Short term waterproofing for tiled shower walls?

MichaelR

Hello,

We bought a house with a bathroom that was originally a bedroom. There is a shower cabin with two tiled walls.

We recently noticed damp on the other side of one of the walls (the other is external). The shower cabin bottom is well sealed and it appears that the issue is with non-waterproof tiled walls, it's just tiling over normal walls.

We really need to retile this, but the timing for the job is very bad, both money wise and life wise (two kids who would have a hard time with no shower for a week or two; the original bathroom, where the bath was cracked to start with, has been dismantled and turned into a utility room). I'd much rather get a proper job done next summer when the family can go away for a few weeks.

But we need to waterproof the tiled walls right now, to avoid further water ingress to the internal wall and also to the cavity of the external wall (especially since we are planning to pump the cavity before winter). So I would like to have a short term waterproofing solution.

It does not have to look pretty, but simply hanging plastic over the two walls wont work as there will be condensation under it.

I would imagine either a thick waterproof compound or a thick self-adhesive piece of plastic (that would stick to the tiled wall everywhere, minimizing the chance for condensation). Can I get one of these somewhere in Ireland, or as a last resort, delivered in the UK so I can grab it through Parcel Motel?

I did find a reference to a compound that seems suitable: Ames Blue Max Liquid Rubber. But it seems to be available in the US only

Is there anything I can get here?

Bonzo Delaney

You could have a look at pvc bathroom wall paneling/ cladding.
Most hardware stores stock it. Google it. It'd be straight forward enough for a confident diyer to tackle.

MichaelR

Thanks!

My big question about PVC wall paneling is how one would avoid condensation behind it. The paneling is, as far as I understand, usually on a frame, so there is a space between the paneling and the wall, and I would be wary of condensation in this space. Or does one somehow airtighten the area behind the paneling, so moist air does not get in and there is nothing to condense?

Bonzo Delaney

If condensation was an issue just silicon around the perimeter area to make it air tight as you say. I'd imaging you would get a tack or a screw into the grout joints to hold the paneling in place while the silicone bonds the panels to the tiles

e.r

Water is not getting through the tiles, you could regrout with epoxy grout.
Or possibly leaky pipe behind wall

whizbang

Water is not getting through the tiles, you could regrout with epoxy grout.
Or possibly leaky pipe behind wall

I had an issue where condensation forming on the cold water pipe in the wall was causing stains on the plaster and on the floor.
There was no leak of any kind.

Is the bedroom vented ?

MichaelR

The bedroom is not vented but the window is often open. The bathroom does have an always-open vent, but does not yet have an extractor. And there is no cold water pipe in the wall where the issue is.

cheif kaiser

Paint the wall with a waterproof tile paint. Just slap it on over the tiles and the grout and it should seal the whole wall and prevent any moisture getting through.

MichaelR

What kind of paint would seal it reliably? And how do i avoid having it crack?

agusta

If this is a temporary measure until you decide to retile your bathroom,you could use a shower tanking kit.you would only have to put it on up 4 feet from the base of the shower.you could use half the tanking kit and save the other half for when you retile the bathroom.its a rubber based paint,full waterproof and it will not crack.

MichaelR

Thanks for the idea! But, will a tanking kit stick to glazed tiles? Also - it's normally for tiling over; will it hold well enough on its own? Looks like Right Price Tiles have it so I can ask them too, of course...

If it were to stick and to hold, I might prefer this idea to either plastic sheets or regrouting. Removing grout is tricky and might damage the times, especially since the tiles are not laid neatly and the grout lines are not continuous. And if I put on Persplex (currently the main option), I'm afraid of mould growth between the Persplex and the tiles, as I won't be able to provide a continuous layer of silicone adhesive all the way under the Persplex.

agusta

Yes,it should,the tiles have to be cleaned and primed with the primer in the kit,the tanking kit should cost around 80 euro

MichaelR

I thought one needed to sand the glazing off before something that is not silicone would stick? Thanks, I'll definitely investigate this option.

Alucan

For a temporary and cheap solution why not hang a shower curtain on the wall you could use screw hook type fixings at the top and stick two small pieces of velcro at the bottom that way it could be lifted up for cleaning

MichaelR

I did think of this but I'm afraid that if I use any screw fixing, this fixing itself will let through a lot of water. If I had a reliable way to fix the top of the curtain to a tiled wall without making holes in it...

Also, I would expect significant condensation under the curtain, but perhaps that would not create enough moisture to actually go through the wallm and we could clean out any mould regularly.