re-tiling shower

[RedApple]

your shower enclosure looks very nice handyandy. thanks for sharing
under what circumstances would a marble trend shower box leak ? and how often do they generally require replacement ?

Firstly the builder is leading you on. He seems to have already given you many different excuses and that is before he has even been out to see the mess he made.

Get him out to have a look but don't be surprised that there are all sorts of reason why it's leaking that are not related to the work he has done.

I would always go with a marbletrend type enclosure. These enclosures do not need waterproofing under them. They are fully self enclosed with the parts (if there are parts) overlapping to correctly shed the water to the base tray and then obviously to the drain. Think roof tiles and the way they shed water.

We have one in our house that has been in place since we moved here, in 1995 and still going strong. It's looks a bit worn but still keeping the house dry.

Recently installed one in the USA which was made up of 4 pieces that all interlocked. See pics. This job was done in 3 days. Main time was waiting for the gyprock to set.

Cheers

 

[BayView]

BV, did your old shower have a plastic base or tiled base ? did the leak cause any damage to ur walls or structure ? plus it's a house on concrete slab right ?

if only i have these basic handy skills ...would save alot of stress and cost...but yea never too late to learn

My shower is a recess - 3 walls with a front opening which is a sliding glass fitted door unit which fills up the whole entry cavity.

The right hand side wall is a solid brick wall which separates our unit from the next door one.

The back and left side walls are a/c sheet over wooden wall frame. The floor is tiles over solid concrete floor, with a raised lip at the front of about one housebrick height, with tiles over it.

The leak was in the back right corner of the shower, as well as outside the left front point where the sliding door frame joined onto the left wall. I found this out from cutting the wall away in the bedroom behind the shower.

I removed the door frame (6 screws and a bit of silicone cut away), then cut out the entire left and rear walls using a grinder. The a/c sheet with the tiles still attached came out in smaller sections. Pretty easy - but the dust was unbelievable.

The right side wall and the floor - I just ground the surfaces off the existing tiles (it was almost impossible to chisel them off, I found) using an angle grinder.

 

[handyandy]

We have one in our house that has been in place since we moved here, in 1995 and still going strong. It's looks a bit worn but still keeping the house dry.

As per my post nearly 20 years and still going strong. We installed another in a townhouse in 2002. This was a base and flexible acrylic sheet on 2 sides. That's still performing and was done to replace failed tiles/waterproofing that only lasted 5-6 years.

They could fail if the base is not installed correctly to ensure it is stable.

Cheers

 

[fisherman]

Hi Fisherman, thanks for the advise.

I just did today. Called NSW Consumer Affair(Sydney IP) and they say it is the builder's responsibility to fix it up however I must give him a chance to do so.

..............................

What do you think ?

The advice I gave earlier sticks. Government has given you the same advice. He knows he has to do a good job, whether he does it or uses a subcontractor. You should heed the advice given concerning the risk of having no effective warranty redress from either repairer should you go for another repairer to re-do.

BTW, you have seen the first guy's registration, yes? Your decision, but regardless, ensure the builder's registration is current and have a formal written contract if you decide against advice and go with another repairer.

 

[RedApple]

hmm ... no waterproof and the leaking was only found when u cut the wall behind the shower wall.... after 20 years.... that's still very good protection from water leakage. I really wonder what they used in the past to protect bathrooms from the shower water.

My shower is a recess - 3 walls with a front opening which is a sliding glass fitted door unit which fills up the whole entry cavity.

The right hand side wall is a solid brick wall which separates our unit from the next door one.

The back and left side walls are a/c sheet over wooden wall frame. The floor is tiles over solid concrete floor, with a raised lip at the front of about one housebrick height, with tiles over it.

The leak was in the back right corner of the shower, as well as outside the left front point where the sliding door frame joined onto the left wall. I found this out from cutting the wall away in the bedroom behind the shower.

I removed the door frame (6 screws and a bit of silicone cut away), then cut out the entire left and rear walls using a grinder. The a/c sheet with the tiles still attached came out in smaller sections. Pretty easy - but the dust was unbelievable.

The right side wall and the floor - I just ground the surfaces off the existing tiles (it was almost impossible to chisel them off, I found) using an angle grinder.

