Sometimes you can patch a leaking shower pan, but it depends on how the pan was built and where the failure actually is. If the tile is already in, sealing it from the top almost never works. Send photos before anyone commits to a repair, because the honest answer changes completely depending on what is under the tile.
The short answer
We can patch, but it depends on what has already happened. A lot of the time people call after the tile is already in, hoping the pan can be sealed from the top. It does not work like that. It depends on how the pan was built and where the failure is actually coming from.
To give a straight answer we need to see pictures first, to know whether a patch is even possible or the whole pan has to be redone.
Why a shower pan fails
In our experience it is almost always one of these.
- A hole in the membrane — most often from a nail driven where one does not belong.
- Something left in the pan during the build: a nail, a ladder leg, a dropped tool.
- Corners that were never properly secured, so water works its way out through the gaps.
- A plastic liner whose corners were not sealed well enough.
- No waterproofing at all. It happens more than you would think.
- Waterproofing that simply was not durable enough to last.
Is it even the pan?
From the outside, you cannot tell whether it is the shower or the plumbing. That is the honest position, and anyone who tells you otherwise over the phone is guessing.
Finding out means opening it up: the tile and the cement come off so you can see where the leak starts. It might be a hole in the pan. It might be a cracked pipe connected to it. A lot of the time the contractor has to take the tile off underneath and see exactly where the problem is.
A brand-new shower that is already leaking
This is a call we get regularly, and it is usually one of three things: there is no waterproofing at all, there is waterproofing but it was done poorly, or there is a hole in it from a nail.
If the tile is not on yet
Then we can actually look. We inspect the whole pan, look for holes, check how many layers of waterproofing were used and what type of drain is in, and work out where it is most likely leaking.
This is by far the cheapest moment to find a problem, and the reason we would rather look at photos today than at a torn-out bathroom next month.
What we can and cannot promise on a repair
We can repair a pan somebody else built, but we cannot guarantee the project, because we do not know what is behind another contractor’s work. If a mistake is ours, we come back and fix it.
Common questions
- Can a leaking shower pan be patched without removing the tile?
- Rarely. Sealing a pan from the top, through the tile, does not address where the water is actually getting through. We need photos to say whether a patch is realistic.
- How do I know if it is the shower pan or the plumbing?
- You cannot tell from the outside. Finding out means removing tile and cement to see where the leak starts — it could be a hole in the pan or a cracked pipe connected to it.
- My new shower is already leaking. Why?
- Usually one of three things: there is no waterproofing, there is waterproofing that was done poorly, or a nail has put a hole through it.
- Do you guarantee a repair on someone else’s pan?
- No. We can do the repair, but we cannot guarantee work built on top of what another contractor did, because we cannot see what is behind it. If a mistake is ours, we come back and fix it.
About Figueroa Shower Pans
Figueroa Shower Pans waterproofs shower pans across San Diego County, based in Escondido. Francisco Figueroa has worked in the trade for 10 years, and shower pans are the only thing the business does — no demolition, no tile. CSLB License #1092967 · C-61/D-12, with general liability insurance and workers’ comp.