quick fix needed for tub leakage

where the surround meets the tub i have several spots of damage which i need covered up because long term replacement isnt an option now. if this wasnt a wet area id just buy a quarter round type thing for the entire tub area. but of course i cannot do that. or is there something meant for a bathtub that you could use in that manner?

i need about 1 inch going up the wall. looks dont matter. preventing water leaking is what matters now. let it go too long.

its a 1950s style 'tile' but its not tile. its a sheet that is the walls. but i'm assuming anything with glue will stick to it. it has a surface that wont hold suction cups though. is a bit rough.

 

If you push on your surround near the tub the surround does it move?

You say you need something an inch high. Does it look like the tub has dropped down?

What you have is probably what I call tile board. A masonite type sheet with a tile or other pattern printed on the front.

An emergency fix could be almost anything. Duct tape, wide electrical tape, caulk and there are some splash strips sold in home centers that might work depending on the texture of your walls/tile. The area will need to be thoroughly cleaned to get anything to stick. But it's a bad idea to mess around with "temporary" repairs in wet areas especially in a shower that may be 60-70 years old. Water is very good at getting through and soon damages things making repair much more difficult and expensive. At that age you need to seriously consider a permanent fix.

 

i never heard of a splash strip. the shower stall next to this tub is down to the studs and i didnt have money to fix it so this is gonna have to wait too. here are some pics. it was very hard and dirty to take the blue board down from the shower stall and whatever brown board was under it. very labor intensive. i really really rather put something over this blue stuff in the tub. like cheap surround glued on with industrial glue. i know next owners will hate the blue tub but thats expense i cannot do anytime soon. i just will have to do a cheap cosmetic fix when the time comes i guess. sigh.

also its not really soft but even if it is, no damage is probalby done. i took out my shower stall and saw NO water damage even though i could press on the blue board that 'surely' was letting water in. i kind of wasted all that material. yea it eventually would have leaked but not at the time i destroyed it.

so i just need a temp solution now for this tub

 

If you don't care what it looks like I would use some tape. Here are some examples
https://www.lowes.com/search?searchT...t+sealing+tape
4 in might work or about 3 rows down there is some medal duct tape which I love.
Really needs a rebuild.

 

I have a tape that's used when installing vapor liners in crawl spaces. It's vinyl and 4" wide. You can also probably get adhesive vinyl from your local sign shop. If you feel wild & crazy they could even print a crazy pattern on it for you.

 

what do you think about gorilla tape. at least white wouldnt be the most hideous thing lol

https://www.lowes.com/pd/GORILLA-TAP...-Tape/50053461

 

Says weather resistance I guess it would work.

 

You could install a single row of 2"x6" bullnose tiles along the entire length of the tub. Install with mastic, grout, and caulk top and bottom edges. Would be a relatively cheap fix (~ $40).

 

Flex Tape....yeah, I know it's a super made for TV product..but damned if it doesn't work pretty darn good. A guy I know fixed his cracked shower pan with it 6 months ago and it's still leak free. The spray stuff...not so great.

 

i saw the flex tape on online and i think its only black. gotta admit i thought about it but then if i see white stuff i figure i can make it look like a 'pretty' redneck job. tile sounds like interesting idea. def would be weird but would seem more 'professional' if thats the word i want to use. more than just white gorilla tape. i never did tile but even if i failed it wouldnt be the end of the world and it may give me practice cause i wanna tile my shower stall in a few years lol. then id just do white tape.

hard to see in my pic but in the 2 corners i have that crappy plastic shampoo holder that runs the top to bottom and no way do i wanna lose that. so will have to work around it. i have no idea whats behind it and dont wanna open can of worms by trying to take it down or cut into it.

mastic and grout are 2 things i never used. do they come in tiny enough containers /cheap enough that i'm not wasting a huge tub. it will be forever until i do another tile job. UNLESS i can tile over that entire blue surround. then id love it!

also while i'm on topic, i assume no matter what i do with the surround that the tub can never be taken out without disturbing the surround. put another way: if i want the tub out, i gotta do it before the surround gets permanently fixed/redone.

 

You really can't install tile with mastic and grout without getting into a big can of worms as it would have to be installed on a backer like cement board or Hardie Backer. If you're going to do that you might as well just re-do the whole surround.

The tub most likely cannot be removed without removing the surround. Most tubs have a lip facing up around the perimeter so the tub could not slide out because that lip is trapped behind your surround. I wouldn't worry about keeping your existing surround. It's almost done for. Also, the surround you have is really easy to remove and a new one could be installed in it's place in about 1/2 a day. Figure a solid day or weekend if it's your first time attempting a job like that.

Removing the tub could be a bigger job and one you won't know how much work you'll really have until you tear into it. Getting something to seal the bottom of your surround to the tub will help alot though. If water is allowed to get behind the surround it will get under the tub and rot the floor supporting the tub which is a whole other job to repair. So, keeping water 100% inside the tub is very important.

I just looked on Amazon and Flex Seal tape is available in white. You may also be able to find it at your local home improvement store.

 

Fiberglass Reinforced Panels (FRP) will get you there. Put it up like you would a shower surround you were talking about. 1 or 2 sheets, a couple of end caps and a center H cap and you are good to go. Put it right over the existing with FRP adhesive.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/48-in-x-8-f...nel/1000174771

 

Well, Flex Tape is available in white.......https://www.flexsealproducts.com/product/flex-tape/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA5t7UBRDaARIsAOreQtgH1OPRRN51prU1YaF_9L3nEGFCGWmKeaT-rrbXbUATG3V3j7FXGZwaArVZEALw_wcB

Even if not carried in your local HD, Lowes, Walmart store for some reason, you should be able to get it delivered to the store for pickup. I do it all the time to save shipping.

 

Have to ask, why it is being recommended to just put tape over this? May be a short term solution, but certainly isn't a reliable long term repair.

 

Z,
He said in the first few posts that it's relatively temporary, looks don't matter. He'd deal with a more permanent fix when he goes to sell or when he has the money.

FRP will run around $100 (3 panels), plus a few more for the other bits vs $13 for a roll of tape?

 

how do you cut FRP? i have circular saw but something tells me special blade? i would have to see this in person but id like to glue it over the blue stuff if i could . plus gotta cut holes fro the faucet. i just hope those corner plastic things i have come off easily.

regarding removing the blue stuff. how the heck would you remove it from the backer that is under my wall without taking the backer board off. its glued solid and even destroying the shower took forever. it was horrible . i dont see how the blue stuff could be taking off without hurting what is in back of it.

i have the hole saws to cut locks into door. can i use that to cut faucet stuff for the FRP

 

is the FRP mentioned above the same thing is tile wainscoting? i just read in a magazine about the wainscoting and i feel with the right adhesive it would be perfect for this tub surround

heck maybe i could even use it for my shower stall thats now down to the studs? put up the waterproof board then this on top?

 

You might have seen FRP in a convenience store restroom. It's usually white and has a pebble finish. It isn't strong enough to go up directly on studs by itself. It needs something backing it for stiffness.

 

what can be done with that tub assuming it has to stay? ive seen the 'paint over tub' things in stores but always doubted them.