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How to repair shower wall?

We had a burst pipe in the shower wall repaired by a plumber, and I need to replace the tile removed (and another one that was damaged). I just wanted to check that I haven't missed any steps. What I'm think of doing is:

1. The pipes run through a brick wall, so I'm assuming I first need to fill in the hole with some quick set mortar and skim coat it with a product that can be tiled over (e.g. Lanko 136 Rapid Patching Mortar).

2. Apply waterproofing membrane (e.g. Crommelin Shower Waterproofing Membrane). I assume I don't need to use waterproofing tape as well as there are no joints to cover.

3. Apply tile adhesive and tiles.

4. Apply mortar.

Am I missing anything? Given I am only replacing two tiles, do I need to do anything special at the edges where the existing tiles are?

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EricL

Hello @tmarsh

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us and thanks for sharing your question about your shower wall repair.

When your waterproofing membrane has been compromised it is usually removed and a new single homogenous seal is applied to the wet area. This means that the tiles around that area will need to be removed in order to apply a new seal. Patching the current waterproofing unfortunately will not work. I propose engaging the services of your plumber and asking them for possible alternatives regarding the repair of your shower wall.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

tmarsh

Thanks Eric. This was how the plumber left the job. When leaving, he said I didn't need to remove any more tiles other than the damaged ones. His advice was that I just needed to reapply the waterproofing in those areas. I've contacted two tilers and both have indicated the same, but are quoting $800 to do the job which seems excessive. Surely I don't need to remove all the tiles? That would mean retiling a bathroom every time you had a plumbing issue?

MitchellMc

Hi @tmarsh,

As @EricL has mentioned, waterproofing needs to be done in one continuous coat and as far as we are aware, patching sections of it is not something that is recommended. A patch repair could work, but our suppliers of waterproofing membranes would not warrant their products for such usage. The reason is that you can't guarantee that the new membrane will fuse with the old.

I recommend you speak with some waterproofing professionals to gauge whether a patch repair is something they would consider.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

tmarsh

Hi Mitchell, thanks for that. I'll discuss further with some waterproofers to see what my next steps should be.

Thanks again, Toby

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