H E L P ! - Waterproofing shower area

[milka]

Hi Gang,

I am currently wallpapering the bathroom. Could some one advise me what I could use to make the wallpaper around the shower area 'waterproof'.

I unibonded the plaster first and have used a washable bathroom paper but im not sure if it will bet 'water proof'.

Hopefully I will just be able to paint some product over the top of the paper where the shower will hit it making it water proof.

A firend suggested a couple of coats of clear matt varnish...

Any other / professional suggestions.

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

Milka

 

[breezer]

i wouldnt suggest varnish, what id it gets "chipped" water will then get under it and lift it.

a thought: Why not buy a couple of sheets of clear perspex

 

[milka]

Hi breezer,

Thanks for the prompt reply. I have just taken a few shots of the area I need waterproofing so you can see the problem I have.
Mainly a wooden Joust? from floor to ceiling.
This would make perspex a bit awkward to fit.

Have a look at what I mean:
Photo1
Photo2
Photo3

Any other ideas appreciated... T H A N K S !!!!

Milka

 

[breezer]

see what you mean

 

[milka]

Thought I might be able to buy som epoxy resin or something similar to rollover the top of the paper. I can't seem to find anything suitable.




Thanks anyway Breezer

 

[AdamW]

Whatever you use, make sure it isn't water based! Even varnishes now are often water based, so check the tins carefully.

I would be especially concerned about the point where the wooden beam goes into the corner by the bath taps. Water will run down to there and sit.

Also, that window frame will need some kind of waterproof treatment, it will go mouldy and soft very quickly otherwise.

I think you are right that the wallpaper won't be waterproof: the adhesive used was waterbased, right? And the joints between the paper can't be waterproof thus in this situation, unprotected, it will come off in no time at all.

Now, this isn't what you want to hear, but I think your best bet is to remove the wallpaper in the areas that will get splashed by the shower. Tiles or some other waterproof wall covering will give you peace of mind. Especially seeing as there is a wooden structural member that could get soaked and rotten.

 

[masona]

Have to agreed with AdamW, why not use waterproof wall panel design for shower & bathroom, see this.

I think you need to put the board in front of the 45 degree beam and make a stud wall to fix the wall panel to, because you can't do nothing with it so why not make square and flat ? The shower will have to be move to the right slightly.

 

[milka]

Thanks for all your suggestions guys, the Mermaid panel looks good but the beam physically overhangs the bath a bit so I think tiling the area is my only way forward.

My mates dad offered to move the bath to the other side of the room and this also is looking like a plausable suggestion.

Although the house is currently rented from Home Housing (Hence the not wanting to spend too much) I have put in to buy the property next year.

I will seek their permission regarding moving the bath to the other wall as this would also allow me to tile the wall alot easier.

Thanks again Gang all you help is appreciated.

I will let you know how I get on when the job is done...


~ Milka ~

 

[masona]

Any idea why the beam is at 45 degree angle ? Never come across with one of those !

I think tiling the area is my only way forward.

I suppose you could box the bottom of the corner up higher to form a little shelf and sloped off so no water will get trap in the corner.

 

[milka]

It's an attic conversion. (not a very good one at that)

 

[AdamW]

Although the house is currently rented from Home Housing (Hence the not wanting to spend too much) I have put in to buy the property next year.

Don't make it look too good, you don't want the value being too high when you buy it!!!

Tiles can be quite cheap to buy: plain white tiles can be had for about £4 a square metre at Homebase. Coloured and patterned ones cost anything upwards: my parents' have a shower room with £4/m2 white tiles and some nice art deco tiles for about £12 EACH doing a run around the room. From your current wall covering it looks like mosaic tiles are your thing, they relatively expensive.

 

[AdamW]

I was just thinking about your window, is there any plan to get uPVC windows fitted soon? If not, then perhaps you should replace the architrave around the window and the windowsill with a plastic equivalent.

 

[milka]

Unfortunatley not Adam. This will be a future improvement, once I have purchased the property.

I really wanted a "quick fix" for now - even if it lasted 6 months or so I would be happy, as I could plan to move the bath and put up tiles at a later date. (namley when it all falls down)

Thanks for your input.



Milka

 

[AdamW]

In this case, perhaps you could even just put up a shower curtain on both sides of the bath? This would reduce the amount of water getting where it shouldn't. And then go ahead with some waterproof varnish on the wall the shower is mounted on. Perhaps a local marina, boatyard or boat supplier could help you find something suitable?

If you are buying the place soon, I can see why you don't want to spend lots on it. After all, you would be shooting yourself in the foot twice: spend loads of money on it, then the house value increases, so you have to pay again for the bathroom you have already paid for!

 

[milka]

Home Housing are quite good about improvements you make before you purchase as these are taken into consideration and deductable from the purchase price.

Still, I would rather not take too many chances with this sort of thing.