Bath tub wall repair . . . .

Guy that built my home was chintzy and used drywall as subsurface in bathrooms. You can get away with it if not a lot of moisture. There is cement board and, I believe an intermediate board, you should replace regular drywall with these. Frank

Frank,

Thank you for that info. How about your thoughts on the surface material? I'd like to stay away from tile. So, is the stuff I described doable?

Rob

You're a geologist- go buy the big flat things that look and weigh like rocks. Concrete backer board and 3 sheets of some sort of solid-surface material are the best way to go. Stay away from the plastic-face masonite faux tile panels- they don't last worth squat, in my experience. If solid-surface isn't in the budget, buy a plastic tub surround kit, with panels as thick as you can afford. The backer board just nails up, and if you aren't putting tile over it, you barely need to seal the seams. The solid-surface or surround kit goes up with construction adhesive. Cross-brace with padded 1x4s till glue sets, caulk any seams, install trim kit if needed, and you are in business. (Yes, I know, greenboard would work and is cheaper than backer board. But every tub surround eventually leaks at one seam or another, and backer board will handle that better.) But before you do anything, spend 20 bucks on one of the bathroom remodel DIY books- the pictures in there will explain all this better than words ever could. It ain't rocket surgery, but there are a few tricks. (Like if tub is metal, and on an outside wall, this is a great time to add insulation under/around it to reduce cold butt syndrome in winter. Any ladies in the house will really like that.)

aem sends....

"Concrete backer board and 3 sheets of some sort of solid-surface material are the best way to go."

solid-surface material . . . . .

Great advice all the way around but I need to know what this is.

Rob

Do a search for 'solid surface' and for 'cement board'. Standard practice is to leave 1/4" between tub and wall. This joint is filled with sealant to exclude water. Your enclosure may be suffering from wicking of water up behind the surface. T

I had the wall board in my stall shower replaced with cement board and it was retiled with the small tiles. This has been over 20 years ago and shower still looks great. In other bath with tub and tub shower, original wall with tiles has held up. In a powder room with the small tiles, I had to have a plumbing repair that broke through wall and I replaced tiles on dry wall which was completely intact. So tile over cement board will solve any problem but you can get away with lesser moisture proof backing if not heavily exposed. Frank