Repairing damaged drywall section adjacent to shower
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Repairing damaged drywall section adjacent to shower
I have about a 6 inch wide section of drywall adjacent to the shower head wall. The wall goes floor to ceiling. Water is spraying out of the shower and hitting a section of wall next to the top of the tub and damaging it. The contractor should have tiled this wall but did not think of it.
I would rather not tile the whole section since that will take some time. I think I am leaning to repairing the section with mud and then repainting. The only problem is water will probably spray around the shower curtain again and damage it.
What are the alternatives? Are there any special products out there to cover this wall section? Im thinking my only options are tiling and mudding the section. Thanks!
I would rather not tile the whole section since that will take some time. I think I am leaning to repairing the section with mud and then repainting. The only problem is water will probably spray around the shower curtain again and damage it.
What are the alternatives? Are there any special products out there to cover this wall section? Im thinking my only options are tiling and mudding the section. Thanks!
#2
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A pic or two might help us better understand your situation.
What kind of paint is on the wall? Flat latex does very little to repel moisture but latex enamel should fair ok. Is there any way to make the shower curtain fit better?
What kind of paint is on the wall? Flat latex does very little to repel moisture but latex enamel should fair ok. Is there any way to make the shower curtain fit better?
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Hey Marksr and anyone else out there that may be interested.
Giving life back to this thread. I checked the grout(the bathrooms were done about 4 years ago so the grout is in pretty good shape) near the damage but there is no noticeable cracks. I did see cracks in the corner on the opposite side of where the damage is but I dont believe water could get to the damaged spot from there. The water runs off the top of the tub down the side into the drywall. That is where the crack line runs down the wall. But I dont get how the damage is spreading up? MArksr---Thats where I think you have a godd point. Is this how drywall reacts to water? I.e chemical reaction? Is it possible the cracks are hairline and Im not seeing them?
I am going to cut out the area and replace with some bathroom drywall. The problem I forsee is getting a square piece to fit directly back in the space and butt up against the tile and tub? Also, since this is a bathroom drywall repair and not a normal wall, what do I use to attach the piece back to the wall? Isnt there a special mud for bathrooms? Im not using drywall screws, although I could and just mud around. Or would there be moisture issues?
Ive done many drywall repairs but not in bathrooms. So what are the tricks of the trade?
Giving life back to this thread. I checked the grout(the bathrooms were done about 4 years ago so the grout is in pretty good shape) near the damage but there is no noticeable cracks. I did see cracks in the corner on the opposite side of where the damage is but I dont believe water could get to the damaged spot from there. The water runs off the top of the tub down the side into the drywall. That is where the crack line runs down the wall. But I dont get how the damage is spreading up? MArksr---Thats where I think you have a godd point. Is this how drywall reacts to water? I.e chemical reaction? Is it possible the cracks are hairline and Im not seeing them?
I am going to cut out the area and replace with some bathroom drywall. The problem I forsee is getting a square piece to fit directly back in the space and butt up against the tile and tub? Also, since this is a bathroom drywall repair and not a normal wall, what do I use to attach the piece back to the wall? Isnt there a special mud for bathrooms? Im not using drywall screws, although I could and just mud around. Or would there be moisture issues?
Ive done many drywall repairs but not in bathrooms. So what are the tricks of the trade?
#6
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Drywall work in a bath rm is the same as elsewhere. Same drywall [although moisture or mold resistant is an option] and same mud .... or you can use a setting compound. Setting compound or hot mud dries chemically and isn't water soluble. It comes in powder form.
Before I'd rip out the drywall, I'd scrape it down and see if a fresh coat [or two] of mud will fix it. More than likely the corner bead goes under the edge of the tile which would complicate replacing any drywall.
A coat or two of latex enamel is almost always the best moisture prevention. If/when moisture is getting behind the paint - the point of entry must be found and sealed! No matter what materials you use if water gets behind the drywall, the damage will return. All the corners of the tile should be caulked. Water tends to seek the path of least resistance so it's possible that it could travel across the wall. Drywall by it's nature can suck up available water.
Before I'd rip out the drywall, I'd scrape it down and see if a fresh coat [or two] of mud will fix it. More than likely the corner bead goes under the edge of the tile which would complicate replacing any drywall.
A coat or two of latex enamel is almost always the best moisture prevention. If/when moisture is getting behind the paint - the point of entry must be found and sealed! No matter what materials you use if water gets behind the drywall, the damage will return. All the corners of the tile should be caulked. Water tends to seek the path of least resistance so it's possible that it could travel across the wall. Drywall by it's nature can suck up available water.
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Ok Sounds like scraping it down is the best bet. Scrape, mud, sand, remud, sand, (remud if necessary) then enamel paint. You mention all the corners of the tile should be caulked. In this instance there is only one corner where the tile meets the tub?
As far as the water getting behind the paint, Im thinking I would know once I start scraping away the drywall and its moist or wet.
Is this enamel paint the same as "bathroom paint" or is this different?
Also, I have mud that is about 8 years old but Ive been using it for odd painting jobs here and there. Does this stuff expire?
Thanks Marksr
As far as the water getting behind the paint, Im thinking I would know once I start scraping away the drywall and its moist or wet.
Is this enamel paint the same as "bathroom paint" or is this different?
Also, I have mud that is about 8 years old but Ive been using it for odd painting jobs here and there. Does this stuff expire?
