A Handyman Paddington call-out for a leaking shower usually turns out to be simpler than the customer fears. On this job, water had been finding its way out of the shower enclosure for weeks, running down the tiles and pooling near the skirting board. The customer assumed it might be a pipe problem behind the wall, which is the sort of thing that can mean lifting tiles and a much bigger bill.
Once we got in and had a proper look, the cause was far more ordinary. The old silicone seal around the shower tray had cracked and pulled away in places, there were small gaps opening up between several tiles, and the bracket holding the shower hose had worked loose from the wall. Water was getting behind the tiling through all three routes at once, which is why the leak had seemed to be getting worse rather than staying still.
This is a very common job for us. A Paddington property with an older shower enclosure, original Victorian or Edwardian tiling, and years of normal use will eventually show exactly this pattern of wear. The good news is that it is usually a straightforward fix if you catch it before the leak has been running long enough to soak into the floor structure below.
Why Old Silicone and Loose Fittings Cause Bigger Problems Than They Look
Silicone sealant is not decorative. It is the only thing stopping water at every joint from tracking behind the tiles and into the wall or floor build-up underneath. Silicone has a working life of roughly five to ten years depending on how much the shower gets used and how well it was applied originally. Once it starts to shrink, crack or peel, water gets behind it on every single use, not just during a heavy shower.
Tile gaps open up for a similar reason. Grout is rigid, tiles and the wall behind them move very slightly with temperature and moisture changes, and over years that tiny movement opens hairline gaps at the joints. A loose hose bracket adds a third leak point, because the fixing screws pull slightly out of the wall each time the hose is pulled, widening the hole and letting water run straight down inside the cavity rather than into the tray.
None of these three things look serious on their own. Together, over time, they let water sit against timber joists, plasterboard or old lath and plaster in a way that causes rot and damp long before anyone notices a stain on the ceiling below. This is exactly the kind of slow-building issue the Health and Safety Executive flags as a genuine health risk in its guidance on damp and mould, particularly relevant for landlords with a duty of care to tenants.
How We Diagnosed the Leak on This Job
We started with a visual inspection of the whole enclosure, checking every seal, joint and fitting rather than assuming the obvious crack in the silicone was the only culprit. Running the shower and watching where water actually travelled, rather than just where it appeared, showed us all three failure points within about twenty minutes. This step matters because patching one leak while ignoring the other two just means a callback a few weeks later.
We also checked the wall behind the loose bracket for any softness or damp, since a bracket that has been pulling away for a while can mean water has already tracked in. On this job the wall was still sound, which meant we could go straight to the repair without needing to open anything up.
Strip Out the Failed Silicone Completely
We cut and scraped out every trace of the old sealant rather than sealing over the top of it, which is a common shortcut that never lasts. Old silicone leaves a thin film behind that stops new sealant bonding properly, so we cleaned the tray and tile edges back to bare surface with a solvent wipe. Any mould or black staining in the old joint gets removed at this stage too, since sealing over it just traps the problem.
Fill and Re-Grout the Open Tile Gaps
The gaps between tiles needed raking out and re-grouting with a flexible, waterproof grout suited to wet areas, not a standard rigid grout that will just crack again. We matched the grout colour to the existing tiling so the repair does not stand out. Letting this cure fully before running any water past it is what stops the new work failing within weeks.
Refit and Secure the Shower Hose Bracket
The original bracket fixings had pulled loose in soft, water-damaged plugs, so we removed them, filled the holes properly, and refitted the bracket with new fixings suited to the wall material. A bracket that is not secure will keep working loose and reopening a leak path, so this step is not optional if you want the repair to hold.
Apply a New Silicone Seal Correctly
With everything clean and dry, we applied a fresh bead of sanitary-grade silicone around the tray and up the tile joints, tooling it into a smooth, even line rather than leaving ridges where water can sit. We left it a full 24 hours to cure before the shower went back into use, which is the step most DIY repairs skip and the reason so many home silicone jobs fail within a couple of months.
What This Kind of Repair Typically Costs and How Long It Takes
A job like this, covering strip-out, re-grouting a small area, bracket repair and a full reseal, generally takes a Handyman Paddington visit of two to three hours. Our handyman rate is £80 per hour plus VAT, which comes to £96 per hour including VAT at 20%. For a job of this scope, most customers can expect a total in the region of £160 to £280 including VAT, though we always confirm this on site once we have seen the extent of the damage, since hidden problems behind tiling can change the scope.
If you notice a shower leak early, before water has had time to sit behind the wall, this is very much a handyman-level repair rather than a full retiling job. Left for months, the same leak can mean lifting tiles, replacing damp plasterboard or timber, and a bill that runs into four figures. Catching it early is the single biggest cost saver we can offer any customer.
When It Is More Than a Handyman Job
Not every shower leak is this simple. If water has been running for a long time, or if you can see soft, bouncy flooring or a stained ceiling in the room below, that points to structural or plumbing damage that needs a proper inspection first. In those cases we bring in our wider Plumbing Services team, or recommend an independent damp survey through a body like RICS before any cosmetic repair goes ahead. It is always worth having a professional check the extent of any water damage rather than resealing over a problem that is bigger than it looks.
Practical Tips for Paddington Homeowners and Landlords
- Check your shower silicone every year for cracking, discolouration or gaps, especially in older properties with original tiling.
- Never seal directly over old silicone. It will not bond properly and the repair will fail faster than a proper strip-out job.
- If your shower hose bracket feels at all loose to the touch, get it refitted before it pulls the fixing further out of the wall.
- Landlords should include shower seals in routine property checks, since a slow leak behind tiling can become a damp and mould issue that falls under your legal repairing obligations.
- If you are ever unsure whether a leak is cosmetic or structural, get a professional opinion rather than guessing. It is far cheaper than finding out the hard way.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: How do I know if my shower leak is just the silicone or something more serious?
Check for softness in the floor or wall near the shower, staining on a ceiling below, or a musty smell. If none of those are present, it is very likely a seal or grout issue rather than structural damage.
Q2: How often should shower silicone be replaced?
Most silicone seals last five to ten years depending on use, but check yearly for cracking or peeling and replace it as soon as you notice a problem rather than waiting for a leak.
Q3: Can I reseal a shower myself instead of calling a handyman?
You can, but the strip-out and drying stage is where most DIY attempts fail. If you are not confident removing all the old silicone and letting the area dry fully, a professional repair will last far longer.
Q4: Is a loose shower hose bracket really worth fixing straight away?
Yes. A loose bracket widens its own fixing hole every time the hose is pulled, and water tracking through that gap can reach the wall cavity long before you see any sign of it from the room.
Q5: What does a typical Handyman Paddington call-out cost for this kind of repair?
Based on recent jobs of this scope, expect around £160 to £280 including VAT for diagnosis, re-grouting, bracket repair and resealing, though the exact price depends on what we find once the old sealant is removed.
A shower leak rarely announces itself as three separate problems, but on jobs like this one it almost always is, old silicone, opening tile joints and a fixing that has worked loose all feeding the same damp patch. Catching it early with a proper diagnosis rather than a quick bead of sealant over the top is what keeps a small repair small. If you have noticed water where it should not be around your shower, get in touch with our team through Kensington Maintenance Services and we will get a specialist out to trace it properly and fix it at the source, or browse our Handyman Services page to see the sort of jobs we handle every week across Paddington and the surrounding area.