Home renovation spending in Australia has soared to over AU$1 billion a month according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Whether it’s to regrout a shower, change tiles, upgrade furniture or add an extra room, Australians are putting their money on home improvement. The COVID-19 Pandemic has fueled this trend as more and more people are staying at home. In 2019, national renovation expenses only peaked at around AU$800 million. But in March 2021, this has increased to AU$1.14 billion. 

Home offices are getting the most attention from home owners, but so do kitchens and bathrooms. Showers in particular are also getting some needed upgrades and repairs as people spend more time at home. Bathroom sealing and repair has become an important part of home maintenance and more so during this pandemic. This may involve simple things like changing shower heads or faucets to more complex tasks like installing new shower systems or changing shower tiles.

In the US, bathroom renovations are mostly driven by the desire to do the needed renovation and finally having the time and means to do so according to Statista. Coming in second is the reason that home owners can no longer stand their old bathroom. The third reason is that the old bathroom has deteriorated or broke down (may be even beyond having to regrout a shower.) These reasons may also be shared by Australians since the pandemic has also opened up more free time staying at home. 

A related survey from Statista in 2021 also reveals that general contractors are mostly hired to help with bathroom renovations in the US (with 49 percent). These renovations may include shower repairs, tile installation, and plumbing among others. Second are bathroom remodelers at 22 percent and bathroom designers at 14 percent. But the professionals hired will depend on how big or small the renovation project is.

Some projects may simply need to regrout a shower. This is often applicable to older bathrooms and shower stalls. New bathrooms rarely have problems with their grouts as these are freshly applied and can last for several years. But for bathrooms that have unexplained leaks or unsightly mold and mildew, doing a tile regrout may be necessary. Small problems can be fixed with DIY kits while bigger issues need to be handled by professionals. The latter is usually preferred by home owners since there’s less hassle in handling the process of repairing a shower.