Replacing a shower - Cabin or not?

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5 years since I tore my house apart and rebuilt it the shower is leaking big time. Spent time stripping sealant, resealing etc - sticking plaster repairs - until for the last week when we have a shower upstairs a puddle forms on the kitchen sideboard (worryingly dribbling out from a plug socket eeek!).

So I bit the bullet and today I tore it out. What a mess. Turns out the builders did as I asked and lined the shower cubicle with ply (not marine ply mind), but then decided to cover that with plasterboard and then install the shower/tile.

The plasterboard had disintegrated behind the tiles. Water was running down the back of the tiles and behind the double mastic seal.

When i took off the shower doors the tiles fell off with the backing paper in one huge wall and nearly killed me!

10 bags of rubble, a shed load of mould and ruined plasterboard and a lot of cleaning up later and I now have to replace the whole lot.

Some of the floor boards are now rotten so I'll have to tear up the tiled floor and replace the floor entirely - hopefully the joists are still sound (yikes).

Anyway I can deal with all that but what next?

Has anyone had any experience of shower cabins? I want to stop this ever happening again and thought maybe nows the chance to upgrade.

I found this cabin. Which seams pretty cheap, will save a load of tiling etc.

What are these things like? Worth the effort?

If not what would you recommend I line a new enclosure with? Is there a specific board I should use that I can then tile upon?

Pointers greatly appreciated.
 
Soldato
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No need for, if built properly a shower shouldn't leak. Use aquapanel, personally I tank every shower area. Use a shower tray with upstands. No complaints yet.
 
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It does however still rely on your ability to put it together properly

True that. I've been right through the installation video and its pretty straightforward really. Liberal mastic throughout and it should be good.

I'm just wondering what the pro's and cons are as I have no experience of them.

I'm quite happy to box the existing back in again and tile, just asking what board backing is advised by the sages on here.
 
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No need for, if built properly a shower shouldn't leak. Use aquapanel, personally I tank every shower area. Use a shower tray with upstands. No complaints yet.

Aquapanel - right-oh. Thanks.

How do you tank the area? Just 1000g polythene and lap it up the walls?

[edit] right - looking at painted tanking membrane now... [/edit]
 
Soldato
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Sounds like the issue you had was the grout or a seal failing, then water just got in and soaked everything. Even bathroom plasterboard is going to fail in those conditions.

Tiles are great and look nice but you have to keep ontop of maintaining the grout. These Aqua panels seem to look half decent and obviously require 0 maintenance other than any joins or at the top/bottom silicone.

I'd be tempted to hire/buy a Dehumidifier and ensure everything is thoroughly dry before replacing/covering it all back up.
 
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Thanks for the comments Matt.

I was maintaining the grout, the leak was occurring because the water pipe penetrations in the tile were too large and had not been sealed. There were large valleys in the plasterboard where the water had been running down for 5 years. This was hidden behind a blanking plate.

Dehumidifier is a good plan. I will hire one after ripping the floor up I think.
 
Soldato
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I tiled my bathroom wall to wall and floor to ceiling - mastic all round join at floor - My tray is pushed into corner but I had slight leak at each side where screens were fixed to tiles.

Last year I binned old shower cubicle and multi panel boarded both sides over top of tiles and boards rested on top of tray. - New frame less shower cubicle and bang on - Wish I had used boards first time round.

Spent yesterday morning doing the three month clean -- washed all down with car wash - rinsed then bladed - dried and car waxed the panels - it looks brand new still. - We do blade and dry shower after every use - bit of a pain but shower always looks clean :)
 
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Soldato
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Are people in this thread mixing aqua panel (cement based board made by knauf) with multipanel (plywood with a laminate bonded to it) up.
 
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Hey this is exactly what I am after.

Multipanel bonded to the wall and away we go. I can do this for 120 quid and re-use the existing shower tray etc. Perfect.

Thank you OCUK H&G.
 
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