Help! Plumber left a hole going under the edge of the bath.

[clairebear8182]

Help! My plumber has just left and has pulled off quite a chunk of my wall when removing my bath. I said I would tile tonight without looking at his work. He has left this hole. Am I unreasonable to ask him to come back and remove the bath so I can repair the wall?

 

[Deleted member 120897]

I would have expected him to let you know of the damage, or fix it himself. It doesn’t look too bad a hole.

 

[clairebear8182]

Thanks so much for your response! My problem is that the hole is below the bath so I'm not sure how to fix the plasterboard. It's right below the shower so I assume it needs to be repaired carefully to ensure water doesn't get in. Or do you think I'm being too careful?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Sling some on coat in there and smooth off aslong as the bath is solid you can tank to the bath and not have a problem

Tbh should of removed the bath first then got the first fix done and then skimmed the wall, then installed the bath ready for tiling as the walls don’t look square hence the guy having to chop the bath in

 

[king of pipes]

I would have removed the old bath and repaired the wall and tanking I like to tile the walls before fitting a new bath leaving a cut tile down onto the bath that way the bath is not at risk of damage ,you have gone to the effort of using a tanking system to keep the wall dry and tile onto, its a shame it got messed up but it needs repairing before you fit any tiles your gonna need to cut a section of plaster board out and let a new piece in and repair the tanking, I wouldn't let John Wayne near it he's obviously hasn't got the skill set. Regards Kop

 

[Deleted member 120897]

Thanks so much for your response! My problem is that the hole is below the bath so I'm not sure how to fix the plasterboard. It's right below the shower so I assume it needs to be repaired carefully to ensure water doesn't get in. Or do you think I'm being too careful?

Tbh I didn’t know it was tanking, (I’ve never had the privilege of using it myself). As per the above 2 professionals above, get it repaired before tiling, which is obviously what you’ve asked for.

 

[clairebear8182]

I would have removed the old bath and repaired the wall and tanking I like to tile the walls before fitting a new bath leaving a cut tile down onto the bath that way the bath is not at risk of damage ,you have gone to the effort of using a tanking system to keep the wall dry and tile onto, its a shame it got messed up but it needs repairing before you fit any tiles your gonna need to cut a section of plaster board out and let a new piece in and repair the tanking, I wouldn't let John Wayne near it he's obviously hasn't got the skill set. Regards Kop

Yeah, that's what I would have thought. I don't know whether to ask him to come back and remove the bath so I can fix it properly. He suggested I just chuck some adhesive or plaster in the hole, but would really rather do it properly. He is supposed to come back tomorrow to fit the shower above this section. Thanks so much for taking the time to respond!

 

[clairebear8182]

Tbh I didn’t know it was tanking, (I’ve never had the privilege of using it myself). As per the above 2 professionals above, get it repaired before tiling, which is obviously what you’ve asked for.

The tanking is great, I think in the UK is now a legal requirement. It also comes with take for the joints, makes it really watertight. Thanks for your comment!

 

[ShaunCorbs]

You need more than 12 hours for the tiling to dry else you risk cracking / moving stuff common is 48 hours dry time

 

[king of pipes]

I wouldn't rely on your plumber to do the repairs it will be botched if what's happened up to now is anything to go by , you cannot fit the tiling as it is definitely not ! also the wall needs repairing around the pipes coming out the wall before any tiling takes place it needs to be waterproof and as Shaun has advised allow for drying time best of luck . Kop

 

[clairebear8182]

I wouldn't rely on your plumber to do the repairs it will be botched if what's happened up to now is anything to go by , you cannot fit the tiling as it is definitely not ! also the wall needs repairing around the pipes coming out the wall before any tiling takes place it needs to be waterproof and as Shaun has advised allow for drying time best of luck . Kop

Thanks! I'm in the process of repairing that, I was able to cut it into a nice rectangle, and fit the plasterboard.

Thanks for the advice, I think I might have to find a new plumber for this job.

 

[king of pipes]

No excuse for shoddy workmanship the prep work is very important to get right it will only lead to leaks later on.

 

[clairebear8182]

You need more than 12 hours for the tiling to dry else you risk cracking / moving stuff common is 48 hours dry time

Thanks! I did wonder!!

 

[Ric2013]

Why has he fitted the bath before fitting the overflow? I can't be the only one who prefers to dress appliances before fitting them, surely?

 

[clairebear8182]

No excuse for shoddy workmanship the prep work is very important to get right it will only lead to leaks later on.

Yup, I thought as much.

Sling some on coat in there and smooth off aslong as the bath is solid you can tank to the bath and not have a problem

Tbh should of removed the bath first then got the first fix done and then skimmed the wall, then installed the bath ready for tiling as the walls don’t look square hence the guy having to chop the bath in

Hi, he removed the previous bath and in the process made that hole in the wall then fitted the new bath without filling the hole, or even smoothing the edges.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Yup, I thought as much.

Hi, he removed the previous bath and in the process made that hole in the wall then fitted the new bath without filling the hole, or even smoothing the edges.

Did you ask him to fill any holes around the bath as normally the tiler / plaster does this ?

 

[clairebear8182]

Did you ask him to fill any holes around the bath as normally the tiler / plaster does this ?

Hi, I asked him to remove the old bath and fit the new bath. When I came home he had gone, the new bath was fitted and the massive hole was in the wall going below the line of the new bath. It's that normal? Thanks!

 

[ShaunCorbs]

It’s normal as depending on how the old one was fixed eg stuck / glued in or l brackets

Plasterboard isn’t that strong so I normally allow for reboarding / plastering the whole bathroom as it’s quicker and a better job than patching

 

[clairebear8182]

It’s normal as depending on how the old one was fixed eg stuck / glued in or l brackets

Plasterboard isn’t that strong so I normally allow for reboarding / plastering the whole bathroom as it’s quicker and a better job than patching

I thought he would tell me, then I could have patched or reboarded before he fitted the bath. It seems so much harder now the bath is in place as I can't cut the hole to put the plasterboard into. I'm an amateur and just having a go and really not sure of normal procedures.

Thanks for the response though!

 

[king of pipes]

I would be removing the bath and carrying out the repairs tiling and grouting the walls as I showed you in earlier pictures, the shower can be fitted aswell as you risk damaging the bath having to climb in and out to do the work it madness to even consider carrying on as is sorry but that my view drop a tile and your in big trouble. Kop

 

[Deleted member 120897]

I would be removing the bath and carrying out the repairs tiling and grouting the walls as I showed you in earlier pictures, the shower can be fitted aswell as you risk damaging the bath having to climb in and out to do the work it madness to even consider carrying on as is sorry but that my view drop a tile and your in big trouble. Kop

Depends if the bath would fit back in though? It seems it’s a tight fit?

 

[Ben-gee]

In this case best to remove bath, it doesn’t look as though it’s even plumbed in - I can’t see any taps and there is definitely no overflow, so probably no waste.

So it is appears to be just stood in place and siliconed in, not much time to remove in other words.

I don’t know what your arrangements with the plumber are or the budget for the job, but there is obviously a bit of a problem with communication.