Appearances can deceptive !!

Ey up my faithful blogworms, bit of a tale of woe this week, I'm afraid, but a cautionary tale also. Regarding bathrooms, they can be the biggest source of water damage problems in any house if not looked after and checked properly from time to time.

The resulting damage can be a major headache, not only affecting that room but often the kitchen too as it's usually below the bathroom. Our project last week and just into next week is one such instance.

"We need our shower room sorting out, we think it leaks" they said. Massive understatement, once we got the old stuff out, it was clearly rotten as the pics will show.
This has created so much more work than would have been necessary had we got to it sooner and it had obviously been leaking for a long time time. The walls had gone soft, the grouting falling out, the silicone seals were black and the whole thing had a musty, damp smell about it. 

My advice would be to check any of the above and get someone to look at it if you feel something is awry. It could save you a lot of pain and money further down the line.

Might look ok but hiding a right bunch of problems

The wall with the shower valve on was in a disgusting state and wet through

The timber framework was also totally rotten and falling to bits

Which means taking the whole wall section out and starting with almost a full sheet of 18mm ply screwed directly onto the wall studs

And creating a completely new stud wall frame to support the side wall of the enclosure.

Looks ok you might think but flexing like mad as all this weight was only fixed by screwing it to 8mm matchboard wall cladding. You have got to be joking !!

That's better a decent new pedestal now taking the weight of the new basin and holding it sturdy.

Using Showerwall panels to cut out the grout joints altogether, easier to give a good seal and easier to clean !

Recycling all the old woodwork that was still decent to clad to new stud wall to match in with the rest of the room, nightmare ! but it worked.


Sorting all this out has doubled the amount of time we though it would take for what seemed like a straightforward job.

Appearances are often deceptive, now where have I heard that before ??

Don't take chances with showers folks, they are wonderful but can ruin your day if they start leaking and that's from our viewpoint aswell as yours.

Think smart .... it costs nothing to get it checked if you're in any doubt

Looking after your world .... Jules