Shower Tile Wall Collapse! Now what?!

Check out my problem:

formatting link
After losing my balance in the shower and putting my weight against the left wall of the shower, the whole wall flexed. Uh oh. The tiles peeled off the wall like stickers, and there was little left of the original green board behind the tile, except, of course, for lots of nice black mold.

I've owned the house for just 10 months and this has been the biggest of my surprises.

I obviously have to redo the entire shower: three walls surrounding the tub plus the ceiling above the tub. I'm looking for suggestions as to the combination of materials to be used here. Special considerations go to the window (1-yr old full vinyl) since it is hit directly by the shower spray (what were they thinking when they installed this here?!). There is also a light in the shower ceiling.

Here's the current plan:

  1. Replace insulation (studs seem to free from rot)
2.15lb roofing felt stapled over studs
  1. 1/2" Durock backerboard
  2. 6x6 ceramic tiles laid with thinset mortar

Obviously this is an oversimplification, but I just want to make sure no big steps are missing here, particularly with the moisture barrier. We just redid the entire kitchen right below this tub and I need to be

100% sure I am not going to get any leaks from either the walls or the window. I can't afford drywall repairs in the kitchen! So what part of this doesn't make sense or could be done better?

This will likely be a DIY project, although I may split the work with a local tile guy who has done small jobs for me before. I would do the demo and hang the new board. He would do the tile install. With little tile experience, what are my biggest challenges?

Thanks for any help! It's a small bathroom, but a big pain for me!

Reply to
WirelessNut
Loading thread data ...

Damn! I feel much better now about my leaky tub faucet, and stupid wallpaper that the previous owners should never have installed in a wet area!

Although some of them are tacky & ugly, there are some ready-made shower wall systems that look pretty classy. Have you explored that option yet, just so you're sure you don't want it?

Reply to
Doug Kanter

Leaving the tiling problems aside,

1) Any chance that the window could simply be eliminated? It seems to defeat all the effort that will go into a new tile job.

2) Give some thought to providing grab bars. Lay out a plan for them. Then install suitable bracing between studs to bolt them to.

If the soap dish had a built-in grab, get rid of it.

3) As long as the wall will be open, consider replacing the 3-handle tub control. If you're perfectly happy with it, OK.

Jim

Reply to
Speedy Jim

Jim,

I didn't want to bore everyone with ALL the details, but we will replace the three-handle with a single handle control.

Scrapping the window is probably not an option, since I can't get into the exterior work required to flll the hole right now. It's an old Cape Cod with asbestos shingles that we'll eventually replace, but my home equity loan is maxrd out, so where not going there!

Doug,

We thought about a surround, but the nice ones are as much or more than the materials/labor for the tile job, which will look nicer.

Reply to
WirelessNut

First you need to:

1/. Get a dust mask for working around the mold or call a professional(better option, but more expense). 2/. If you have air exchange shut it off or the mold spores will lodge into it and you'll need to clean that out as well. 3/. Seal the doorway before starting any work.Heavy plastic will be fine. 4/. Remove any and all contaminated material and material you'll be replacing. 5/. Clean the mold from the studs as well as anything else that there is mold adhering to. 6/. Reinsulate and vapour Barrier. Be sure to seal the edges of the vapour barrier all around with tape or sealant. 7/. use concrete board for the walls in the shower area, it's more expensive then drywall but it's made for the area. 8/. Get the roll of waterproof sealer and attatch to the walls for extra waterproofing. 9/. Proceed to tile to specifications.

Hope this helps.

Reply to
newfysnapshot

Where in the sandwhich would the "roll of waterproof sealer" go (as you mention in #8)? On top of the concrete board? This is in addition to the roofing felt, yes?

Reply to
WirelessNut

You shouldn't use roofing felt on the inside of the house. It is a tar product. The roll of waterproof sealer is what you will need.

Reply to
newfysnapshot

I wouldn't use it. Not really nesecary. if you did it would go behind the backerboard, in place of the roofing felt. Nothing should go between the tile and backerboard except the thinset or mastic.

Reply to
No

Drop a couple of mothballs in the wall cavities, to keep the mold/mildew beat back after you seal it up.

While you've got the wall open, let in a backer-board for a real grab-bar, so you don't have to worry about finding the studs, later.

-------------------

This is not a suggestion, it's a question: Why roofing felt instead of plastic sheet, under the backerboard?

--Goedjn

>
Reply to
Goedjn
1) Replace the window with some glass block and tile right up to it without a ledge. 2) I've used 1/2 plywood with a coat of mastic glue (to seal it) with great success. THis leaves the option to install a grab bar anywhere you like.
Reply to
HotRod

I also had a window but more towards the end of the tub. Consider eliminating the molding around the window. Use quarter round tile to frame the window. Trickily and a little expensive but no wood trim to rot. Also looks nice.

Take a look at the forum at

formatting link

If you plan on doing all the prep work, I would consider also doing the tiling work yourself. It really in not that hard especially since you are already doing the wall prep work.

Reply to
noname87

Mount a safety bar right to 1/2" plywood? Might work, but it's easy to envision a situation where it would not.

Reply to
Doug Kanter

We thought about glass block. Might still do it. We have little vetilation on the this floor, though, and the added air through the window is nice in this non-air conditioned house.

I might have to do the tile, too, due to budget constraints.

Goedjn, the roofing felt was a suggestion from a well-regarded web site:

formatting link

Reply to
WirelessNut

If you don't have a fan in that bathroom, a functional window's a good idea.

Reply to
Doug Kanter

Reply to
tileman

hey there doug,

i have been laying tile now for 13 yrs. i don't suggest that anybody use durock for anything. in a bathroom shower area i use hardi- backer it a lot better than durock. instead of thinset use mastic its better for walls and there is no mixing. it comes in a 1 or 3 gallon bucket. if you have a home depot near you buy it from there. the brand name of the mastic is custom products. its the best on the market. when using the hardi backer just make sure that the screws are flush against the board. and also remember that you must have the screws 8" apart from each other too.

i hope this will help you .

bill

Reply to
tileman

Thanks, Bill. I have gotten lots of recommendations on hardibacker and will ook into it. I was just at HD last night wondering about the mastic since it seemed easier than the thinset. Does the mastic do as good a job keeping the water out?

BTW, are you the same Bill who posts over at GardenWeb? If so, thanks for all your posts on tile backsplashes! They really helped us finish ours last year!

Reply to
WirelessNut

mastic and thinset hold the tiles on. they are not waterproofing.

Reply to
Charles Spitzer

Look into the roll of waterproofing fabric. It's pink in color. Not sure the actual name. This will protect the walls from possible mold reinfesting due to water seepage. Make sure all the mold is cleaned up before you close up the wall again or you just covered over a serious problem that will continue to cause problems for you and your family.

Reply to
newfysnapshot

I hesisate to suggest seeing a lawer, but this didnt go bad overnite. Was there ANY indication of a earlier problem / fix and more important was this area disdclosed before sale to have troubles?

If they knew and covered it up the old wwners are on the hook for $$ repair cost!

I sold a home just over a year ago and discllosed everything, so they couldnt come back and get me for repairs

Reply to
hallerb

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.