Defective silicone joint in the shower area

Hello,

we moved into our new building last October. Now the silicone joint in our shower is defective. I am unfortunately not an expert on this topic, but I wonder how this can happen in such a short time. Attached is a picture of it.

I have now contacted our construction company regarding this.

Their statement was: "It looks like the sealing has come loose! Or it is mold!

You should redo the silicone joint! (it is a maintenance joint)"

Is he right with this statement? Basically, as stated in our construction contract, these are maintenance joints, that is clear to me. However, we have not lived in this house for a year yet. Can he use this as an excuse and shift this problem onto us?

Thank you very much for your help in advance.

Best regards

Hm. The joint basically doesn’t look nice... this is what it looks like when I pull it, I expect a clean, evenly wide joint from a professional. Silicone joints should be renewed every 5-7 years, but not after 5-7 months.

After such a short time, I would reject the maintenance joint argument. But ultimately, the Sille strip is worth 5€, no one will gladly send someone out for that.

If it is purely a renewal of the joint, then I wouldn’t even have such a huge problem with it. I just fear that the joint is so leaky that water has already entered through the joint and may have possibly caused greater damage. Or are these concerns due to my ignorance?

If it is purely a renewal of the joint, then I wouldn't even have such a huge problem with it. I just fear that the joint is so leaky that water has already entered through the joint and may have already caused major damage. Or are these concerns due to my ignorance?

The actual sealing layer lies beneath the tiles. Neither a tile nor tile mortar is waterproof.

Or are these concerns due to my ignorance?

… seen this way, this silicone joint is a cosmetic joint (even if it’s not quite so nicely done). The inner values count. I would do it (myself) again. With the general contractor you’ll be biting your nails, but it’s definitely not enough to sue. In my opinion, maintenance can (must) still be done after 9 months.