Shower regrouting is the process of removing old, cracked or crumbling grout from between your tiles and replacing it with fresh grout. It restores the look of a tired shower and helps keep water where it belongs — but here’s the part most people don’t realise: regrouting on its own often won’t stop a shower from leaking. This guide explains what regrouting involves, what it costs, when you actually need it, and when it’s the wrong fix for the problem.

If your shower is leaking or growing mould, book an inspection before you spend money on regrouting — we’ll tell you whether new grout will solve it or whether you need a reseal.

What is shower regrouting?

Grout is the hard, cement-based filler in the lines between your tiles. It holds the tiles in position and helps resist water at the surface. Over the years, grout takes a beating: it’s porous, it absorbs moisture, and the constant movement of a building slowly works it loose. Eventually it cracks, stains, goes patchy, or falls out altogether.

Regrouting fixes that. The old, failed grout is raked or cut out of the joints, the lines are cleaned, and fresh grout is applied and finished off. Done well, it leaves the shower looking sharp and the tile joints solid again.

It’s important not to confuse regrouting with resealing. Grout fills the gaps between tiles; silicone seals the flexible joints — the corners, the base, around the screen. A shower usually needs attention to both, and the two jobs are often done together.

Signs your shower needs regrouting

You can usually spot tired grout without any tools:

  • Cracked or crumbling grout lines, especially in the corners and along the floor.
  • Missing grout where the joints have washed or fallen out.
  • Discoloured, stained or permanently dark grout that won’t clean up.
  • Grout that feels soft or powdery when you press it.
  • Loose tiles that move or sound hollow when tapped — a sign water has been getting behind them.

If you’re also seeing recurring mould or water marks outside the shower, the grout is likely only part of the story — see can missing grout cause leaks for what’s really going on.

How much does shower regrouting cost?

Regrouting is one of the more affordable shower repairs — far cheaper than retiling or renovating. The price depends on a few things:

  • The size of the shower and how many metres of grout line need doing.
  • How much old grout has to be removed — a full strip-out takes longer than a touch-up.
  • The condition of the tiles and how easily the old grout comes out.
  • Whether resealing or other repairs are needed at the same time (most showers benefit from both).

The honest advice: get the regrouting done as part of a proper assessment rather than as a stand-alone patch job. If the shower is leaking, regrouting alone is money spent on a symptom — and you’ll be paying again when the real problem resurfaces. (Our guide to the cost of leaking shower repairs puts regrouting in context against the bigger repairs.)

Will regrouting stop my shower leaking?

This is the question that saves people the most money, so we’ll be straight about it: usually not on its own.

Grout is not waterproof. It’s water-resistant at best, and it’s porous — water can pass straight through it over time. The thing actually keeping water inside your shower is the waterproof membrane hidden behind the tiles, backed up by sound silicone at the flexible joints. If your shower is leaking, the problem is almost always a failed seal or failed waterproofing — not just the grout.

So while fresh grout looks great and helps, regrouting a leaking shower without addressing the silicone and waterproofing is like repainting a wall with a hole in it. The leak keeps going behind the scenes. That’s why we always inspect first.

Regrouting vs resealing vs rebuilding

Here’s how the three options compare, and when each is the right call:

Regrouting is right when the grout has simply worn out but the shower is otherwise sound and not leaking — a cosmetic and maintenance refresh.

Resealing is the fix for a leaking shower where the tiles and waterproofing are still good. It removes failed silicone and grout, treats mould, and re-seals the shower watertight — usually with no tiles removed. This is the most common solution we provide, and it’s covered in our shower resealing guide. Most leaking showers need a reseal, not just a regrout.

Rebuilding is needed when the waterproofing membrane has failed or there’s structural water damage behind the tiles. At that point the shower has to be stripped back and re-waterproofed to current Australian Standards — see our shower rebuilds service.

You can’t always tell which one you need from the bathroom floor, which is exactly why an inspection beats guessing.

