Another bathroom

klmeenan

I seem to always have issues with my bathrooms. Last 2 were due to improper tile installations. Now my son's soap dish is off the wall. Of course he claims he didn't touch it. I was planning on using thinset and putting it back on until i got the thinset off and saw this. I know the preferred thing to do would be to replace everything since it has greenboard behind it instead of waterproofing. But do you think I would be safe for a year if I put it back up with thinset for now or am I just screwed? I just don't have the funds or I would rip it down. http://www.flickr.com/photos/22518521@N08/8091824007/

Blondesense

I'm not an expert, but I think a lot depends on where the water hits. If the shower hits this directly (or above it so the water runs down over it) I'd move it up my "to do" list.
If it's to the side, you could probably get away with a temp repair if it's well caulked.

FWIW, the greenboard looks clean and dry, so that's encouraging. Does it feel moist? Are there any soft areas or any other loose tiles?

Edited to add: I answered assuming this was in a shower. Is this shower, tub only, or just wall?

klmeenan

Sorry I wasn't more specific. This is in a tub/shower combo. The soapdish came off the back wall and the shower head is on the wall on the right.

The greenboard is rock solid and dry. Nothing is loose or soft in that area. Shower is 10 years old but only recently used daily for the last 3 months. We had a soapdish come off in another shower/tub 3 years ago, but it didn't have a big hole behind it.

I was thinking maybe to rip down a piece of wood and put it behind the hole and screw through the greenboard into the wood to keep it up. Then the thinset would have something to adhere to. I will of course caulk it with silicone . I do have redguard that I can coat over the screws.

oh'mike

That wasn't installed properly---don't blame your son--

The fix is easy and should last the life of the shower---

Use 100% silicone caulk as the adhesive---tape it in place for at least 24 hours---then caulk the exposed seam using silicone---and you are done.

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