How to fill hole?!

[Jer70]

Please can someone advise how best to fill the gap/hole between my shower and wall? I have very little diy experience so don’t want to start ripping things out. As you can see from the picture below, the previous owners have done a bit of a bodge job and the hole was badly filled using mesh tape and a lot of uneven plaster which I’ve now removed.

I have watched videos where plasterboard is glued behind and then plastered over but I don’t know how I can actually get a large enough piece in the hole as it needs to sit behind the shower tray.i don’t think I’m explaining this well but hope you can see from the photo.

is there another easier way of filling that gap?
Also, any ideas how I can deal with the dodgy inch or so of plastic trim that looks so bad?

Any advice greatly appreciated.

[markc]

Hi, assuming the hole doesnt go into the shower area as well, you could use expanding foam to fill the void, trim back when set and then finish as required. not a lot you can do with the bit of trim apart from replace the whole piece or just that bit with something else

[Mr Punter]

Cut a piece of timber batten and slip it behind the existing plasterboard at an angle and fix through either end with a screw.  If the hole if too fiddly for you to get in, mark it out and cut it bigger.  Cut a new piece of plasterboard the size of the hole and screw it to the batten.  Fill, sand, repeat.  Paint.

[markc]

1 minute ago, Mr Punter said:

Cut a piece of timber batten and slip it behind the existing plasterboard at an angle and fix through either end with a screw.  If the hole if too fiddly for you to get in, mark it out and cut it bigger.  Cut a new piece of plasterboard the size of the hole and screw it to the batten.  Fill, sand, repeat.  Paint.

I tried describing this but gave up, deleted my poor explanation and went for the bodge option instead.

[Onoff]

What they said! A strip of softwood say 1" x 1/2" or similar. Stick it up inside the cavity, vertically or horizontally, it doesn't matter. You might want to drill through the plasterboard and into the strip first to pilot it and stop it splitting when you put the screws in. Two plasterboard screws at 1&2 to hold it. Then cut a piece of pb to fill the gap. You can either screw or stick that to the wood. Leave a nominal gap around the infill piece. I usually fill the gap with something like No Nails, Sticks Like Sh!t etc. Then fill over the top and sand/paint. 

 

 

Why is that bit missing, the shower isn't leaking there is it?

 

Edited January 27, 2021 by Onoff

[Jer70]

1 hour ago, markc said:

Hi, assuming the hole doesnt go into the shower area as well, you could use expanding foam to fill the void, trim back when set and then finish as required. not a lot you can do with the bit of trim apart from replace the whole piece or just that bit with something else

Thank you. Think I’ll just leave the trim for now as our bathroom cabinet should cover that. I can’t see it from the shower so I’ll eventually be able to forget it’s there!

[Jer70]

1 hour ago, Mr Punter said:

Cut a piece of timber batten and slip it behind the existing plasterboard at an angle and fix through either end with a screw.  If the hole if too fiddly for you to get in, mark it out and cut it bigger.  Cut a new piece of plasterboard the size of the hole and screw it to the batten.  Fill, sand, repeat.  Paint.

This makes sense, I hadn’t thought about putting the batten at an angle and couldn’t work out how to fix the bottom  but this should fix that problem. Thank you for your help.

[nod]

58 minutes ago, Onoff said:

What they said! A strip of softwood say 1" x 1/2" or similar. Stick it up inside the cavity, vertically or horizontally, it doesn't matter. You might want to drill through the plasterboard and into the strip first to pilot it and stop it splitting when you put the screws in. Two plasterboard screws at 1&2 to hold it. Then cut a piece of pb to fill the gap. You can either screw or stick that to the wood. Leave a nominal gap around the infill piece. I usually fill the gap with something like No Nails, Sticks Like Sh!t etc. Then fill over the top and sand/paint. 

 

 

Why is that bit missing, the shower isn't leaking there is it?

