Advice repairing plaster and re-tiling bath area

[eddgrant]

Hi All,

My first post here and I'm hoping someone can help me. I recently discovered that water from our shower has been leaking down in to the neighbour's kitchen in the flat below. After investigation it was clear that the grouting around the bath tiles had cracked in several areas causing water to leak down behind the tiles, down the wall at the front of the bath, eventually getting through our floor and also the neighbour's ceiling.

When I inspected the area it was clear that the tiles with cracked grout had actually come slightly loose from the wall, it seemed logical to removed the tiles in the affected area so I did that. Here's an image of the area after I removed the tiles:

Untitled

• eddgrant
• 23 Jun 2011
• 1

As you can see from the image some of the base wall plaster has lost it's surface consistency, I'm guessing this is due to the fact that water has been stuck between the tiles and the plaster for some time before I realised there was a leak?

My inital thoughts to fix this up are as follows (bear in mind I've never done any tiling before so I might be proposing proper nonsence here!):

1: Remove the tiles where the grout was cracked. (done)
2: Take back all the grout in the surrounding area. (done)
3: Prepare the bare wall for re-tiling (i.e. sort out the consistency issue in the base wall plaster).
4: Re-tile and grout both the area where I removed the tiles and the surrounding area where I took down the grout with a grout saw.
5: Treat the whole area with grout protector.

What I'd like to know is...

1: Does the above plan sounds sensible? Is there anything I've not considered or could benefit from doing that I haven't mentioned?
2: How should I best prepare the area of the wall where the base plaster has degraded before re-tiling the area?

As mentioned above I've never done any tiling before so totally happy to forget what I've proposed in the event of a better approach. Hopefully I've provided enough info to gain assistance but don't hesitate to shout if I've left something out which could be useful to give advice.

Cheers,

Edd

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

I would remove all the old silicon seal around the bath and re-seal it.
It would be worth getting some down the edge of the bath where the damage is, prior to re-tiling.
How sound is the plaster basecoat? will it carry the weight of tiles or does it also need to be removed? as it does a have crack in it.
Is there a shower in this area?

 

[eddgrant]

Thanks, yep I'll definitely replace all the sealant, meant to take the old stuff off already but got sidetracked.

As for the base plaster I think your concern is valid as it is cracked. Is it likely something I could just plaster over or would I be better off removing it back down to the wall and then replastering that area?

Thanks again,

Edd

 

[eddgrant]

Sorry - forgot to mention, yep there is a shower, directly above the area where I've had to remove the tiles. It's out of view in the photo as I've taken it down temporarily to remind me not to use it while I get everything fixed!

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

It really depends how sound the surface is, if it feels loose of hollow when tapping it. I would replace it.
The could be nothing great importances, but if surface is sound, worth raking it out a little and repairing it.
There is a small bit of damage to the finish plaster which should really be repaired as tiles don't take to basecoats that well.
I would also consider using a good tile adhesive, that will also offer added protection against water ingress.

With the shower being in that area, the wall will be more venerable to water ingress, before you start replacing, make sure the problem source does not lie elsewhere. ie the tiles above or your problem will not be eradicated.
In those areas it is well worth using a waterproofing/tanking system pre-tiling.