Valve not mounted deep enough on finished wall - suggestions?

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Glowrdr

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So long story short, I'm in the middle of a bathroom remodel, and a friend says "anyone looking for plumbing, call this guy". I called, and he royally screwed everything up. So much for wanting to take the easy way out and have someone else do my job.

So, after my second surround panel (he measured wrong and cut all my holes 4 inches off) - I got the holes cut, and the panel screwed/glued and its looking good. Start putting the hardware on - the darn valve wasn't set back enough. The "backer plate" for the shower handle hits the valve, and it literally 3/4" away from the wall. Tried pulling the surround back out, but it looks like its stuck pretty good - worried I would ruin it if I tried pulling it off.

Anything I can do? Is there such a thing as a deeper baker? Do I put some super heavy duty weather stripping behind it that's an inch deep and live with it? I do not have access to the back side of the wall - I live in a 4-level split, so where I need to access technically doesn't exist in the house. It's just kind of a void under/between the stairs.

What a pain - totally kicking myself on this one.
 

Jadnashua

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There are extension kits when it is too far recessed, but the only way to fix it if it is too far out is to move it back. Now, you MIGHT be able to use something like a remodel plate, make a bigger hole in the surround, then cut the valve out, and move it back. The remodel plate will cover the larger hole, and the 'normal' plate will fit on the remodel plate. Lots of companies make them in various shapes and finishes.

Anything else you might do would be a custom job. I've heard of people have custom made a ring to fill that in out of something like Corian or other solid surfacing material...not too hard if you have any woodworking tools.
 

Glowrdr

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Thanks for the idea. I'm playing with a few ideas, just have to figure out which one is the best. Wife wants to try and unattach the surround from the wall, but I'm skeptical that we can get the fiberglass surround undone without it cracking or splintering somewhere along the way. I could be wrong though.

Otherwise I did just realize that I do have an access panel in my lower level stairs (the standard tub drain access panel) - but someone a lot smaller than I would need to go chest deep into a 18x18 hole and cut the 2x4 that the valve is anchored to. Then there is the problem of how to anchor the valve once it is free floating.

Decisions decisions. Wouldn't be quite so aggravating if there hadn't been so many problems beforehand. Probably my fault for not doing a dry fit before I finalized everything - but then again, that's why I jumped at the chance of having a real deal plumber assist. People have suggested I take him to court as well, but this was a side job kind of thing, so I'm sure I'm not covered by any insurance or company backing - it would fall into small claims court, and I'm not that kind of guy. Maybe if this was a 10k bathroom remodel, but if I end up having to buy a third $200 surround panel, so be it. Ugh
 

FullySprinklered

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Thanks for the idea. I'm playing with a few ideas, just have to figure out which one is the best. Wife wants to try and unattach the surround from the wall, but I'm skeptical that we can get the fiberglass surround undone without it cracking or splintering somewhere along the way. I could be wrong though.

Otherwise I did just realize that I do have an access panel in my lower level stairs (the standard tub drain access panel) - but someone a lot smaller than I would need to go chest deep into a 18x18 hole and cut the 2x4 that the valve is anchored to. Then there is the problem of how to anchor the valve once it is free floating.

Decisions decisions. Wouldn't be quite so aggravating if there hadn't been so many problems beforehand. Probably my fault for not doing a dry fit before I finalized everything - but then again, that's why I jumped at the chance of having a real deal plumber assist. People have suggested I take him to court as well, but this was a side job kind of thing, so I'm sure I'm not covered by any insurance or company backing - it would fall into small claims court, and I'm not that kind of guy. Maybe if this was a 10k bathroom remodel, but if I end up having to buy a third $200 surround panel, so be it. Ugh
You'll have to do root canal therapy on the valve. Cut the hole out to a point that will maximize your access to the valve body, but still be covered by the escutcheon.
Go in with a drill and paddle bit and cut through and remove the wood that's holding the valve out. Drill on both sides of the valve as best you can and then go in with a chisel/big screwdriver and rip the 2x4 out of there so that you can push the valve body back deeper in the wall. Use the grain of the wood to your advantage to rip out pieces until it's no longer in the way. There's a lot I don't know here : what kind of water pipes you have, are they nailed to the studs, blah, blah. So, if you feel at this point that you can push the valve back in the wall far enough to do you some good, do so. Slip shims in there to hold the valve back at the proper depth and then complete the assembly of the valve trim. Not being there, no one can tell you exactly how to work out the details, but this could be helpful if conditions allow it to be done this way.
 
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