing shower screen

• Provided a 10-year workmanship warranty

A Complication — and a Clever Fix

During the removal of the shower screen, tiles on the main bathroom floor cracked due to the way it had been originally installed by a different contractor. This is unfortunately common when bathroom trades don’t understand how their work affects others — and in wet areas, one cracked tile means the whole floor may need replacement.

Rather than retiling the entire floor from scratch, we offered a clever solution: tile-over-tile with a seamless match to the new white tiles across the whole floor of the bathroom. The result? A bright, fresh-looking floor that matched the newly repaired shower and subtly lifted the whole bathroom.

The Result

The job was completed in one week. Margo and her husband were thrilled with how hard the team worked and appreciated that we could keep their custom wall tiles while still fixing the leak properly.

They now have a waterproof, structurally sound shower — and peace of mind.

If you’ve had mixed advice from tradies or you’re just not sure what’s really going on behind your tiles, you’re not alone. At Allspex Tiling, we specialise in leaking shower repairs and hidden water damage — and we’ll always tell you the truth, even if it’s not what you want to hear.

Whether it’s a quick seal or a full rip-up, we’ll give you honest, pressure-free advice backed by over 20 years of wet area repair experience.

📞 Call us on 0401 481 775
📧 Or email us

August 8, 2025

Coombabah, QLD

10 Years

1 Week

$7,000