Shower screen problems

[chriselevate]

Hi,

I bought a bathstore shower screen that was made of about 10mm thick glass, very heavy!

I drilled my bathroom tiles, used raw plugs and screwed the 3 fixing into them to hold the screen up. As I doing it I was panicing that it the fixing wasn't going to be good enough and this was mainly due to the fact that it took both me and my wife to lift the screen to fix it on!

I phoned bathstore for technical advice and they said that it should have stated in the brochure and in the instructions that it required a joist or brick wall to install. This was helpful conisdering that I'd fitted the thing!

I've now got the problem a year later where the screen is trying to pull away from the wall and it's caused some of the tiles to crack! Very annoying.

What would you do to fix this problem? Anyone encountered something similar?

I guess getting a wooden batten into the wall bhind the plasterboard would be a nightmare to put right afterwards? Would it be possible to use some sort of plastic coated wooden batten against the walls or something?

I just don't really know what to do to put the problem right.

Thanks for your help.

 

[dextrous]

Since some of the tiles have had it anyway, and will allow water ingress to take place, now seems an appropriate time to sort it out for once and for all.

So, what I'd do is:

1/. Remove the glass and wall fixing plate.

2/. Remove several of the tiles along the vertical run that the panel is fixed to (you don't need to go right to the bottom, nor the top, but you are going to be getting a 6 or 7 foot piece of timber in there in due course, so 4 to 5 foot may be required.). Cut as large an opeing as possible within this exposed area, allowing a good 10-20 mm perimeter for getting the tiles set to the right height later.

3/. Locate studs either side of this opening and fix a few horizontal bars (fiddly this, but persevere), set back the depth of the plaster plus a plank of your choosing (gravel boards are pretreated and good for this sort of thing)

4/. Screw the plank onto these horizontals

5/. Get a piece of aquapanel (this is waterproof and will never rot), and cut into strips wide enough to fill the gap, and screw to the plank

6/. Squirt silicon around the edge of this to seal the opening, and run plasterers jointing mesh over it for added support.

7/. Replace tiles using a thickness of adhesive to suit

8/. Re-affix wall plate and glass panel (you will not need rawlplugs as you'll be screwing into timber).

Sounds like a lot of work, but 1/. to 6/. should only take a couple of hours before you leave the silicon to set for a couple of hours, before tiling which will require drying overnight before grouting etc etc. If you start saturday morning, you should be showering by sunday evening.


3/. Cut as wide a channel as possible within the exposed area

 

[chriselevate]

Thanks Dextrous!

Here's an image of what I'm working with.



Thought it might help as I'm not entirely sure what you mean... I'm just going to re-red what you're put a few more times and then post up any questions - if you don't mind?

Thanks again.... really appreciate. This'll be a job for Monday as it's letting water escape under the bath atm and it's obviously not doing the house any good!

Cheers

 

[chriselevate]

1/. Remove the glass and wall fixing plate.

So take off the shower screen completely.

2/. Remove several of the tiles along the vertical run that the panel is fixed to (you don't need to go right to the bottom, nor the top, but you are going to be getting a 6 or 7 foot piece of timber in there in due course, so 4 to 5 foot may be required.). Cut as large an opeing as possible within this exposed area, allowing a good 10-20 mm perimeter for getting the tiles set to the right height later.

Remove one row of tiles vertically from the top of the bath right up to the top of the shower screen? Knock these off with a fine chisel/scraper. Cut out the plasterboard with a stanley knife to the exact size of the tiles? Or just less? IS this what you mean?

3/. Locate studs either side of this opening and fix a few horizontal bars (fiddly this, but persevere), set back the depth of the plaster plus a plank of your choosing (gravel boards are pretreated and good for this sort of thing)

Look into the hole to the left anf right and locate the nearest vertical battons? Adding in some PSE timer screwing into the ends at right angles? Do you mean up against the plasterboard of the room next door?

4/. Screw the plank onto these horizontals

You mean pieces of floorboard or something similar? This will run the same length as the shower screen and will eventually be the piece of timber that's taking the new fixings?