Can you regrout a shower yourself?

You can, and for purely cosmetic touch-ups it’s a reasonable weekend job. If you want to try it, the basic steps are:

  1. Rake out the old grout with a grout removal tool, getting right down into the joints without chipping the tiles.
  2. Clean the lines thoroughly and let them dry.
  3. Mix the new grout to the right consistency and work it firmly into the joints.
  4. Wipe back the excess with a damp sponge before it sets.
  5. Let it cure, then seal the grout if recommended for your type.

The risks to be aware of:

  • It’s slow and fiddly, and it’s easy to chip tiles when removing old grout.
  • New grout won’t fix a leak — if water is getting behind the tiles, you’ll be regrouting the same shower again before long.
  • You can seal in mould if the joints aren’t clean and dry.
  • Silicone joints still need doing separately, and the corners are where most leaks actually start.

If the shower is leaking, DIY regrouting often makes the problem harder to diagnose later, because the surface looks fine while water keeps moving behind the wall.

Why does grout keep failing?

If your grout has cracked or fallen out more than once, the grout usually isn’t the real culprit — it’s a symptom. Two things are normally behind it:

  • Movement. Buildings flex and shift, and so does a shower floor underfoot. Rigid grout can’t absorb that movement, so it cracks. The flexible joints (corners and base) should be sealed with silicone, not grout — using grout there is a common reason it keeps failing.
  • Water behind the tiles. If the waterproofing has failed, the area behind your tiles stays damp. That constant moisture, plus the freeze-thaw of daily temperature swings, breaks grout down from behind no matter how often you replace it.

Fix the cause and the grout stays put. Keep replacing grout without fixing the cause and you’ll be doing it every year.

Shower regrouting in Brisbane and the Gold Coast

Our climate is tough on grout. Brisbane and Gold Coast humidity keeps showers damp for longer, and through the wet season grout barely gets a chance to dry out — which speeds up staining, mould and breakdown. Older homes and showers that have already been “touched up” a few times are often well past a simple regrout. If you’re local and your grout keeps failing, it’s worth having the seal and waterproofing checked before you spend on grout again.

Get it assessed before you regrout

Fresh grout makes a shower look good, but it’s only the right fix if the shower isn’t leaking. Spend a little on a proper inspection first and you’ll avoid spending a lot on a job that doesn’t last.

Book a regrout and reseal assessment with Leaky Showers and we’ll tell you exactly what your shower needs — whether that’s a simple regrout, a full reseal, or something more.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to regrout a shower? Regrouting is one of the cheaper shower repairs — usually well under the cost of retiling. The price depends on the shower’s size, how much old grout needs removing, and whether resealing is needed at the same time. An inspection gives you a firm quote and confirms regrouting is the right fix.

Will regrouting stop my shower from leaking? Usually not on its own. Grout is porous and isn’t what keeps water in your shower — the waterproof membrane and silicone seals do. If the shower is leaking, it almost always needs resealing or a rebuild, not just new grout.

What’s the difference between regrouting and resealing? Regrouting replaces the hard grout between the tiles. Resealing replaces the flexible silicone at the joints (and usually includes grout work) to make the shower watertight. Leaking showers need resealing; regrouting is mainly cosmetic and maintenance.

How often should a shower be regrouted? It varies with use and climate, but grout typically needs attention every several years. In humid areas like Brisbane and the Gold Coast it can break down faster, so it’s worth checking annually.

Can I regrout a shower myself? Yes, for a cosmetic refresh. Be aware it’s slow work, it’s easy to chip tiles, and new grout won’t fix a leak or seal the corners — those need silicone. If the shower leaks, DIY regrouting can hide the real problem.

Why does my shower grout keep cracking? Cracking grout is usually caused by building movement or water sitting behind the tiles. Grout is rigid and can’t flex, so it cracks at movement points (which should be sealed with silicone instead), and failed waterproofing keeps the area damp, breaking grout down from behind.