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Don't Delay! What to Do If Some of Your Shower Tiles Start to Become Darker in Colour

15 August 2017

Tommy Franklin

You are undoubtedly used to the colour of your shower tiles. The only way that the colour scheme should change is when you actually decide to re-tile your shower in a different style and colour. This is why it can be disconcerting to notice that the tiles in your shower seem to slowly be changing colour of their own accord. But what exactly can cause this to happen?

A Noticeable Contrast

The colour of the tiles in your shower will generally not fade with time, and any kind of noticeable discolouration will in fact be a darkening of the tiles. This will probably be confined to a single wall in the shower, or even just a number of connected tiles on the same wall. This can often be how the effect becomes noticeable⸺by being contrasted with the unaffected tiles.

Sodden Biscuits

Remember that the visible surfaces of your shower tiles are designed to repel water, and are not porous to the extent that they can be affected by water. The only way a tile can become discoloured due to water is when the biscuit at the rear of the tile becomes sodden, thus allowing water into the interior sections of the tile. This is why a discoloured tile is most likely to be caused by a plumbing issue in the wall behind it, as opposed to the water that falls upon it throughout regular usage of the shower.

Repairing the Problem

You should call a plumber immediately to inspect the damage. There might a leaking pipe behind the tiles, and it's impossible to gauge how serious this might be until a professional inspection has been carried out. Once the cause of the leak has been identified and repaired, some parts of the shower will need to be re-tiled. It can be wise to enlist professional help when tiling a shower if you're unfamiliar with the type of work that's required. This is particularly pertinent when only a single wall (or even just a group of tiles) needs to be replaced. It's important to source tiles that are a match for those around them, and to also make sure that the grouting matches.

Discoloured tiles in your shower are often an indication of a serious problem, so it's important to get the issue diagnosed and repaired as soon as possible. Unfortunately those discoloured tiles aren't going to dry out and return to their former glory!

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