How to repair rotted wood and waterproof corner?

[monkeyspearfish]

 

  

Hi all

I have a shower room where the skirting/trim around the doorframe is now rotting from water damage.

Do I need to treat the existing damage and prevent further rotting of the wood? Could I just silicon the rotted area?

I thought about removing the skirting and replacing it with a corner piece made of metal to prevent further water damage.

Appreciate any ideas or advice thanks

[monkeyspearfish]

It rotted because water was pooling up and flowing from the shower towards the rotted area, and possibly onto the cream  floor tiles at a certain point. It was doing that because the drain was blocked and tenants didn’t really address the problem until it was discovered too late.

once we addressed the drainage problem, water no longer builds up and reaches the rotted area but sprinkles of water still hit it from the shower 

there was never a shower screen but looking back now that might have helped

And the door frame was just painted but the person who renovated the bathroom said he put waterproofing over the door frame and after 5 years it needs to be reapplied. There’s an on going dispute with him which I won’t go into.

I think only the edge or small portion of the solid door post is damaged which I’m hoping I can just scrape off the damaged wood, spray some wood hardener over it, paint the entire door frame with waterpoofing, fill in the rotted area with silicon, and finally install a metal angle over the corner with silicon to cover the wooden part of the door frame. Any thoughts on this?

[monkeyspearfish]

Perfect thanks heaps!

[MitchellMc]

Sorry for the delay in my reply, @monkeyspearfish. That method would potentially work, but I think you need to consider repairing the section properly, which would require the damaged timber to be cut out and replaced with new timber. You can then look at repainting the surface. However, as long as there is timber in the shower recess area, the issue will likely resurface at some stage.

Perhaps you might like to replace the damaged timber and tile over the area and around the corner. You should still add a waterproofing membrane to the timber, but the tiles would go a long way to preventing water from accessing it.

Mitchell

[monkeyspearfish]

I had a plumber from insurance come out and assess the damage. He said there is water under the floor tiles, I think also due to the silicon wearing off at the lip of the shower floor (see photo). He said it’s best to rip out the floor and wall tiles and start from scratch due to poor initial design of shower room. I think it’s a bit extreme?

  

I’ve filled the rotted area with builders bog after drying it out for several days. Feels pretty solid now but I’m still undecided on how to patch it (timber trim  vs metal angles vs tile). If I tile I will need to fork out a tiler which I want to avoid.

I’m also going to resilicon the entire shower floor corners. Hoping these patch ups will hold for the short term. I may need to consider putting in a shower screen to stop any water reaching the door frame. Any ideas for long term solution instead of ripping out everything and restarting? 

[JoeAzza]

@monkeyspearfish  From the recent photos it looks like the tiled or shower base has moved, if insurance won’t cover the cost of repairs, you could resell the tiles with silicone, however not knowing what water damage has or is doing to the floor underneath the tiles , is it timber or concrete subfloor.

if it is timber, you could get wood rot from water damage and mould.

as for the trim you could replace it  with a suitable timber that will last for a while, do not use mdf architrave.

also have you thought of installed a shower curtain until you are able to install a glass screen.

Please note, this is only a temporary fix, 

[monkeyspearfish]

Thanks Joe.

I’m not sure on subfloor material but I could find out after I get the report from insurance on the damage. 

As for the trim, are there any specific materials you recommend that are more waterproof? Bunnings had pine, tas oak etc but wasn’t sure which one to go for. 

shower curtain is a good temporary solution, will consider it thanks!

[JoeAzza]

@monkeyspearfish , I would use tas oak, cedar would be ideal, maybe @EricL @or @MitchellMc  can help with the correct choice of wood.

[EricL]

Hi @monkeyspearfish 

I was pondering on the possibility of other solutions for your shower area. Have you considered installing an Estilo 900 x 1830mm Chrome Adjustable Framed Shower Screen - Front Only. This is on the condition that the opening is within the range of the screen door. 

Unfortunately, there is no permanent solution to water leaking into timber. My best recommendation is to cover it with waterproofing and sealing the edges with silicone again.

I believe that a combination of waterproofing the post and screen door installation is your best option for a long-term repair.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[monkeyspearfish]

I agree, installing a shower screen might be the only term solution. I just need to keep water away from the wood. I thought about cutting that piece of wood out entirely. I wasn’t too sure and it’s a brick wall but didn’t want to risk anything.

Will look into installing that shower screen after things are patched, thanks everyone, appreciate all the advice