Strata balcony leaking into the unit below in St Ives
A balcony on a strata unit in a St Ives building only about 8 years old was leaking into the unit below. We degrouted and regrouted the whole balcony, resiliconed the perimeter and door junction, and sealed the full surface in about 3 hours, without lifting a single tile. Strata tested the repair and signed it off.
The job at a glance
- Location: St Ives, NSW 2075
- Property: strata unit in a building about 8 years old
- Problem: balcony leaking into the unit below
- Work: degrouted and regrouted the whole balcony, resiliconed the edges and door junction, and sealed the full surface
- Time on site: about 3 hours
- Back in use: after 24 hours of curing
- Tiles removed: none
- Testing and sign-off: tested and signed off by strata
- Completed: July 2026
The problem
Water from the balcony was coming through into the unit below. The building was only about 8 years old, which surprises many owners, but balcony grout and edge joints can fail well within that time.
What we found
The grout across the balcony had broken down, and the joints where the tiles meet the skirting and the door frame had failed. On a long, narrow balcony like this, water sits along the edges and finds its way through any weak joint, so the perimeter matters as much as the field of tiles.
The tiles themselves were sound, so there was no need to lift them and replace the membrane.
What we did
- Raked out the old grout from every joint on the balcony.
- Cut out the failed silicone along the skirting and at the door.
- Regrouted the whole balcony.
- Resiliconed the full perimeter and the door junction.
- Sealed the complete surface and left it to cure for 24 hours.
The result
The balcony was back in use after 24 hours. Strata tested the repair and signed it off.
Is your balcony leaking?
Most leaking balconies we see fail at the grout and the edges long before the tiles themselves give out. If the tiles are still well bonded, regrouting and sealing can often stop the leak in a day, for a fraction of the cost and disruption of replacing the membrane. See our leaking balcony repairs
Every balcony is different. We'll inspect yours first and tell you honestly whether a non-invasive repair is right for it.
Leaking shower or balcony?
We'll inspect it and quote for free, anywhere in Sydney. If the tiles are sound, we can usually stop the leak without lifting them. The sealing product we use carries a manufacturer's product warranty of up to 25 years, under the manufacturer's terms.