Framed shower tray- Where do I fix plasterboard?? :(

[smickers]

Hello all,

I'm totally new to this forum, and to DIY. I have a newbie question that I can't seem to find the correct answer to.

I needed to retile my ensuite shower enclosure, due to a leak and on taking off the tiles near the tray, the plaster board was rotten.

4 hrs later, I now have a framed shower tray still in place, with a metal stud?? on one wall and breezeblocks on the other. The third wall's plasterboard was dry 1ft up so I've cut a big chunk of the bottom out.

I have ordered a BAL shower kit, and some plasterboard. I'm using Zinc drywall screws to fit to the stud wall, some drywall adhesive for the breeze block wall, and intend to replace the section that I cut out with new plasterboard, and then use a strip of polythene tape to join the 2 sections.

Am I going in the right direction?

The old plasterboard was fitted in front of the lip of the shower tray. Do I do the same, and do I leave some clearance to fit homelux seal strips.

I realise this is all a bit long, but I'm genuinely confused!!!

 

[swidders]

The bal shower kit will have jointing tape so use this instead of polythene for the plasterboard joint.

You can only really place the new plasterboard where the old one was if it was resting on the tray - I'd leave 4 or 5 mm and run sanitary silicon sealant along this (use masking tape and a plastic glove to ensure a full seal), remove the tape immediately you have laid the sealant, then leave a few hours or preferably overnight before you paint the walls with the Bal to tank it. The key is to try to imagine where water could possibly get to (some may even permeate a slight crack in the tile grout), and do whatever you can to stop it from doing so, or giving it the chance to rot something.

You seem to be doing fine so far for a repair job.

 

[smickers]

Can I fix the tiles straight onto the tanked plasterboard?

Thanks for the fast reply!

 

[gcol]

Yep.

 

[smickers]

I think I've messed up! Under advice I fixed the board about 10mm above the tray, just so it is resting 2mm above the frame of the shower tray. Waterpoof kit arrived today and the gap between the shower tray and the board is quite big, with the kit asking me to put the tape between the two.

Even when I come to tile, there will be nothing behind the bottom of the bottom row of tiles to grout.

To give an idea, if I was to plug up the tray and fill it with water right now(tiles arent fitted) it would just run over the shower tray sides. Could I use the polyester tape to bridge the gap? Or am I stuffed!?

 

[lancenotalot]

The old plasterboard was fitted in front of the lip of the shower tray. Do I do the same, and do I leave some clearance to fit homelux seal strips

Yes you should have fitted the plasterboard as was before with a 2-3mm gap for silicone.Don't use sealing strips,if done properly you won't need them.

I'd leave 4 or 5 mm and run sanitary silicon sealant along this

IMO that is too big a gap.

Under advice I fixed the board about 10mm above the tray

Who advised you to leave 10mm?

What type of tray is it,is it a normal flat edge that butts up against the wall or an upstand tray where the tiles sit over a lip on the tray?

A pic would help if you can get one.

 

[smickers]

Thanks for the quick reply, its a tray with a lip, however the plasterboard isnt resting on the lip as I previously thought, there is room to extend it with a piece of PB. I have cut a small piece of plasterboard to fill the gap, glued it in, and fitted the polyester tape as close as I could to the tray. I have put loads of waterproof paint on this now, so I now have a nice hard edge butted upto the tray.

So now I can tile with a spacer depth off the tray.


Er,... is this better!? Can take pics if would help.

Glenn

 

[lancenotalot]

It's not an ideal situation but provided there's plenty of tanking fluid over it you may be ok.
Once tanked silicone the joins between tray and boards before tiling.

Try to get a solid bed of adhesive over this patched in area and then silicone egdes again when tiling and grouting complete (unless you use seal strips).

Also make sure when you grout that you really fill those bottom grout lines as much as poss.