A stain on the ceiling directly under the shower
To protect the property, escaped pan water follows the joist bay and drops at the first low point it finds, which is rarely under the drain itself.
Source of the water
Florida
Our restoration team cleans up shower leaks and overflows, including moisture behind tile, beneath flooring, and inside nearby wall cavities.
Signs to look for
If you notice any of these problems, call us before water has more time to spread into nearby materials.
To protect the property, escaped pan water follows the joist bay and drops at the first low point it finds, which is rarely under the drain itself.
To protect the property, water that gets past the pan runs to the edge of the mortar bed and into the subfloor at the threshold.
As we plan the work, run a knuckle across the shower floor and listen for the tone to change from solid to empty.
For a careful restoration, corners and the curb move slightly with the building, so rigid grout there cracks and reopens.
As we plan the work, a shower curb is waterproofed over the top and down both faces, and its two ends are where that wrap is hardest to finish.
As we plan the work, a shower curb is built to shed water back inward, and a door sweep or threshold seal keeps the rest in.
What happens
Our restoration team adjusts the work to where the water reached, how far the water traveled, and which materials can be saved.
For a careful restoration, before we look at the pan we rule out the toilet, the sink and the supply lines feeding the shower.
As we plan the work, the drain is plugged and the pan is filled to just below the curb, then watched over a set period.
To protect the property, if the pan holds, water is directed at the curb, the corners, the door sweep and the valve trim in turn.
For a clear next step, a traditional pan drains twice: once through the visible drain and once through weep holes at the base of the drain body.
As we plan the work, a moisture meter reads the framing, subfloor, wall base and the ceiling underneath, and a thermal imaging camera shows the shape of the water-affected space.
We tap the shower floor and the lower walls and mark what has debonded. Hollow sounding areas usually come off in the repair anyway.
Talk with a restoration specialist
Walk us through what you see, where the water originated, and the spaces it reached.
What to expect
Here is how we usually handle shower leak cleanup near Florida.
To protect the property, on the call we ask one question first: does the water appear during a shower, or with nothing running.
Your callAs we plan the work, stop using it and use another bathroom if you have one. Every additional shower adds water to a structure that is already wet.
+5 minutesFor a careful restoration, if a ceiling is stained or bulging underneath, keep people out from under it and leave the area lit from a doorway.
+10 minutesTo protect the property, a crew arrives, meters the water-affected space and sets up a flood test on the pan. While it sits, the walls, curb, door and valve trim are examined.
On arrivalWe show you where access is needed and why, and we find the least visible wall wherever the drying allows it.
First hours on siteTo protect the property, air movers deliver air into the wall cavity and under the flooring rather than across the room. An Professional dehumidifier holds the humidity down in a small closed space.
Day 1As we plan the work, the three places that stay wet longest are the subfloor at the shower threshold, the framing behind the surround, and the ceiling below.
Day 2 to 4Understanding the cost
We review with you the proposed restoration steps and price before you approve the job. These examples show what may change the estimate.
| Common situation | What the estimate may include | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Shower leak caught early, drying the floor and wall base only | For a clear next step, national estimate for diagnosis, testing, drying equipment and monitoring where nothing needs removal. | $500 to $1,500 |
| Wet wall cavity drying behind a tub or shower, one bathroom | To protect the property, national estimate for controlled openings, cavity drying and daily readings behind the surround. | $450 to $1,200 |
| Shower leak that reached the subfloor and the ceiling below | For a careful restoration, national estimate covering both rooms, including ceiling material removal, drying and cleaning. | $2,500 to $8,000 |
| Drying priced by affected area, clean water | For a clear next step, national estimate used when the water-affected space is measured rather than priced as a room. | $3 to $7 per square foot |
| Tile and mortar bed removal, per square foot | As we plan the work, national estimate for removal and disposal of tile with a mortar setting bed. Thinset over backer board sits at the lower end. | $3.00 to $8.00 |
| Shower pan flood test performed on its own | To protect the property, national estimate when the test is the only service requested. It is normally folded into a full diagnosis visit. | $150 to $400 |
| Shower pan or membrane rebuild by a tile contractor | For a careful restoration, national estimate for the rebuild trade, not our work plan. Included so you can see the whole picture. | $1,000 to $4,000 |
How long the shower has been leaking
To protect the property, a few weeks means wet framing and a drying work plan. A few years means a saturated mortar bed, a spongy subfloor and probably a rebuild.
