They’d placed the tile slate underlay right over the waste outlet instead of cutting it around it. On top of that, the paint-on waterproofing membrane only went up to the flange, not inside it. So when the drain slowed down and water pooled during showers, it found a way underneath the underlay. Even that small gap led to a lot of damage.
All these years of pulling things apart, we keep seeing new ways water sneaks in. You respect how clever water is—it’ll get through any tiny opportunity. But that’s how we learn, too. Every time, we see what happened, understand how, and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Sharing these real-life examples helps show why the details matter—and that’s exactly why we do what we do.
