Skip to main content

Here’s a situation that plays out in Perth bathrooms every single week.

You notice a damp patch on the bedroom wall that backs onto the ensuite. Or the skirting board near the shower has started to bubble and lift. Or there’s a faint, musty smell that no amount of bleach seems to shift. So you do the sensible thing — you get a few tradies through to take a look.

Tradie number one says, “Just needs a regrout, mate. Couple hundred bucks.” Tradie number two sucks air through his teeth and says, “Nah, you’ll want to retile the whole thing. Looking at eight, maybe ten grand.” Tradie number three says something in between, and now you’re standing in your own bathroom with three wildly different opinions and absolutely no idea who’s telling the truth.

It’s a bit like going to three doctors and being told you have a cold, a broken leg, and possibly the flu. They can’t all be right. So let’s cut through it.

This is a plain-English guide to the three things people actually mean when they talk about “fixing a leaking shower” — what each one does, what it costs, and most importantly, how to tell which one your shower genuinely needs. No jargon, no upselling, no air-through-the-teeth.

First, understand what’s actually leaking

Before we get to the three options, you need one piece of knowledge that will protect you from a lot of bad advice: your tiles are almost never the problem.

Think of your shower like a boat. The tiles are the paint on the hull — they look nice, they take the wear, but they are not what keeps the water out. The thing keeping the water out is the waterproof membrane underneath, and the grout and silicone that seal the joins on the surface. When a shower leaks, it’s nearly always because one of those sealing layers has failed — not because a tile cracked.

This matters enormously, because the difference between “the seal failed” and “the structure failed” is the difference between a few hundred dollars and ten thousand. So when someone glances at your perfectly intact tiles and recommends ripping them all out, your first question should be: what makes you think the tiles are the issue?

Right. Now the three options.

Option 1: Regrout (and re-silicone)

What it is: A tradie grinds out the old, cracked, or mouldy grout from between your tiles, and the perished silicone from the corners and joins, then replaces both with fresh material.

What it fixes: Surface-level problems. If your grout is crumbling, your silicone has gone black and peely, and the leak is fairly minor and recent, a quality regrout and re-silicone can genuinely sort it out. It also makes the shower look ten years younger, which is a nice bonus.

When it’s the right call:

The honest catch: Standard grout and silicone are consumables. They shrink, they crack, they harbour mould, and they eventually fail again — usually in three to five years. A regrout is a real fix, but it’s a fix with an expiry date. It’s like re-pointing the mortar on a brick wall: worth doing, but you’ll be back up the ladder eventually.

Surface Seal does re-grout and re-silicone work as a standalone service — so if that’s genuinely all your shower needs, that’s what we’ll tell you.

Option 2: Reseal (the epoxy approach)

What it is: Instead of just replacing the grout on the surface, a professional-grade epoxy is rolled into every grout line, join, and vulnerable point in the shower. The epoxy doesn’t sit on top like a silicone bead waiting to peel — it penetrates and bonds to the grout, tile backs, and substrate, becoming part of the structure.

What it fixes: The root cause of most leaks — failed waterproofing — without removing a single tile.

This is the bit that surprises people, so here’s the analogy that makes it click. A standard regrout is like putting a fresh bandage over a wound. An epoxy reseal is like the wound actually healing closed. One sits on the surface and will eventually lift; the other becomes part of the body and stays.

When it’s the right call:

The honest pitch: Because the epoxy bonds to the substrate and doesn’t dry out, crack, or shrink like ordinary sealant, it lasts. That’s why it carries a 10-year warranty and a first-year money-back guarantee — you don’t put a decade-long promise on a product you expect to fail. Most jobs are done in a single visit and ready to use within 24–48 hours. No demolition, no skip bin on the verge for a fortnight, no showering at the neighbour’s.

This is the gap most people don’t know exists. They think the only options are “cheap patch that fails” or “expensive renovation that doesn’t.” There’s a third door, and this is it.

Option 3: Retile (the full renovation)

What it is: Exactly what it sounds like. The tiles come off, the old waterproof membrane is stripped back, a new membrane is laid, and the whole shower is tiled again from scratch.

What it fixes: Genuine structural failure — and it’s overkill for anything less.

