Designing Kitchens and Bathrooms - Old Shower Collapsing

Hello,

I live on the second floor in a very very old house owned by the grandfather of my significant other. He's way to old to be doing any repairs, so they fall onto me.

This house is 140 years old. It was originally a single family 1 floor home. Then about 65 years ago they added a second floor and a loft attic.

My problem is, several tiles in the shower have fallen off the wall and into the tub. Shower/tub combo. The wall behind the tiles is soaked to the bone, and it appears to be just a simple piece of plywood. The adhesive they used is in small blotches on the backs of the tiles and looks like some kind of black tar.

I don't want to have to rip all the tiles down. but I have a feeling that I have no choice. I have never EVER tiled anything except once as a kid with my father and I really didn't do much.

Any suggestions on how to start this, the supplies I will need, and roughly how long it should take?

Welcome to the forums! What you are faced with is an improperly tiled shower. But 65 years ago, that was probably the standard. The tile needs to come down, as does the plywood. A vapor barrier and CBU (concrete backer underlayment) should be installed on the walls where the tile will be placed. Use thinset to set your tiles. You can do the tile. If you feel overwhelmed by it, let us help. Do some exploratory surgery to see what your worst case scenario is. Let us know if we can help.

You could also install a fiberglass/plastic tub surround. Basically it installs over what you currently have - but you don't want to install it over wet or moldy surfaces.

Going back with tile looks nicer and IMO is the best way to go - this is just a cheaper/easier alternative.