OT: Uber Plumber and DIY Tile Repair

[nm87710]

Thanks

[Mikej]

There are a pretty good amount of tile forums out there....

[rugbysecondrow]

mirror

Check out the DIY forums...lots of good knowledge there.

It looks like you have the right idea. Block backer, drywall, tile, grout. Do you have extra tiles? Were the previous tiles damaged? Looks like it was cut along the grout line.

[JMerring]

/\/\/\ a mirror is a good thinking outside the box type solution.

i've done your 'wood braces' thing for a similar project and it turned out just fine. if i could do it, i'm pretty sure you could, too. granted, i didn't have to tile after, just paint, but how hard can the tiling be?

[Louis]

Convert to access panel. Available in 9" x 9" or 15" x 15" (or, bigger, I'm sure)

http://www.watts.com/prod_images/hi-res/SpringFit_APU.jpg

[Idris Icabod]

This is inside the shower right, the plumber didn't go in from the back side? So this needs to be waterproof so the above suggetions wouldn't work. I've ripped out a shower stall, replaced the plumbing and tiled a wall and it is all pretty doable for a novice (although I will say that my father owned a construction company so I have seen it done). You can give it a go, the worst that will happen is that you will be out a small amount of $ and will end up calling the tile guy anyway. Actually the worst that can happen is that you flood your house and really pi$$ off your wife. Tiling is pretty easy and Home Depot even has classes.

[Birddog]

John,
Can you enlarge that photo a bit? I can't quite see what you've got going on there. Is this hole right above the control valves? Is it a shower or a tub/shower?

[Dekonick]

Why on earth would he go through the shower?!? He should have accessed it from the other side! (assuming that is possible)

Fairly easy fix though... grab some paint stir sticks and use construction adhesive to hold them against the back side of the tile. You want to have something to screw your patch to. Get some green sheetrock (you could use rock board, but my guess is your shower is probably green board anyway...) you only need a small patch so I would just ask around. You can probably get a small piece of scrap...

cut a cardboard template then match that on your scrap, or measure and cut... template works for odd sizes, measuring if it is fairly square (as in your caase) screw your drywall patch to the pain stir sticks, then mud patch... paint with a waterproof paint (they make stuff just for this) then grout, put tile, grout tile, wipe, done!

:)

[rugbysecondrow]

/\/\/\ a mirror is a good thinking outside the box type solution.



It would be great for shaving your legs too. :)

[bshell]

I think the stuff I used was called "wonder board"?

It was basically a sheet of mortar bed contained in a mesh that I screwed into added braces as you mentioned. Make it sturdy, otherwise it will be a total waste of your time and materials. Flexing=problems!!!

Clean the edges/back of your old tile really well unless you have some unused leftovers. You can usually chip them clean with a stiff putty knife. Chip away from your own hands. Now mix up some 'thinset' mortar and apply with 1/4" V-notch spreader (check that tiles sit in same plane as existing and adjust thinset depth accordingly).

Place your tiles with spacers from lumberyard and hold in place vertically with some masking tape onto your existing sound tiles if necessary (sometimes things want to slump a bit). Grout the next day, following instructions on container.

It will only take you a few hours, total. Use a cheap blade to cut the wonder board with your skil saw as it will trash it for anything else.

[Lifelover]

Don't envy you but it's a fairly easy fix.

You have the right idea with adding some 2 x 4's between the existing studs on each side of the exposed stud. I would add a total of 4 to attach the new concrete board (durock). This part sounds easy but it may be tricky to attach it to the studs due to space constraints. You can toe nail using wood screws or purchase some kind of joist hanger that will work.

The durock does not need to be an exact fit and you only need to grout the joints if you want.

Soak the removed tiles over night in a bucket of water and scrap the old thinset off with a good putty knife.

You could use spacer but you don't really need to since you are just lining the old tile back to the existing.

I suspect you will have a hard time getting the new grout to match perfectly but you could over grout the existing on just that wall to help.

[Lifelover]

Why on earth would he go through the shower?!? He should have accessed it from the other side! (assuming that is possible)




Not all shower fixtures back up to a closet. I suspect that is a hallway on the other side.

[nm87710]

Thanks

[Dekonick]

Not all shower fixtures back up to a closet. I suspect that is a hallway on the other side.

A simple drywall patch is easier than a tile patch... been there, done that. I would much rather keep the wall that gets wet intact... and come in from the back.

[Dekonick]

Thanks guys for the ideas and support. I'm pretty handy DIYer but never tackled tile. So I'm apprehensive and hav been staring at at trying to piece together a good plan of attack.

The pic is of the front of the tub/shower wall with new faucet valve installed. Plumber could not access valve from behind due to a built in cabinet and huge mirror in the way. So we agreed removing the tiles(hole is 18"x18") was the lesser of the evils. Luckily the tiles are just basic 6x6 snow white available at HD.

Now that makes sense. Oh - if you waterproof before you tile, check to make sure what you use will let thinset adhere else your tiles won't stay on for long...

:beer:

[rounder]

I am interested. We have a crack in the kitchen ceiling (below the bathroom). Our new repairman is showing up this week and intends to open a hole in the ceiling, turn on the water, and then check for leaks...he believes it is a caulking issue. Last guy tried to explain to my wife that it was a builder problem because the builder failed to install greenboard behind the tile when the house was built. The helper offered to fix the problem for $12,000. I don't doubt that maybe greenboard would have been a good idea to install when the house was built, but believe the helper was only seeing $ signs when talking to my wife.

[Dekonick]

Greenboard is for mold... for standing water, nothing will resist water that pools. That is a drainage issue. Cement board (wonder board, hardy back, etc...) will resist better but osmotic pressure will make sure water finds a way to get out if left pooling. Over time, you can't fight osmotic pressure... water will win eventually... so make sure everything drains properly. Caulk helps... :beer: but eventually it is more about design... :crap:

Builders often take the cheap easy route... :crap: :no:

[rounder]

Thanks Dekonick...another reason to love the forum!

[kentileguy]

I've done this repair once or twice...If you would like, I could talk you through it. PM me, Ill give you my Phone #. If your in the Chicago area I could help you in person