Fixing shower/tub 'leak'

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JMac

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The shower surround is some kind of vinyl sheet or FRP type sheet. The person that did this (previous owner) was not the best with installing this paneling (or floor tile either) and now it has gotten so bad it needs to be fixed. The drywall, at least beside the shower outside the tub, is rotting out. At first I thought it was from water coming from the tub wall top, but after looking at the damaged area closer, am thinking there are other sources involved also.
I would love to tear all that crap out and start fresh. Unfortunately I have 2 big factors stopping that: budget, and this is an only bathroom. Do I favor the time constraint and hire somebody to do this, or do I favor the budget constraint and do it myself hoping the problem is not a lot worse than it initially appears and end up blowing the budget and time?
I will try to get some pictures to show what I am talking about, but in the meantime any help is greatly appreciated.
 

Terry

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Since it's a tub, you always of the option of bathing until the walls go back up.
Just a heads up. Water can wick upwards is there isn't a break there.
 

JMac

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I need to take half of the bathroom down to the studs. It appears that the person before just used regular gypsum dw even for the shower/tub with some kind of panels for the surround. Somewhere there developed a leak, and now a large portion of the wall from the vanity going behind the toilet and behind the surround on the plumbing side of the tub/shower needs to be removed and replaced. I have done some basic drywall install, but have never done anything involving tubs or showers.

One thing to keep in mind for the surround... I have a window about 4' up in the center of the surround.
What are my options for fixing this mess?
What do I use for backerboard, and how far away from the shower should this be used?
Should I use a membrane or liquid waterproofing agent there too?
Is there an easier option than tiling the enclosure, ie custom prebuilt acrylic surrounds?

Thank you for your help in this.
 

ShowerDude

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Jmac a cement board and topical membrane wins hands down.

for a humid area like florida , ease of use and homeowner diy install with waterproof seams you may look at Wedi board and wedi sealant or Fin pan pro panel and sika sealant.

i do t use much foam but if I do i like the tough riigididty and sealant seams of these.

a tub surround of materis will cost you about $375 in materials and take about 5 hours for a newbie to install. ready to tile that day. of course theres more to it!

many options for connection at tub flange.
 

JMac

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Yes Sparky, the prefab would be ideal, it one could be had with the window built in, or at least cut out and a way to build the niche so it would work with the rest of the surround. If I had to take more time, it could work as long as we kept the tub operational anyway (as Terry mentioned above)... but the financial budget is a big part of this. I am more interested in it being functional over fancy. I would do the tile if that was the only real choice or the cost would help that decision.
 

Cacher_Chick

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If you really want to be cheap and fast, you buy a standard surround and lose the window. Unless you are doing waterproofing and tile, the window is a major problem.
 
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