5/. Get a piece of aquapanel (this is waterproof and will never rot), and cut into strips wide enough to fill the gap, and screw to the plank

This piece of aquapanel is replacing the plasterboard and taking it back up to the same height? A piece of this... [code:1]http://www.wickes.co.uk/Aquapanel-Water-Resistant-Backing-Board/invt/220561?source=123_4[/code:1] But several bits can be cut and attached to the plank? How is this stuff attached?

6/. Squirt silicon around the edge of this to seal the opening, and run plasterers jointing mesh over it for added support.

You mean seal up the aquapanel to the orginal plasterboard? And use plasteres jointing tape? Where would I apply the plasterers jointing tape?

7/. Replace tiles using a thickness of adhesive to suit

I guess I'd have to find some plain white tiles to replace or some odd ones from a tiles warehouse to replace the old tiles with? Would I manage to get the existing tiles to go back on? Or this a non starter?

8/. Re-affix wall plate and glass panel (you will not need rawlplugs as you'll be screwing into timber).

Re-screw the screen back onto the wall etc.

Sounds like a lot of work, but 1/. to 6/. should only take a couple of hours before you leave the silicon to set for a couple of hours, before tiling which will require drying overnight before grouting etc etc. If you start saturday morning, you should be showering by sunday evening.


3/. Cut as wide a channel as possible within the exposed area

 

[dextrous]

Hmm, that picture changes a few things. For some reason I thought you had a full height shower screen resting on a shower tray.

Are those mosaic tiles, or large tiles in a mosaic design?

Either way, you'll need to create openings behind the broken tiles and fix timbers (ideally to any local studwork) at the positions of the screwing points of the frame. If it is plasterboard, you should be able to cut out sections of it to enable access behind. If getting the timber supports screwed into the studs is not possible, you can glue (no nails or similar) these battens to the back of the plasterboard, with a screw or two through any exposed plasterboard to hold them firm while the glue sets (leave the screws in anyway). Make these battens as long as you can manage.

Add additional battens along the top and bottom of the cutout holes to screw the plasterboard into (set these timbers half under the board in place and half exposed to create an upper and lower frame). Refix the boards removed with screws and run silicon around the perimeter as suggested previously before tiling and finishing.

Start to finish, including grouting and time to have a few cuppas - about 4 hours.

 

[chriselevate]

Hmm, that picture changes a few things. For some reason I thought you had a full height shower screen resting on a shower tray.

Yeah I thought you had the idea I was working with a shower tray and not a bath. Sorry I didn't make that clear in my original post.

Are those mosaic tiles, or large tiles in a mosaic design?

Forunately they are big tiles arranged in a msaic pattern.

Either way, you'll need to create openings behind the broken tiles and fix timbers (ideally to any local studwork) at the positions of the screwing points of the frame. If it is plasterboard, you should be able to cut out sections of it to enable access behind. If getting the timber supports screwed into the studs is not possible, you can glue (no nails or similar) these battens to the back of the plasterboard, with a screw or two through any exposed plasterboard to hold them firm while the glue sets (leave the screws in anyway). Make these battens as long as you can manage.

Add additional battens along the top and bottom of the cutout holes to screw the plasterboard into (set these timbers half under the board in place and half exposed to create an upper and lower frame). Refix the boards removed with screws and run silicon around the perimeter as suggested previously before tiling and finishing.

Start to finish, including grouting and time to have a few cuppas - about 4 hours.

 

[dextrous]

So take off the shower screen completely.

yes

Remove one row of tiles vertically from the top of the bath right up to the top of the shower screen? Knock these off with a fine chisel/scraper. Cut out the plasterboard with a stanley knife to the exact size of the tiles? Or just less? IS this what you mean?

It may not be necessary to create an entire vertical opening, but cut away opening smaller than the exact size of the tiles - am assuming these are 300 by 300 mosaic effect, so a 200 by 200 opening per tile will suffice

Look into the hole to the left anf right and locate the nearest vertical battons? Adding in some PSE timer screwing into the ends at right angles? Do you mean up against the plasterboard of the room next door?