 

If only self assembly drawings where so clear 

[Jer70]

57 minutes ago, Onoff said:

What they said! A strip of softwood say 1" x 1/2" or similar. Stick it up inside the cavity, vertically or horizontally, it doesn't matter. You might want to drill through the plasterboard and into the strip first to pilot it and stop it splitting when you put the screws in. Two plasterboard screws at 1&2 to hold it. Then cut a piece of pb to fill the gap. You can either screw or stick that to the wood. Leave a nominal gap around the infill piece. I usually fill the gap with something like No Nails, Sticks Like Sh!t etc. Then fill over the top and sand/paint. 

 

 

Why is that bit missing, the shower isn't leaking there is it?

 

Thank you for the detailed reply and picture, very helpful.

This all started with me tidying up the shower by replacing mouldy sealant but, of course, once you start these things you notice how untidy other areas are. Each end where the shower meets the wall looked really rough so I thought I’d neaten them up a bit and, well, once I started ....what was supposed to be a quick spruce up is turning into a bit of a project. 

[Onoff]

As for mouldy sealant I really rate Forever White. Does what it says on the...tube.

 

https://www.toolstation.com/forever-white-sanitary-sealant-310ml/p63890?

 

As for finishing sealant you cannot get any better than the Fugi Cramer kit.

 

 

 

Before this was recommended to me on this forum I was firmly in the wet finger dipped in a Fairy Liquid solution, run two lines of tape etc brigade. I went from being a bodger to this. It really is magic.

 

 

 

I learnt a lot from this video:

 

 

He also does a later video on doing corners.

[Jer70]

1 hour ago, Onoff said:

As for mouldy sealant I really rate Forever White. Does what it says on the...tube.

 

https://www.toolstation.com/forever-white-sanitary-sealant-310ml/p63890?

 

As for finishing sealant you cannot get any better than the Fugi Cramer kit.

 

 

 

Before this was recommended to me on this forum I was firmly in the wet finger dipped in a Fairy Liquid solution, run two lines of tape etc brigade. I went from being a bodger to this. It really is magic.

 

 

 

I learnt a lot from this video:

 

 

He also does a later video on doing corners.

Wow, that finish is amazing. I’ve watched a few of his videos, he explains everything really well. I’ll make a note of the Forever white. Thanks for the info.

[Onoff]

Removing sealant...horrible job!

 

Combination of removing the bulk with a tool something like this, which I have but don't particularly rate:

 

https://www.screwfix.com/p/vitrex-sealant-remover-profile-kit/82791?

 

A glass scraper with removable blade, not the sort that takes a Stanley blade but something like this. FFS don't use on "plastic" but just carefully on tiles.

 

 

This stuff (it really does work alright):

 

https://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-sealant-remover-100ml/88987?

 

Then cleaning up with this, another magic product:

 

https://www.sealantsonline.co.uk/product.php?

 

Really the better job you do the better the re siliconing!

 

If siliconing with the Fugi kit then have an open black bin bag to hand, folded back on itself. Rip up a load of ready to grab 3 or 4 sheets of bog roll. If you get too much silicone on your tool just take it off with a bit of bog roll and drop it in the sack. Don't over use the bog roll or bits will come off. Cheap, not scented baby wipes are good too for various silicone tasks.

 

I stand on the shoulders of others here btw. Some good threads on fitting shower screens. Look for posts by @Nickfromwales!

[Onoff]

14 minutes ago, Jer70 said:

Wow, that finish is amazing. I’ve watched a few of his videos, he explains everything really well. I’ll make a note of the Forever white. Thanks for the info.

 

It stinks a bit but it really has stayed white for me. A favoured trick on here is to do the sealing around a shower tray etc with clear CT1, working it into whatever gap. Then take of the excess with a baby wipe. You go over this when set with a silicone of your choice which you periodically replace if it gets grubby.

