Bath/shower tile question -soap dish reattach repair

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Onokai

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I made my own tile in the 80s super high fired stoneware. The soap dish was a typical mid 80s white cast off the wall soap dish. Just holds 1 bar of soap in the middle of the bathtub about 6 inches off the tun rim in middle of wall (full 3 side surround tile in cast iron tub /shower combo. Two days ago after 37 years it fell off the wall into my wife's hands. Its is intact and it looks like I must have thin set it in then grouted around it.(best guess) The original price of 4.99 still on the back.
what's the best way to reattach it. If I thin set again it will stick out to far. All the grout is still stuck to tile. I'm thinking a thin epoxy like JB weld marine or west systems epoxy. Something very thin. Then caulk around it to water proof it.?
any suggestions on a better way.

The backer board was called wonder board back in that day.
 

Dj2

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Grind the excess thinset off the soap dish and clean the thinset off the wall with a chisel. Do it carefully.
Then you will have space for new thinset.
Find a way to support the soap dish until the thinset is hard enough to hols it in place.
 

Jadnashua

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Bisque ceramic is really porous, and even with the glaze can absorb a lot of moisture...this can pull too much moisture out of the thinset prior to it curing (curing cement is not drying...it's a chemical reaction initiated by the water which gets literally incorporated into the cement as it cures).

ON a shower, neither the grout nor tile is considered the primary water protection for the structure, so just make the bond good, and either caulk the joint or if you think there's enough for grout to bond to, you could grout it.

A rubbing block or chisel should get any excess mortar off of the wall and the soap dish.
 
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