Designing Kitchens and Bathrooms - Bathroom nightmare

My ceramic tiles are coming loose around the tub. I have discovered the drywall behind the tile is very wet and probably moldy. Am I going to have to take the complete wall down around the tub or just as high as the wet wall goes? Do I have to remove the tub to do this? Does this include the small partition wall at the end of the tub, or should that whole wall be removed? If anyone has any info regarding this problem, I would love to hear from you. Thanks. jb

First you must determine source of moisture penetration?
Tile grout? Faulty wall surround? Other? Moisture can present damage in walls and subfloor beneath tub? The only way to determine what you are up against is to rip everything out. Bad news. Expensive.

"Drywall behind the tile is very wet and probably moldy." Drywall should never be used in shower walls. Concrete underlayment board is recommended. If ripping out and redoing walls, post back so experts can guide you through the process of installation re: insulation, vapor retarder, etc.

Plumbers here will tell you how to disconnect plumbing to remove tub if necessary. If you have access to subfloor from below, as in a basement or crawl space, you can determine the amount of damage. Report back.

As suggested above, you need to determine if the leak is from the tile side or from behind(leaky plumbing). It is unlikely you should have to remove the tub, there is no surface wall below the tub. Also as suggested, drywall is not the thing for tiling over, use Duroc or Hardibacker. Once you determine the moisture source and repair it, you will still have to tear things out. If you are careful, you can salvage the tile and reuse it. Important, because it is difficult to match tile even a few yrs old.

How many vertical courses of tile do you have above the tub? And how many courses up are loose, until you get to solid ones? Rap on them with your knuckle.

If a person opted to go for the quick cheap job...that you *might* have to redo? a few years in the future again, you could cut out the sheetrock below the last solid course of tile you remove. You have to remove one course of tile higher than the topmost point of the bad wall.

I've done such coble jobs. Less costly, dirty and less time consuming. I prefer to have the horizontal cut of sheetrock 1/2 course of tile below the bottommost good row of tile to keep a tile joint from falling right on the sheetrock or durock joint. It is very important that this butt joint be finished very flat...obviously.

Your call. You have been given the real good way of making the repair, which actually is a complete redo. Or you have the section-in, coble repair method I gave you.

I removed all the tiles, as I have found mold under all of them. I have removed the drywall and there is mold in the vapour barrier. There is yellow and gree insulation behind that. I see that this has been repaired before up to the top of the tiles and it obviously did not rid the problem, but was temporary, so I think I may have to replace the whole wall, look at the wood behind the insulation and see what extent is molded. I will also have to have a look under the tub, I think. I don't know if this can be fixed or must be replaced. Any thoughts? Thanks.

It be good if you could answer twelvepole's questions. We need to know the source of your problem, and on which of the 3 walls it picked on?; like was it the wall with the mixer valve on it?..and is that an interior wall? Was it the long wall?, that might be common with the outside of the house perhaps............what?

Does your bathroom see a lot of shower useage by many people and the room is always really steamy and ventilation by window or fan has been inadequate?


It be good if you could provide as much info and history as possible.