Water Damage due to shower door. How to repair?

[warpkid]

Hi All

Firstly I should say that I am a complete DIY novice and have a real fear of it.

We just moved into a new house and have discovered that the shower unit is not watertight and water has been coming into contact with a plasterboard wall. It seems like this has been happening for a while as the wall is a little damaged. We are now looking to replace the shower door as having it sealed doesn't appear to have worked.

Aside from replacing the door I would like to get the wall fixed as its a bit unsightly. The guy who came round to seal the shower door said that it would be an easy job and I should do it myself. He suggested poking away the damaged wall and then using a foam filler to fill in the gap. After letting it dry I would then need to simply sand it down and pain over it. Would this work? I'm a bit worried about poking away at the wall to be honest.

Anyway, what do you guys suggest? Please be gentle. Im a novice

If there is a chance that I could mess up badly then I'm happy to pay a pro to repair it. If I do how much would it cost do you think?

Thanks

 

[Crystalclear]

Let's see...*puts on glasses on tip of nose*

Pop down to screw fix, and pick these up...

http://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-dual-moulded-stripping-knife-3/19995

http://www.screwfix.com/p/ronseal-exterior-ready-mixed-wall-filler-grey-1-2kg/71739

Over all your cost shouldn't reach beyond £10.

Simply scrape out loose plaster and brush out dust with a paintbrush, till all bubbling plaster leaves an even wall that isn't damaged. Let the area dry, or dry with a hair dryer.

starting on one corner, and don't rush to fill it all in, build up the filler as you go along.

As you do this, use the putty knife and push it into the corners, and using the un damaged wall as a level that you are looking to achieve. Keep filling and keep levelling and you'll have a wall filled in level with the good wall, which you'll want to leave to dry.

Do this to all areas and take it's all stages if you're nervous, just remove damaged plaster, dust off, and fill in.

Just remember to paint over it after it's completely dry.

 

[warpkid]

Thanks!

That sound's doable. I think I might give it a go.

Thanks again for your help and good advice. Much appreciated

 

[warpkid]

Added a couple more pictures so you can see where the plumber tried to seal the shower (which failed sadly - water still bubbles under)
Water seeps under the door frame in the corners and runs along a small channel where the only place it has to go is into the wall

Ta

 

[Crystalclear]

Question...

In the right side of the picture, the corner where the door frame meets the brown tiles, what is the silicone seal looking like?

You have three weak point.

That area from top to bottom.
Horizontal from that bottom point running along the base where the door touches.
Where the door catches when it shuts, on the opposite side.

Any chance of a picture zoomed out, preferably middle to lower half of the door frame hinged corner?

 

[warpkid]

I have stuck some more pictures up here

https://goo.gl/photos/fsec2CgBqFTdD2d59

Hopefully you can get some more details. It seems that the vertical seal is OK. Water seem stop get in under the frame, where Im pointing. Same in the other corner. I think in the other corner the damage is not as obvious because the wall is tiled.

I'm not sure where there would be any screws to tighten. Before the plumber put sealant in there was none along the bottom of the frame. I can see why as this frame is not super stable and it would be hard for any seal to stay water tight. Not sure if the door was just installed badly?

 

[Crystalclear]

Excellent. Now it makes sense.

Two things. An inside part that appears to missing that is causing the water from inside to travel outside and into the wall causing the damage.

The outer silicone seal that you are pointing to? That is only directing the water into the wall and not onto the floor outside. Let me give you your options.

 

[Crystalclear]

Solutions.

1: have a local joiner/handyman cut a plastic piece and silicone glue it in the place, making sure it's all sealed using waterproof shower silicone.

2: If it's just cheaper to buy a new one from B&Q and have it installed by a competent fitter.

 

[Crystalclear]

http://www.screwfix.com/p/swirl-pivot-shower-door-silver-800mm/49851

Lowest priced one is from Screwfix.

To cutout and fix on the missing part? I'd say £70-£95.00 including plastic strip and silicone, depending on who you can find near you, preferably locally.

 

[Crystalclear]

https://www.yell.com/s/handyman+services-lincoln.html

 

[warpkid]

Thank you, that's great.

I think we will probably go the route of a new door as the current one feels a little weathered and has other issues aside from the leaking!

I think I will have a go at the wall myself! I'll let you know how I get on.

Thanks again for your excellent advice and for taking the time to help out a beginner!

 

[ree]

warpkid,
Patching & poking and gluing bits here and there wont work. You will waste time and money.

Dont buy anything until you have determined the extent of the damage and what you will do next.

The enclosure frame must be removed - i suspect that water is getting behind the vertical, metal frame channels at both sides of the enclosure.
Tile should have been run behind the enclosure channels, ie before the enclosure was fitted.
The skirting boards on the left and the right look to have water damage.
Its also possible that the moisture has been creeping down into the floor.
Take the frame off the wall and examine the damage - then post pics on here.

Are either of the walls stud walls? The first pic shows what appears to be a stud wall. If so, then the framing might possibly be fungal damaged.

I'm unfamiliar with a shower base installed like yours - carefully examine below the platform for water damage. Are there stains on any ceiling below?

FWIW: when you stand in the tray does it flex?

 

[warpkid]

Hi Ree

Yep I agree that the skirting boards do have water damage. There is a slight stain in the kitchen ceiling below which is very very faint. We enquired about this with the seller and he said that there was an old leak with the shower which he had fixed by having the entire cubical replaced. The wall is a stud wall yep. Its a new build house so all the walls are as far as I know.

The shower doesn't flex and feels quite solid. I did find the manual to the shower door online and it appears that whoever installed it did not seal it along the bottom inside.

Bi-Fold Door Instruction Manual - Roman Showers

I think taking the frame out etc might be beyond me so I expect I will need to call in a professional to take a look.

 

[roy c]

Get the whole lot ripped out and renew it all. I have worked on many "leaky" showers years ago and I found that once you get a leak in the shower and there are plasterboards on the wall then it is best to rip it out get it done properly and remove any trace of P/board. As for the stain on the ceiling then that to me is a give away that there has always been a problem with it, The guy obviously wasn't going to tell you , "Yes the shower has been leaking for sometime now!!". Most of the problems with showers is bad workmanship and shoddy work and wrong materials...(In my opinion)...

 

[warpkid]

Any idea how much that might cost? And when you say any trace of plasterboard I guess you mean the damaged plasterboard rather than all the plasterboard?

Ta