How Much Does It Cost to Regrout a Shower?

Regrouting a shower usually costs $25 to $40 per m2, and Airtasker puts a regrouting job in Queensland at $150 to $391. Those figures come from Airtasker's cost guide, with data last updated on 1 April 2025. New grout fixes tired or cracked joints, but it will not stop a leak if the waterproofing under the tiles has failed.

Below are the prices, what a regrout includes, how epoxy compares with cement grout, when regrouting will and will not fix a leak, and what a shower costs once the waterproofing has gone. These are market prices from cost guides, checked on 26 October 2026. They are not a quote from us.

How much does it cost to regrout a shower?

Most Queensland regrouting jobs land between $150 and $391, on Airtasker's figures. Here is what its cost guide lists.

The Queensland figure is for the whole state, not the Gold Coast, and the data is from April 2025. Treat it as a rough guide. What's The Damage's Gold Coast tiling page does not price regrouting, so we have no local figure to set beside it.

Three things push the price up. A bigger area takes longer. Mould or a leak has to be dealt with before the new grout goes in. And a tile that chips while the old grout comes out has to be replaced, which Airtasker says can be hard to match.

What is included in a regrout?

The old grout comes out, new grout goes in, and the excess is wiped off. Airtasker sets out the job in four steps:

1. Find and fix any leak first. More on this below.
2. Remove the old grout. It has to come out without chipping the tiles.
3. Mix and apply the new grout. Then scrape off what is left on the tile face.
4. Clean off the excess while it is wet. Grout dries fast and is hard to remove once it sets.

Airtasker does not say what its prices cover, so check the quote. Ask how many m2 it includes, which grout will be used, and what happens if a tile cracks during the job. Ask too whether the price covers any mould or leak repair, or only the regrout.

Mouldy grout is a warning sign. Airtasker says it most likely lets moisture collect under the tiles, and that grouting over it can trap moisture under the new grout.

Epoxy or cement grout: which is better?

Epoxy is the tougher grout, but it costs more and is harder to put in. Cement grout is the cheaper, everyday choice. Grout maker Mapei says cement-based grouts are the most common type, known for being affordable and durable, and they come sanded or unsanded. Airtasker compares those two with epoxy:

Source: Airtasker regrouting cost guide (data updated April 2025, checked October 2026).

Mapei calls epoxy the most robust type of grout, with less than 0.1% water absorption, but says it is mixed from two or three parts and is harder to install. Airtasker calls it "normally waterproof".

Even so, grout is not the shower's waterproofing. What's The Damage notes the building code needs waterproofing under the tiles in a shower. Grout on top, epoxy or cement, does not replace it.

Will regrouting fix a leaking shower?

Only if the water is getting in through cracked grout and the membrane underneath is still sound. If the membrane has failed, or a pipe is leaking, new grout will not stop it.

Airtasker's advice is to find the leak and fix it before you regrout. If you skip that step, it says "there is no point to regrout", because the same problem comes back. It also says brown mould can mean water is getting behind the wall tiles and under the floor tiles.

The hard part is that you cannot see the membrane. What's The Damage says the old membrane in a shower cannot be checked while the tiles are on. It also says a cosmetic update, which tiles or paints over the old bathroom, does not redo the waterproofing.

If the leak is from a pipe, that is plumbing. In Queensland, plumbing and drainage need a QBCC licence at any value, so it is a job for a licensed plumber.

Thinking of new tiles straight over the old ones instead? Our guide to tiling over existing tiles explains why a shower is a special case.

What does it cost if the waterproofing has failed?

Far more than a regrout. The tiles have to come off, a new membrane goes on, and the shower is tiled again. What's The Damage's Gold Coast page prices each step per m2.

What's The Damage gives a worked example for a 5 m2 unit bathroom floor. Lifting the old tiles, a new membrane, laying and mid-range porcelain, each at the typical rate, come to about $1,080. A shower adds the walls, so it costs more.

If the whole room needs it, the numbers jump. What's The Damage puts a cosmetic refresh at $5,000 to $12,000, but that does not redo the waterproofing. A full renovation, at $20,000 to $55,000 on its national page, strips the room and redoes the waterproofing to AS 3740. Our guide to bathroom demolition costs covers the strip-out, and our bathroom tiling cost guide has every tile price.

Ask the quote to say what happens if there is damage behind the tiles once they are off. That is the part no one can price until they see it.

Who can do shower repairs in Queensland?

It depends on the work and its value. The QBCC says you must hold a licence to contract for building work valued over $3,300, in the class that fits the work, and plumbing and drainage need a licence at any value.

Two QBCC licence classes matter for a shower:

• Waterproofing, which covers work to "apply, install and repair waterproofing, including surface preparation".
• Wall and floor tiling, which covers cutting and fixing tiles, and applying waterproofing for wall and floor tiling.

A regrout at Airtasker's Queensland prices sits well under $3,300. A shower that is stripped, waterproofed and tiled again can go over it, and a full bathroom will. Ask for the licence number and check it on the QBCC register. This is a summary, not legal advice. For more on the waterproofing rules and prices, see our guide to bathroom waterproofing cost in Queensland.

For a regrout on its own, call a tiler. We are the wrong choice for that job. If the shower has to come out, that is a bathroom renovation. Brett does the carpentry, like changes to walls and framing, the vanity and the storage, and he books and runs the other trades, including the waterproofer and the tiler. See our bathroom renovations page.

Where do these prices come from?

Checked on 26 October 2026: Airtasker (regrouting cost guide, data last updated 1 April 2025), What's The Damage (tiling cost Gold Coast page and national bathroom renovation cost page, both verified October 2026), Mapei (grout article, August 2024). What's The Damage builds its city prices with city adjustments on top of marketplace data, so its Gold Coast figures are a guide, not a survey of local quotes. Rules from the QBCC (when you need a licence, and the waterproofing and wall and floor tiling licence class pages). We will check the prices again every three months.

See our bathroom renovations work, or check what your job will cost.