Tiles on tiles...

[WillEndure]

Shower above bath was leaking so I redid the sealant but it still leaked. So I figured it must be getting under the tiles. Removed one to find that these are tiles on tiles! Lazy git who did this didn't go the whole way and remove the old tiles just slapped the new ones on top. To be fair it has lasted for nearly 20 years, so maybe not so terrible? Anyway the underneath tiles also seem a bit damp and detaching themselves from their cement, so at least some of them will need to come off too.

 

This bathroom is about at the stage where redoing the whole thing from scratch would make sense, but I haven't got the time/money/energy for that right now. So aiming to patch it up and keep going for another 5 years maybe.

 

So I am thinking what is the best way to fix this mess?

 

Remove the white tiles underneath in the worst affected area. Replace with something to get the right thickness of wall to provide a surface to mount the surface tiles back onto? Plywood possibly?

 

Your suggestions appreciated!

[Nickfromwales]

Have you been able to save the tiles that came off? If so, I'd just clean up the tiles, scratch up the surface of the white ones with a 4" diamond blade for a grinder (lay it flat and use it like sandpaper) and then use cementitious tile adhesive (not the ready mixed crap in a tub) and then grout.

 

CT1 or silicone at the point where the tile meets the bath will stop any leaking there, and also the internal rising corner too.

 

I'd bet that water is getting in around the shower valve as that's a bit sketchy looking, tile cut and mostly grout, so I'd mask that area and apply a load of CT1 at the sides and over the top, behind the shower valve itself, to stop any water getting in there. That'll limp you though I expect. DO NOT CT1 under the shower valve (red) as that needs to be able to let any water get out again, just do the two sides and over the top (green)  

 

[WillEndure]

Thanks Nick, all good suggestions.