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How to fix water damage inside shower?

Desperately after advice on how I fix this. It's inside the shower. The plaster is wet(not soaking) behind the tiles so it's obviously been leaking for awhile. How do I fix this with little to no money. I know (I think) I need remove that whole wall but ???? I can figure out most things but this is a bit above my pay grade

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DIYGnome

Hello @Jeanagh that's quite an issue you've got there, the fact there are non matching tiles tells me someone has attempted to address this before, what exactly is the cavity part of is there a sink or pipes running through it? 🤔

Can we get some more photos of the cavity space and perhaps what it's externally supporting, I'm trying to locate an obvious source for your moisture ingress... which will also need to be addressed.

I'm gonna tag some additional members for more input, @EricL @MitchellMc @Dave-1 @Jewelleryrescue

Jeanagh

Thank you DIYgnome. I'll get some more photos soon. The space is frame for the bath but no pipes. The taos and head are on the opposite side. I replaced cracked tiles when I bought the house as a temporary fix but never got to do the full renovation I wanted. Couldn't get the same tiles in afraid. 99% certain it has been leaking over the years from other cracked tiles. Kept putting it off due to the expense but alas, now see

MitchellMc

Hi @Jeanagh,

It would be a struggle to fix this issue on a very tight budget. Showers are constructed firstly by creating the timberwork frame, and then cement boards are installed over them. Next, the cement boards are waterproofed, and then the tiles go on. Unfortunately, you've either had a leak from pipework in the wall, or the shower membrane has been compromised and let water through from inside the shower. At this stage, at a minimum, you'd be looking at removing the tiles and cement sheet on that short wall and replacing them. The problem is trying to find someone who would be willing to waterproof that short wall, as waterproofing can't be done in just one area; all the tiles need to come off the whole shower, and the waterproofing must be completed in one homogenous layer.

There's a possibility that the membrane was compromised from those original cracked tiles and their replacement.

I would suggest the best course of action would be to have a few waterproofing specialists come in and quote on the repair. From their approach to the repair, you'll be able to decide whether this is something you can achieve yourself on a budget.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

Dave-1

Afternoon @Jeanagh

😕 Ohhh I feel your pain. I had the same thing happen to my old bathroom. Not really understanding or thinking it through I replaced the tile that had fallen off (I just presumed it was because it was a shoddy job...)

Fast forward a couple of months and it fell off again... And I could push the wall of tiles and it would flex 😲 Yeah I tried waterproofing it myself over the tiles (I prob bought the product from Bunnings but I am talking 15 years ago so there may be newer ones. I knew it was going to a be a rip out and replace 😕 Good or bad my relationship went South and I left. So never crossed that path 😲 Tho know it well.

I would follow @MitchellMc 's suggestion. There is no easy fix 😕 If you nee dto use it between now and when you get it fixed maybe you could hang a shower curtain down that wall so the water wont enter. The wetness inside could be coming from somewhere and prob needs to be made sure it was the previous cracked tiles 😕

Dave

Jeanagh

Thank you Mitchell, agree it's the leaky tiles that have caused it; the pipes are all on the other side. I can't really get good photos as it's a bit hard for me to get down there. I'll get my daughter to do it when she gets home. I can remove that short wall myself and hope like hell that's all. Will get a couple of wires on our local community page and go from there. In the mean time some heavy duty plastic and good quality waterproof tape will have to suffice

Jeanagh

My apologies for taking so long. Not sure if these photos help but the way I see it the beams are still good. Obviously the plaster is knackered so I'm really hoping I can get away with just fixing that wall

EricL

Hello @Jeanagh

Thank you for sharing those extra pictures of your wall. Somewhere along that wall the waterproofing membrane has failed. This has then allowed the water to pass through the grout and go directly to the plasterboard. You can clearly see from the tiles that someone tried to repair it awhile back but did not bother to waterproof the plasterboard.

Unfortunately, this is not an easy patch repair job. The tiles will need to be removed and a new wet area plasterboard will need to be put in. You then need to engage the services of a certified waterproofing agent to seal the wall and sign off on it. Once the waterproofing cures, you can then tile over it. Those will be the general steps needed to fix your wall.

I suggest posting the repair job on Airtasker or Hipages and make sure to include photos. It's important to put in as much information as you can and what you want done to repair it. This will at least give you a general idea of how much the repair job will cost you.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

Jeanagh

Thank you Eric, this is very helpful. Removing the wall I can do (I think I can). I might get a couple of quotes first then put it on one of those pages; it will at least give me an idea of price for the job.

Wondering, what do you mean by "sign off on it"? Is that legally required or just a good idea

MitchellMc

Hi @Jeanagh,

@EricL's comment harks back to what I mentioned earlier "The problem is trying to find someone who would be willing to waterproof that short wall". Most licensed waterproofers will not want to take on this job if it's just a localised repair. The bottom line is that you can't warrant a partial job like this; the tiles in the entire shower recess need to come off, the wall repaired, and the entire shower cubicle waterproofed in one layer and then re-tiled. It's not possible to patch waterproofing in just one area, and that is why you'll find it hard to get someone to put their name to the work. For insurance purposes, you'd typically need the work signed off, which a licensed waterproof would be reluctant to do.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

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