How to replace peeling shower base?

The covering for the bottom of my shower is slowly peeling up. It appears to be an acrylic/plasticky material of some kind. Underneath is a harder layer that feel like concrete, but it also has some crumbling appearing. I think the top layer will have to be scrapped off but I’m unsure exactly what it is/what to replace it with, and what needs to be done to correct the crumbling in the layer beneath.

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Jason

Hi @hannahgar,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community.

I suspect the previous owner of your home has painted the shower base. They might not have used the correct product (and there might not actually be a suitable product). Let me tag our Bunnings D.I.Y. expert @EricL for his thoughts.

In the meantime, you might like to use a paint scraper to remove as much of the top layer as you can, and take some wider photos of the whole shower base so we can better see what you are working with and whether it can be restored or needs to be replaced.

Thanks,

Jason

hannahgar

Thanks Jason! I’ll get a paint scrapper and try that as a starting point to figure out what is underneath.

EricL

Hello @hannahgar

Thanks for sharing your question about your peeling shower base. I agree with Jason's assessment, it appears that some form of paint or covering was placed over the original surface of the shower base and its now deteriorating. It's difficult to tell what kind of shower base it is, it looks like it is a resin supported shower base and the acrylic surface has been covered up.

If the paint is not sharp or harmful, I suggest leaving it alone for the moment and taking time to consider what you want to do in terms of repair or replacement. It appears that the shower tray is very badly damaged and repairing it now would only be a stop gap measure at best. The money you would spent for repairs would have gone to waste. Instead, I propose seriously thinking about replacing the shower all together.

A new shower set such as the Estilo Shower set would approximately cost you $602.00. That would be the shower door and return the shower base and the shower liner. It is of course under the condition that it is the correct configuration for your shower. Would it be possible for you to post a few pictures of the entire shower area? We can then assess its shape and condition. Our members can then make recommendations on how to proceed.

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

Eric

hannahgar

Thanks Eric, that’s really helpful. Here are some more pictures of the wider area. Excuse all the toys! What do you think?

EricL

Hello @hannahgar

Thanks for sharing those extra photos of your shower. It appears that the shower panels are still in good condition. This means that they can be removed and reinstalled after the shower base has been replaced. I suggest engaging the services of a builder and shower installer and asking them the following:

Can the shower base be removed and replaced with plain tiles? Can the shower panels be installed over the plain tiles?
Is there a compatible shower base that you can use with your current shower set up?
Is it possible to build a concrete tray instead and tile over it?

Using plain tiles saves you from having to find a custom shower tray and it makes it easier to replace. But please let us know what your builder thinks will work.

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

Eric

hannahgar

Thanks so much Eric, I really appreciate your help.

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