I changed the entrance of my shower tub. The panel board was moldy; water was getting in between the top tiles and the panel board. the joint was not well sealed. I put new everything for the entrance, even a membrane between the plywood and the tiles. However, it seems to leak from the wall now. Water is coming out of the wall outside the shower tub. Would it be the grout, tiles...? Tiles and grout are probably 20+ yrs old ( turquoise tiles). I tried to put some ready grout ( in a tube), but it still leaks! Calking is well done. Should I remove the old grout and put new one everywhere? Thanks for your help!

Yup, no rugs. Walkers get tangled up with them. Teak is a great wood in a shower, as is Hinoki cedar. Cheaper teak shower seats have chrome legs, nicer ones are all wood. That said, I do like the modified teak shower seat at Hammacher Schlemmer (hammacher.com) which is the only seat I've seen with a built-in foot rest - very useful for someone with a bad back! You can find some handsome bath/shower organizers that are excellent quality (with a price to match) at the website of Frontgate.com. Also, Brookstone.com has some useful bath accessories, such as a countertop towel warmer for a reasonable $79.95. I've had back problems and it's painful to lean or stretch too far. Try to make sure everything is within easy reach, standing or sitting. One real problem with walkers is that you can't carry anything! So make certain everything she needs - washcloths, soap, shampoo, etc. - are right there within arm's reach. Don't forget to buy a potted orchid at your local flower mart or big box garden center, and it will add the perfect finishing touch to a spa-like environment. You're a sweetheart for thinking ahead and I'm sure she will have a great visit with you.

I did tiling for the first time when I tiled my backsplash and I can give you some advice from one beginner to another (not meant to replace the advice of a pro, but just might be some things that a pro takes for granted since they are good at what they do). IMO the way to get a professional looking job is to: 1) take your time. It's not going to go quick, that comes with practice. It took me a week to do my backsplash, a pro would have done it in a day, but I got a professional look. 2) use spacers. If there are no lugs on your tile to give the proper spacing, use spacers. I will never forget watching some DIY show, maybe weekend warriors, where the guy was like "I don't need to use spacers, I have a good eye." Oh what a crappy install THAT turned out to be. Again this is a practice thing, someone who does this all the time might be able to do it without spacers but you don't have that much practice so use them. 3) never work with someone who doesn't have the same standards you do. Tiling is not necessarily a 2 person job. 4) Try out one of those cheapie tiling kits at home depot - the one that comes with a cheap, half circle shaped piece of tin for spreading thinset. I have kind of small hands (definitely smaller than the average man) and found that this tool was MUCH easier for me to control than the larger trowel. Sure, you can't spread as much at one time but see #1. Even with the trowel, the thing is notched to make sure you get the right amount of thinset on the walls. Use the right size notches (maybe bill can help you with that and also some tips for applying). 4) Buy more extra than you'd need for a pro and don't be afraid to use it... to re-cut anything that needs to be re-cut etcetc.

ML, I have had no experience whatsoever with subways. I read about them being traditional, but have never seen them in anything but a modern setting in person, unless they were in an actual subway. That may be because I have only ever been in 1950s and newer houses with tile! To me they feel modern and very "in" and overused. I figured they have to go "out" sooner or later! However, I do respect your opinion. I thank you for your insight. I had not thought of whether the 6x6 effect looked MCM or not. The sink definitely has a pre-MCM vibe, as do the med cabinets. I suppose the lights do, too. And the dresser is definitely older. So square tiles came along in the MCM era, huh? Bummer. I avoided 4x4 tiles because that is what my 1978 home already has, I thought that by going bigger, I would avoid the era. Phooey. So I need to do subways to be in a 1940s and earlier vibe? Okay. Is the 4 x 6 you suggested more period than the 3 x 6 that are so easy to find everywhere now? BTW, as time passes, I am more and more inclined to go with the Carrara-looking trim, rather than the black. Then there is a part of me that says that I like color too much and that it is just hanging out on-line that has gotten me loving the Carrara look (because it is so loved on the kitchen forum and bath forum). I also am drooling over a mother-of-pearl tile to use as a listello between two rows of Carrara. Then again, if a beauteous tile becomes available for a great price on Craigslist, all bets are off on color! I am considering heating the floor. It will also help it to dry if it gets wet splash-over from the shower. Things like Carrara-looking tile and heated floors became more of an option when my SSDI came through. The Swanstone ADA floor with the trench drain is so new that I have not found a picture of a real consumer using it. The link below will take you to a PDF that shows the new shower floor and wall system. The shower floor is on the cover, but it does not show the whole shower. I will be getting the New Construction floor because we have to pull up the subfloor due to rot. I will get the 96" walls seen on the right on page 8/9, but in the color "Ice" or "Glacier". "Ice" is shown below, it is the closest they have to Carrara. "Glacier" is just white, but the surface looks like snowflakes, sort of. The shower looks way too skinny, but I keep telling myself that the shower looks skinny because of the drain taking some of the floorspace. It will be the same size as the bathtub, without the bathtub sides getting in the way of my feet. I keep saying that, but it sure looks skinny! That is why the floor outside the shower will be as water-proof as a shower would be. Here is a link that might be useful: Swan Shower PDF see Page 8/9