Whether the tile and mortar bed have to come off
As we plan the work, drying can often be done through a small opening in an adjacent wall or from the ceiling below.
Which component actually failed
For a clear next step, a door sweep or a caulk joint is a cheap fix once it is proven. A pan liner or a failed waterproofing membrane means the shower floor is rebuilt.
Access to the space under the bathroom
For a careful restoration, a basement or crawl space under the shower lets us dry the subfloor and joist bay from below, which is faster and cheaper.
How much of the room below is involved
For a clear next step, a single stain is a small work plan. A ceiling that took water across two joist bays brings insulation, light fixtures and paint into the job.
Equipment days in a small closed space
For a clear next step, bathrooms dry well because they are small, but tile and mortar release moisture slowly.
Why timing matters
Water can keep moving into nearby materials even when the surface looks dry.
For a clear next step, unlike a burst pipe, this leak is switched on by the household. Two showers a day for a month is sixty separate wettings of the same framing.
For a clear next step, plywood that goes through repeated wet and dry cycles delaminates in layers.
As we plan the work, a mortar bed sitting on a failed liner acts like a sponge that never gets to dry.
As we plan the work, a wall cavity behind a shower is warm, dark and repeatedly rewetted, which is a favorable set of conditions.
Helpful service information
First, share the short explanation. Open a card if you want a little more detail.
For a clear next step, at the bottom sits the preslope, a sloped bed that sends water toward the drain.
As we plan the work, a tile shower is a stack of layers, and knowing the stack explains every failure. At the bottom sits the preslope, a sloped bed that sends water toward the drain.
For a clear next step, grout and tile are the wear surface, not the seal, and water passes through both slowly by design.
As we plan the work, the grout myth costs homeowners more money than any other idea in bathroom repair. Grout and tile are the wear surface, not the seal, and water passes through both slowly by design.
For a careful restoration, mortar and tile hold moisture and release it gradually, so the room air can read normal while the setting bed is still saturated.
To protect the property, drying a shower leak is different from drying a burst pipe, because the wet material is enclosed and slow.
Help near you
Find your area below, or call (833) 866-1229 and describe what you are seeing.
You may also need
Our restoration team removes water from bathroom leaks and overflows, then dries flooring, walls, cabinets, and nearby rooms.
Get a Quote: (833) 866-1229Our restoration team removes surface water and dries moisture trapped beneath finished flooring to protect the subfloor and surrounding materials.
Get a Quote: (833) 866-1229Our restoration team locates the source, removes unsafe wet ceiling materials, and dries the cavity to prevent additional sagging and damage.
Get a Quote: (833) 866-1229Our restoration team finds moisture inside walls and uses targeted drying or controlled removal to protect framing and nearby finishes.
Get a Quote: (833) 866-1229Our restoration team cleans up plumbing leaks and overflows, removes standing water, and dries walls, floors, cabinets, and nearby rooms.
Get a Quote: (833) 866-1229Our restoration team extracts water from leaking pipes, checks nearby cavities and flooring, and dries materials affected before the leak was found.
Get a Quote: (833) 866-1229Our restoration team extracts overflow water, checks the floor and room below, and dries moisture you cannot see before it causes further damage.
Get a Quote: (833) 866-1229Our restoration team uses moisture readings and targeted inspection to locate hidden leaks and define how far the water has spread.
Get a Quote: (833) 866-1229Common questions
For a careful restoration, timing is the first clue. If water appears during or shortly after a shower and nothing shows with the water off, the assembly is leaking rather than a pipe.
For a clear next step, no, and this is the most common misunderstanding in shower repair. Grout is a filler between tiles and it is porous by design.
For a clear next step, sometimes the leak is at the curb, the door sweep, the valve trim or a corner joint, and those are repaired without touching the floor.
For a careful restoration, the drain is plugged, the pan is filled with water to just below the curb, and the level is marked and watched over a set period.
To protect the property, a traditional shower drain has small openings at its base that let water sitting on the pan liner escape into the drain.
To protect the property, check whether it darkens after a shower and fades between them, which points at the shower rather than a pipe.
For a clear next step, three to five days is typical once the source is stopped and the equipment is in. Tile and mortar release moisture slowly, so the setting bed and the framing lag behind the room air.
Talk with a restoration specialist
Walk us through what you see, where the water originated, and the spaces it reached.
Areas we serve
Our restoration team assists homes, businesses, and managed properties throughout Florida and surrounding communities.
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