[Jer70]

Thanks again everyone for all the advice. I managed, after a bit of fiddling and swearing, to fix a piece of board in the gap and then glue a shaped piece of plasterboard onto it. Have to say I was very proud of myself for that! I’ve spent the last few days layering on filler and waiting to make sure it was dry. Just need to sand and paint now. 
Thanks again 

[Lucie]

On 27/01/2021 at 20:56, Onoff said:

 

It stinks a bit but it really has stayed white for me. A favoured trick on here is to do the sealing around a shower tray etc with clear CT1, working it into whatever gap. Then take of the excess with a baby wipe. You go over this when set with a silicone of your choice which you periodically replace if it gets grubby.

@Onoffdo you mean to put CT1 between shower tray and tiles to fill the gap before last bead of white? I put Sikaflex around to stick the tray to the walls and now wondering if to fill the gap with clear CT1 and wipe excess, then the profile and screen would be installed when then gets dry and after that white silicon bead??

[Onoff]

46 minutes ago, Lucie said:

@Onoffdo you mean to put CT1 between shower tray and tiles to fill the gap before last bead of white? I put Sikaflex around to stick the tray to the walls and now wondering if to fill the gap with clear CT1 and wipe excess, then the profile and screen would be installed when then gets dry and after that white silicon bead??

 

Yes, something like this:

 

 

When the silicone gets grubby, renew it. 

 

How far off the tray do your tiles finish out of interest? 

[Onoff]

Btw, you want to aim for no more than 5mm silicone bead of silicone if you can. When I say 5mm as in using a "5mm" tool. Buy the Fugi Cramer silicone tooling kit. It allows even a novice (like me) to get excellent results.

 

You do not need soapy water or a wet finger!

 

 

 

 

 

[Lucie]

1 hour ago, Onoff said:

 

Yes, something like this:

 

 

When the silicone gets grubby, renew it. 

 

How far off the tray do your tiles finish out of interest? 

Thank you, I hope with Sikaflex, layer of clear CT1 and then final BT1 bead it'll be super protected. Regarding the tiles, some are almost on the tray and some have gaps up to 3/4mm 

[Onoff]

25 minutes ago, Lucie said:

Thank you, I hope with Sikaflex, layer of clear CT1 and then final BT1 bead it'll be super protected. Regarding the tiles, some are almost on the tray and some have gaps up to 3/4mm 

 

I have used BT1 before but think it's a bit more "permanent" than ordinary silicone, as in it has good adhesive properties like CT1 but with an added fungicide or something. The white BT1 isn't supposed to yellow either like the white CT1 does. I wonder how easy BT1 is to remove/renew...

 

For a white, non yellowing silicone I really like Forever White which I used in the above pictures. The grey was Mapei. 

 

Ref gaps, what I did, following sage* advice on here, was brought my wall tiles down with a nom 1mm gap to the floor. It's pretty easy to do and get right to end up with this:

 

 

You place your bottom tile like this and cut allowing for the grout line. When you flip it over, the cut edge is sitting on the 1mm packs. You force clear CT1 into the 1mm gap and tool it flush. When set go over with a cosmetic silicone of your choice. 

 

 

* Aka @Nickfromwales 👍

[Nickfromwales]

2 minutes ago, Onoff said:

 

I have used BT1 before but think it's a bit more "permanent" than ordinary silicone, as in it has good adhesive properties like CT1 but with an added fungicide or something. The white BT1 isn't supposed to yellow either like the white CT1 does. I wonder how easy BT1 is to remove/renew...

 

For a white, non yellowing silicone I really like Forever White which I used in the above pictures. The grey was Mapei. 

 

Ref gaps, what I did, following sage* advice on here, was brought my wall tiles down with a nom 1mm gap to the floor. It's pretty easy to do and get right to end up with this:

 

 

You place your bottom tile like this and cut allowing for the grout line. When you flip it over, the cut edge is sitting on the 1mm packs. You force clear CT1 into the 1mm gap and tool it flush. When set go over with a cosmetic silicone of your choice. 

 

 

* Aka @Nickfromwales 👍

Bird is the word. 👊