When it’s the right call (and it sometimes genuinely is):

The honest warning: A full retile in Perth can run anywhere from $5,000 to well over $10,000, and it’ll leave you without a working bathroom for one to two weeks. That is a perfectly reasonable cost if you genuinely need it. The problem is how often it gets recommended when you don’t.

If a tradie looks at intact, undamaged tiles and immediately reaches for the retile quote, be suspicious. It’s the single most expensive option, and “the most expensive thing that would technically work” is not the same as “the thing you actually need.” A retile to fix a failed seal is like demolishing your kitchen because a tap was dripping.

The 30-second self-assessment

Stand in your bathroom and run through these honestly:

The bottom line

Most leaking showers in Perth do not need a renovation. They need the actual failure point — the seal — fixed properly. The reason people end up overpaying is simple: they get advice from people who only sell one thing, so every problem mysteriously looks like the one thing that person sells.

The fix for that is information, which is what this article is for. Now you know the difference between a bandage, a healed wound, and a transplant — and you can spot which one you’re actually being sold.

If you’re not sure which category your shower falls into, you don’t have to guess. Send us a few photos of your shower — the tiles, the grout lines, the silicone, and any visible water damage — and we’ll give you an honest assessment. We’ll tell you what’s actually going on, what it’ll cost, and how long it’ll take. And if your situation genuinely needs a regrout instead of a reseal, or even a full retile, we’ll tell you that too. We’d rather lose a job than sell you the wrong one.

No obligation. No sales pressure. Just a straight answer.

Get Your Free Shower Assessment → or call +61 468 802 312.

Serving Perth and surrounds — from Joondalup to Mandurah. 10-year warranty. Money-back guarantee. Owner-operated.

Most Perth homeowners think of shower sealing when they think of Surface Seal. But one of the most common requests we receive is for outdoor surface sealing — driveways, balconies, alfresco areas, pool surrounds, and limestone paths. Here’s what you need to know about protecting your outdoor surfaces.

Why Perth’s Climate Is Particularly Harsh on Outdoor Surfaces

Perth gets more UV radiation than most Australian cities. Combined with hot summers, coastal salt air, and the cycle of dry winters and humid summers, unprotected outdoor concrete and limestone surfaces deteriorate faster here than in most other parts of the country.

Signs that your outdoor surface needs sealing include: concrete that crumbles or spalls at the edges, limestone that flakes or stains easily, balcony surfaces that retain water rather than draining cleanly, porous driveways that absorb oil and dirt permanently, and pool surrounds that feel rough underfoot and show staining.

What Surface Sealing Does

Professional-grade surface sealing penetrates into the substrate and creates an internal waterproof barrier. Unlike surface coatings that sit on top and eventually peel, a penetrating sealant bonds within the concrete or limestone itself.

The result: a surface that repels water, resists staining, is easier to clean, and lasts significantly longer under Perth’s UV exposure.

Surfaces We Seal

How Long Does It Last?

Properly applied penetrating sealant on a well-prepared surface typically lasts 5–10 years under Perth conditions, depending on traffic and UV exposure. High-traffic areas like driveways may need reapplication sooner than sheltered areas like covered alfresco paving.

The Process

Outdoor surface sealing is a one-day job in most cases. The surface is cleaned and prepared, the sealant is applied in the required number of coats, and the area typically needs 24 hours before it’s back in use. There’s minimal disruption and no mess beyond the cleaning and application process itself.

Where We Work in Perth

We service the full Perth metropolitan area, seven days a week. Our most common outdoor sealing jobs come from across the northern and southern suburbs — limestone path sealing in Duncraig and Karrinyup, driveway protection in Morleyand Canning Vale, balcony waterproofing in Fremantle and Subiaco, pool surround sealing in Cockburn and Baldivis, and alfresco work throughout Joondalup and further south into the Mandurah corridor.

If you’re not sure whether we cover your area, just get in touch — we’re happy to confirm. Response within 24–48 hours.

Book a Free Assessment

If you have a driveway, balcony, limestone path, or outdoor area you want to protect, book a free assessment. We’ll inspect the surface, confirm whether it’s suitable for sealing, and give you a clear fixed quote. The cost of professional sealing is a fraction of what it costs to replace a deteriorated surface — or to repair structural water damage from a poorly sealed balcony.