Thanks Marksr
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Since grout isn't flexible, all the corners should be caulked [where it meets the tub and at the corners of the wall] You never want to paint a bath rm with flat paint, latex enamel is bare minimum with bath paint even better. Bath paint is an enamel but with extra mildewcide added. It doesn't really matter what sheen you use. Stored under the right conditions, j/c will pretty much last forever but if it looks/smells funky or has trash in it - it's better to toss and buy new.
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Make sure when you are finished with drywall and painting w/semi-gloss to run a bead of silicone caulk along the seam where the tub meets the drywall...possibly that is where the water is getting behind the drywall.
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So I finished this and we shall see what happens. I did run a bead of caulk down the seam where the tub meets the wall and did not look pleasing to the eye. So I took a razor blade and shaved it down so its more flush. I was wondering though if they sell any kind of "a border"(almost like a molding) to attach between the wall and the tub? I would think this would look nicer than seeing a caulk line.
Thanks for all the help on this....time will tell.
I can send an after shot if anyone is interested.
Thanks for all the help on this....time will tell.
I can send an after shot if anyone is interested.
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Well this worked until I took a shower. Looks like the water is running behind the drywall. So how do I solve this problem? Is the water coming from a leaky pipe? How is this possible? The bathrooms were done only about 4 years ago. We made the big mistake of not tiling this wall since its so close to the shower.
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Have you carefully inspected all the grout joints? It does look like the water is getting behind the drywall or tile somehow I couldn't tell from the pic, is the plumbing on that side of the tub?
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Was this issue resolved?
Hello,
I am having the same exact problem in my bathroom, based on the pictures and description that you posted. It seems that the last post was in February and your problem may have been due to bad plumbing behind the drywall. Did you find if this was the case?
I will embark on repairing my drywall.....but don't want to do that if there is truly bad plumbing behind the wall that needs to be fixed first. I'm hoping you can let me know if this is what happened to you....
Thanks!
I am having the same exact problem in my bathroom, based on the pictures and description that you posted. It seems that the last post was in February and your problem may have been due to bad plumbing behind the drywall. Did you find if this was the case?
I will embark on repairing my drywall.....but don't want to do that if there is truly bad plumbing behind the wall that needs to be fixed first. I'm hoping you can let me know if this is what happened to you....
Thanks!
#18
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Welcome to the forums!
Generally the plumbing is only on the side of the tub where the spigot is. You do need to make sure the drywall won't get wet again before making the drywall repairs.
Generally the plumbing is only on the side of the tub where the spigot is. You do need to make sure the drywall won't get wet again before making the drywall repairs.
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Hi, thanks for the response. I guess I should have been more specific in my question. You are correct that my spigot is also on the side where the drywall is damaged. My concern was that I might tear out the drywall and then replace it without addressing a major plumbing issue. I was hoping to discover if this drywall issue is always due to plumbing issues, or if water truly just seeped out and onto the drywall causing the damage. Of course it may be that I just have to take out the drywall and test for plumbing leaks behind the wall. It doesn't sound like there is really any other way to test this before taking out the drywall.....
#20
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Basically you need to carefully exam your damage and try to determine exactly where the water came from. If it ran along the outside of the tub and onto the drywall, doing a better job of closing the shower curtain/door generally will prevent occurrence. If the moisture is coming from behind the drywall it increases the likelihood of it being a plumbing leak. Is there any sign of water at the bottom of the wall, especially the other side of the wall [adjoining room]?
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Well the good thing is that there is no water damage on the other side of the wall. Also, there is no sign of water at the bottom of the wall. However, the damage does go all the way to the bottom of the wall. I've attached two pics to show where the damage occurred. I'll probably just need to remove the entire section of damaged drywall and try to look behind the wall for leaks before replacing it.
(You'll notice where I removed the paint in the pictures, the damage did not cause that to happen, just the "bubbling")
(You'll notice where I removed the paint in the pictures, the damage did not cause that to happen, just the "bubbling")
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Well I took off a section of the drywall and trying to determine what my next step would be. The exposed portion of the stud is pretty wet, but the wettest point is where the shower wall is attached to the tub. So I'm thinking that they are not sealed together very well, and water is leaking between the shower wall and tub, then dripping out onto the drywall.
I could just remove the rest of the damaged drywall and put a new section there, but my concern is that wet stud. I have a feeling that I need to replace that wet stud but I can't even see the whole thing because the rest of it is behind the shower wall.
Thoughts?
By the way, I really appreciate the insight! Thanks!
I could just remove the rest of the damaged drywall and put a new section there, but my concern is that wet stud. I have a feeling that I need to replace that wet stud but I can't even see the whole thing because the rest of it is behind the shower wall.
Thoughts?
By the way, I really appreciate the insight! Thanks!
#24
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If the wood is still solid it should be ok to leave it although you do want to keep it open long enough for it to dry out. It looks like water might be getting thru the missing the grout although you might need to open up and inspect the backside of the wall to know for sure.
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Ok thanks. I think I'll give the stud a chance to dry out and then re-caulk the area where the shower wall meets the tub. Then I'll replace the drywall.....and hope for the best.
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I pulled out all of the old drywall and replaced it with the green chem board. Then I sealed/caulked all around the crack where the shower wall was connected to the tub. It appears that the seal worked and water has not leaked. Also I don't think water actually leaked behind my wall because I peered behind the shower wall after removing the old drywall and there was no sign of water damage back there. My problem was that the shower wall and tub were not flush, so water would drip down the shower wall, hit the top of the tub, then carry over to the wall on the outside. The seal took care of that and I have not seen any signs of water damage in the last 5 months since repairing. Good luck!!