How to fill a gap in tiling & make it watertight?

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Derbyshire
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Have just had bathroom tiled and when it came to finishing off the shower there were a number of issues including a gap (~10mm) up the side of the valve 'cover plate' (see image). Does anyone have any bright ideas of how I could fill this so that the result is water tight and so that I can still remove the 'cover plate', if required, in the future? I'd really like to avoid removing the tile if possible.

 
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remove the tile, cut a new tile that fits, will look a lot better the tryin to cover it up
 
remove the tile, cut a new tile that fits, will look a lot better the tryin to cover it up

That's what I was expecting someone to say. So what's the best way to do that without wrecking the wall? The tiling has been done by an amateur (hence this and other issues) so the thought of disturbing the tiles makes me nervous. However, the plumbers (professionals) don't want to finish the shower's installation until the issues are resolved. Just want to get it finished...
 
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First, make sure that you have a replacement tile.
You need to ensure that you remove any physical connection between the damaged tile and those surrounding it, because when you prise it off, you do not want to disturb the others. This means removing all the grout, or creating a channel in the grout, down to the surface, so that the tile is an island, so to speak. How you create the channel is down to what tools you have available.

Then, depending on the the strength of the adhesive, you can use a wide chisel, lying across a wooden batten on an adjacent tile and lever the damaged tile off, or simply tap the chisel underneath the tile and ease it off the wall, that way. There are various ways, but it is imperative that the adjacent tiles do not move. Any movement in a tile means that it is no longer set and waterproof and must be removed, cleaned and re-adhered.

Best of luck. Oh, don't let your friend near your shower, again. In fact, judging by the workmanship, can you be sure that the tiling is as good as it should be for a wet area? Did he seal the wall and use decent grout?
 
First, make sure that you have a replacement tile.
You need to ensure that you remove any physical connection between the damaged tile and those surrounding it, because when you prise it off, you do not want to disturb the others. This means removing all the grout, or creating a channel in the grout, down to the surface, so that the tile is an island, so to speak. How you create the channel is down to what tools you have available.

Then, depending on the the strength of the adhesive, you can use a wide chisel, lying across a wooden batten on an adjacent tile and lever the damaged tile off, or simply tap the chisel underneath the tile and ease it off the wall, that way. There are various ways, but it is imperative that the adjacent tiles do not move. Any movement in a tile means that it is no longer set and waterproof and must be removed, cleaned and re-adhered.

Best of luck. Oh, don't let your friend near your shower, again. In fact, judging by the workmanship, can you be sure that the tiling is as good as it should be for a wet area? Did he seal the wall and use decent grout?


Sounds like good advice on all fronts. Thanks.
 

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