Ignoramus15467 in
:

On 21 Feb 2006 11:57:37 -0800, Newfie wrote:
There has to be a reason for the tiles to fall off. I know gravity is
one of them but if they were installed correctly in the first place,
they would not move. Check to see if there is water leak, excessive
vibration etc.. Is the drywall damaged in any way? If not go ahead
with the silicone adhesive. If you drywall is damaged, replace it and
use good adhesive.

Drywall appears to be undamaged. My theory is that water penetrated
bad grout seals. The house is abotu 25 yo.

Avoid using real silicone on anything you won't in the future repair by completely removing.
"Paintable silicone" caulk is not as strong, but may somewhat adhere to "real" silicone
caulk.

Here's how I fixed the exact same trouble in a rental (green drywall over tarpaper over
studs. tile adhesive to drywall):
Condition: Edge of tub at corner (faucet and exterior walls), tiles falling off, drywall soggy.
Remove exposed. Drywall let area dry. Insert 1-by-3 across behind drywall (in the hole) I
think I glued it to the back of the drywall, and maybe adhesive to studs? I don't recall. I
may have used drywall piece to replace the removed area (since I didn't expect the repair
to last long). Be sure the drywall piece does not extend down to the ledge of the tub, else
it will soak up water. Prime with good sealer shellac-based should be good (I don't recall if I
used oil-based primer or shellac based).

This repair lasted for 3? 5 years? More? I don't recall. Place was sold within 10 years later.

Reset cleaned tile and simultaneously "re-grout" with lots of two-part epoxy, paste-type.
Original grout had been white. The epoxy cures to somewhat pale greenish color and semi-
gloss. Not worth worrying about, imo.

I did a lesser repair where the same green crap under a small window had become soaked
underneath the tile. In that case I simply let the greencrap dry, since it was still strong
(and well-backed since it had been laid over the sill framing). Then prime the crap, re
attached the tile, and replaced the caulk in the window area.