I now mean up against the plasterboard within the bathroom

You mean pieces of floorboard or something similar? This will run the same length as the shower screen and will eventually be the piece of timber that's taking the new fixings?

Now not necessary

This piece of aquapanel is replacing the plasterboard and taking it back up to the same height? A piece of this... [code:1]http://www.wickes.co.uk/Aquapanel-Water-Resistant-Backing-Board/invt/220561?source=123_4[/code:1] But several bits can be cut and attached to the plank? How is this stuff attached?

Now not necessary

You mean seal up the aquapanel to the orginal plasterboard? And use plasteres jointing tape? Where would I apply the plasterers jointing tape? Seal the re-fixed cutouts of plasterboard.

Tape goes across the cut made to remove the board

I guess I'd have to find some plain white tiles to replace or some odd ones from a tiles warehouse to replace the old tiles with? Would I manage to get the existing tiles to go back on? Or this a non starter?

Am a bit confused - thought the mosaics were cracked. Either way, whatever tiles you remove to get the timbers in, it is highly unlikely that you'll get them off cleanly without breakages. If you do, and are removing the white tiles instead of the mosaics, then since thse are outside the wet area (i.e. shower), no-nails can be used here to fix a few tiles on.

Re-screw the screen back onto the wall etc.

yep

 

[dextrous]

Are we getting there yet? Basically, you're putting in supporting timbers to screw the frame onto, and these timbers need to be supported themselves, screwed into studs and/or glued and screwed onto the back of the plasterboard in the right places.

 

[chriselevate]

Sorry I had to head off to bed last night and missed your last posts.

I'm heading out now so I'll pick up any of your replies later but here's what I thinking for now.....

Yeah I'm getting the hang of the method you're talking about now.

You're meaning putting in some horizontal batten, hopefully screwed to the nearest vertical studs already there. If they can't be screwed to the verticals already there then no nails glued to the back of the plasterboard in the bathroom.

So if I take off sufficient tiles and the slot in the plasterboard big enough I'll be able to put the timer into the hole and then rotate it into position.

The only thing I'm unsure about now is what to replace the removed plasterboard with in order to tile back over?

In the parts where the screws have gone in the existing tiles it's cracked them a bit. I guess when I take the screen off I'll see they are worse than they look. There's only about an inch of tile showing outside of the screen so they've not tiles very far past the bath.

I guess the chances of getting that tile or something similar is very slim? Replacing them with white tiles would be the best looking option I guess? I think you're right.... removing them all in one piece and sorting out the 3 cracked ones will be impossible to do.

Cheers.

 

[dextrous]

The only thing I'm unsure about now is what to replace the removed plasterboard with in order to tile back over?

You may well be able to re-use the plasterboard pieces you removed. If not, then for such a small area, get another small piece of board and gut to size - it should ony cost a few pounds for a handiboard from a diy store.

I guess the chances of getting that tile or something similar is very slim? Replacing them with white tiles would be the best looking option I guess? I think you're right.... removing them all in one piece and sorting out the 3 cracked ones will be impossible to do.

Cheers.

You may be very, very lucky in removing them. Also check the garage, or under the bath, or anywhere obscure - there may be a few tiles left by whoever installed the original tiles. If not, the tiles don't look that old and you should be able to pisk up a good match from somewhere.

 

[chriselevate]

Right.... I'm getting there!

I hacked off the tiles, and fitted some 2"x2" up against a batton I found just to the left hand side of the opening I made.... I've used no nails and I've also driven in some screws from the side.

I've got a few mm's gap down to where the new plasterboard is now... can I wack some bonding in there to fill up the gap? I'm used to the product and I'm good at using multifinish so I sound be able to wack a cost in to make it all one nice level.

When I use the bonding coat how long will I need to leave it before I tile over the top and..... can I tile directly onto this without having to use any primers on the surface first?

Thanks again for your help..... photo of the work in progress posted below....