 

[RedApple]

oh ic...thanks handyandy.
so u have 2 acrylic sheets on 2 sides as walls, 1 base and 2 glass shower screen ?

i've spoken to a marbletrend installer who installs marbletrend shower boxes with 2 acrylic walls, base & 2 glass shower screens.

he doesn't have any license and advises he will rip up the shower floor tiles,
make it level then install the marbletrend box on top without any waterproofing underneath. The acrylic walls will be glued onto the existing tiled walls. Does this sound right ?

my other option is to have just an acrylic shower base, tiled walls & re-use existing shower screens. do you think this would be more durable\lasting than having the tiled shower base ?

As per my post nearly 20 years and still going strong. We installed another in a townhouse in 2002. This was a base and flexible acrylic sheet on 2 sides. That's still performing and was done to replace failed tiles/waterproofing that only lasted 5-6 years.

They could fail if the base is not installed correctly to ensure it is stable.

Cheers

 

[BayView]

hmm ... no waterproof and the leaking was only found when u cut the wall behind the shower wall.... after 20 years.... that's still very good protection from water leakage. I really wonder what they used in the past to protect bathrooms from the shower water.

We already new the leak was there - it has made it's way out to the bedroom walls,and had started to smell mouldy.

We guess at a couple of years or so for it to get that far?

It appeared as though the corner grouting had started to leak, so yes; the length of time I thought was pretty good without waterproofing.

 

[RedApple]

Hi fisherman,

So, yesterday this builder advised me he will fix up his faults and to stop contacting him. However since he has dementia I got a bit worried and contacted consumer affair & work cover today to find out liability in case something happens to him on the job.

They discovered he has no proper license to renovate bathrooms or to do waterproofing therefore should not be doing it!!!! glad this got uncovered. They say i should hire a licensed tradie and get the job properly redone with warranty then ask the other guy for compensation for the costly mess he caused. If not he could face a fine as he has been doing work he's not licensed to do

No wonder the waterproof membrane broke just after 2 years it wasn't even done properly.

called the guy and he says it was a cash job and he's on pension. But with a registered building business and claims as licensed builder ??!!!! got my friend to call him 4 a quote and apparently he's still taking business.

gosh the things some people do for $$$, despite putting other people's homes at risk!!!!

Worried now for the waterproof membrane on bathroom floor and under the bathtub. Most likely it is crap. But redoing the whole bathroom's waterproofing and tiling will cost at least $8k using same old vanity, bath, showerscreen etc....

Fixing the shower alone will be about $2k ... is it safe having a good waterproofed shower but non-waterproofed bathroom floor ?

The advice I gave earlier sticks. Government has given you the same advice. He knows he has to do a good job, whether he does it or uses a subcontractor. You should heed the advice given concerning the risk of having no effective warranty redress from either repairer should you go for another repairer to re-do.

BTW, you have seen the first guy's registration, yes? Your decision, but regardless, ensure the builder's registration is current and have a formal written contract if you decide against advice and go with another repairer.

 

[RedApple]

handyandy, is there a good marbletrend installer & contact in sydney you could please recommend ?

Many thanks

 

[fisherman]

RedApple,

You must always check for current builder's registration (see my first post!) otherwise there is no prospect of insurance for example. Glad you checked, so all is not lost.

Performing work without registration is serious where the work performed is above a certain amount - which I would think would have been exceeded for a shower installation. I am surprised that you were not encouraged to lodge a complaint to protect your rights. See here,
http://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/libr...nd-renovating/domestic-building-complaint.pdf

It is probably because the unregistered builder didn't lodge insurance that you are now up for the cost of rectification that you then have to claim back.

At this stage I am sorry but my earlier comments about poor government regulation of residential building and standards are being borne out by your sad experience.
My earlier post #11 refers.

Here is hoping that others reading this refer to my post #11 and take it up with their State and federal parliamentarians. The system is like a penguin - it looks pretty but it can't fly. Superficially homeowners seem well protected. But when it comes down to reality they are not! There is no proactivity.

 

[Scott No Mates]

... is it safe having a good waterproofed shower but non-waterproofed bathroom floor ?

Short& simple, safe but non-complying to the BCA. Floor in the bathroom is required to be totally waterproofed as well as a section outside of the bath and shower.