Shower Tile Cracks

Hi. We have an 80 year-old home. Recently some of the shower tiles have cracked. All of these cracks are appearing near the shower hardware (hot/cold values).

From the experience of the pros on this forum, what is the likelihood that these cracks are a result of water leaking from the pipes in the wall?

Thanks for the help.

 

It's probably a water problem. What exactly though you'll have to do some investigating. Do you have access to the area below the shower like a basement or crawl space? If so do you see any sign of water?

Are the escutcheons caulked well to the tile so water can't get behind them. If you don't have evidence down below of a water leak that would be my guess where the water is entering. Not enough water gets in to show down below but it's enough to keep re-wetting the area around the faucet causing the backer to fail or the wood framing in the wall to rot.

 

Your shower is most likely built with a cement base which would not in my opinion be effected by water however movement/settling could result in cracks at weak spots like your supply handles. I would remove the handles and escutcheons and see if there are any signs of water. Very possible to have a leak in one or more of you valve stems. Replacements are available at local plumbing supply houses.