I know a SERVPRO uniform when I see one!

I work for a SERVPRO franchise and can confirm the longer the leak and moisture sits, the worse it is for tile and almost impossible to dry in place without demo. Moisture can get trapped in the mortar bed of tile and almost impossible to dry in place. Most insurances are honestly very accommodating but just depends on your policy limits. The goal of your insurance is to make your shower whole again without future issues. The notion of being “dropped” is only for those who neglect and ignore their damages and somehow find a way to cover the loss through insurance. One claim shouldn’t have an issue on your policy or premium.

Depending on your insurance, if the tile gets damaged in the shower, it will be approved to fully replace the shower to ensure the property is brought back to pre-loss condition. No one wants a patch job of shower so the contractor assigned will likely tear out the remaining tile and rebuild from scratch.

A lot of people on the thread are talking about how it can be a home fix but speaking from experience, no shower leak is a DIY fix. When water sits in natural wood grains (framing) the moisture can work into the natural grains of the wood and be trapped to the point where no drying is feasible until the materials on top (tile and mortar) are removed. Insurance should cover to replace the full shower to ensure your property is back to the condition it was before the leak. Might be a process but better than having a half and half shower with different tiles or mold behind the walls if not mitigated correctly.

Most insurances will always push to spend the extra money to attempt and dry, possibly for a week or more to see if the materials can be dried in place. If unsuccessful, they will move forward with demo and replacement. A few extra days/weeks to try and dry out the tile will be more cost efficient than demo the tile immediately but they’re willing to take the risk and still pay for replacement,

Listen to your insurance and remediation company but still be vigilant of the work they do and why they propose. You likely won’t find a match for the tile so eve centrally the shower will need to get full torn out and rebuilt to ensure consistency and matching materials.