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Patching up for new electric shower

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I am replacing an electric shower. The old one was tiled-up-to, rather than mounted on the tiles - maybe it was older than the tiles? So now I have this hole in the tiles:

IMG_0504.jpeg


I feel that I should fill that in to get a flush surface, and mount the new shower (which is probably slightly larger in one dimension or the other) on top.

No I don’t have any spare tiles. Yes I’ve looked under the bath.

The space is about 14mm deep in the top half and deeper below where it has been chased out. I am considering filling up most of the space with a chunk of 9mm plasterboard and then finishing with either polyfilla, tile adhesive / grout, or similar. What would you advise to get a waterproof and not unattractive surface? Preferably not something that I have to buy a huge bag or sheet of!
 
Yes, that’s an option but I am hoping for something a bit more discrete.
Your main problem with 'discrete' is your lack of matching tiles. IMO for the best of a bad job is as @pete01 suggested and deploy a panel of some description to cover the hole; either that or retile the complete wall.
 
Although I don’t know for sure yet as I haven’t chosen the new shower - see my other thread in Plumbing - I think there will not be much of a gap on show. Possibly none on three sides and a couple of cm underneath, if I’m lucky. So a strip of e.g. white filler on just one side would be, I think, more discrete than a panel.

Any thoughts about what is required to make it sufficiently waterproof?
 
Both ‘Pete’ and ‘Scally’ above are bang on with what they say. ( personal I would go for a ‘Pete Panel’) :)

Just to throw another ‘ option into the ring’, if tiling the whole wall is a non starter, then how about just replacing those 4 tiles ?
They’re a common easy to get hold of white ceramic, and as those have all been cut they should be relatively easy to get off !
 
It has to be an improvement on the hole, but what is puzzling me is why the complete wall was not tiled prior to the final fix of the electric shower heater?
It is odd that someone would tile around a shower, but it obviously happens
 
what is puzzling me is why the complete wall was not tiled prior to the final fix of the electric shower heater?

I’ve wondered that too. The shower might have a 1994 date code on it - is that plausible? There are various layers of plaster underneath but I don’t think there is a second layer of tiles. When did these larger tiles first become popular?
 

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