surround around shower / tub

[barblee]

Hello all. I am new to the list and I joined so I can collect wonderful advise from wise ones who have been there done that.

So, here goes 1st issue.

We have purchased an older and smaller mobile home. It needs many repairs but we have started with the bathroom.

The area around the tub / shower area was very, very bad and that had to go first.

We didn't know what to put back in place of what had been ripped out but the guy at Home Depot said most people use this whiteboard stuff, that says it is melamine on the back of it. So that is what is up around the new tub.

My question is, Is there anything that can be put on this surface to repel the water to keep it from cracking and peeling and getting nasty like the old stuff that came out of there. I just want to make sure it is waterproof and stays nice looking for a long time to come.

Any hints, or advise is more than welcome.

Thanks

[Sylvia]

Normally one would buy a tub surround and attach it to the drywall.

[Yanita]

Hi,

Welcome to the site.

I am with Sylvia, alot of those panels are not water proof and only remain water resistant for a short time.

Use caution and our wisdom when asking questions about MH repairs at the big box stores. Although they are helpful, many times they are not familiar with our homes and will give misleading advice, although not intentionally.

For the rest of your bathroom repairs replace the rotted floor with 3/4 plywood, full sheet vinyl and remember to install water shutoff's.

Might I suggest that you purchase the MH repair manuel that can be found in the books/parts link above.

Read all the various articles and check out all the links here on site, lots of great info.

Others will chime in with more advice.

Have a great day!

~Yanita~

[PennylessZ28]

I'm curious if you mean rockboard? In some cases, and I don't know about MH's, rockboard not drywall is used in bathrooms behind tile walls and some types of surround.

Rockboard is heavier and is designed for wet applications. It is usually the grey colored panels you see next to the drywall in those big box stores.

[wes]

i'd replace the wall material if it's bad with the same material that's on the rest of the wall then install a good tub/shower surround. we did ours with 1/2" green drywall then a good tub surround that was the heavier one from home depot. rock board is waterproof but is on the expensive side and generally used when tile is installed. a good surround that's caulked well will provide all the water protection needed.

best regards
wes

[kashton]

We have aquaboard behind our tubsuround.

[wes]

here's a pic of our installation.

http://mobilehomerepair.com/phpbb/album ... pic_id=333

[JD]

What you have is a melamine panel. We call it Thrifty White. They also make the same panel embossed to look like tile, which is called Tileboard. When we install bathtubs, a lot of our customers will have dated wall paneling or worn out paneling around the tub. We will use the melamine panel to replace that paneling and then install a tub surround onto that. The melamine above the surround won't wear out nearly as fast as the area near the tub and it makes the wall look nice with the new surround.

Melamine does not last very long as the bath wall panel. It will check and blister after a few years and it does not take serious scrubbing well at all. But a good fix for you is to install a 3-piece or 5 piece wall surround on top of the melamine. The less expensive surrounds, $70 to $140, are usually glued onto the wall. For these you would need to sand the melamine with very coarse sandpaper behind the surround to get good adhesion. Just dry fit the surround to mark the melamine. If your melamine is installed over the nail-fin lip of the tub, it is best if it is off of the flat tub surface by 3/8", to keep water from wicking up the panel. We caulk the joint where the surround meets the tub and use case molding to trim the top edge of the surround to the melamine.

There are also nicer, more sturdy surround units that are molded and will fasten to the wall with screws. The will be made of heavier ABS or fiberglass and will usually cost over $200.

So I would suggest installing a surround onto the melamine. You could buy some time by just using the new melamine for a while.

JMO

JD

[barblee]

JD, thank you so much for your informative reply. You can see I am not a person who knows much about this sort of thing,and you have told me exactly what I need to know.

Now for the questions?

"But a good fix for you is to install a 3-piece or 5 piece wall surround on top of the melamine. The less expensive surrounds, $70 to $140, are usually glued onto the wall."

Can you tell me exactly where to get what you have described? Will these be located at-Home Depot? Lowes? some other store?

Thank you so much.
Barb

[Harry]

Hi

Yes HD & Lowes sells them.

Also here's Lowe's How-To instructions.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=h ... vHomeDecor

Harry

[JD]

Can you tell me exactly where to get what you have described? Will these be located at-Home Depot? Lowes? some other store?

Yes, as Harry said, most home stores sell them. I usually get mine from Lowes. The lesser expensive units will be glue on panels.

JD