Retrofit shower tray to tiled wall seal

[wobbly2]

Can anyone suggest a suitable trim/seal to fit between the top of a shower tray and the tiled walls that surround it on 3 sides. There is a gap between the side of the tray and the tiled finish of about 15mm on the left side, 25mm on the right side and 10mm on back, which makes using normal uPVC quadrant/scotia trims unsuitable because of there small size. See drawing

 

[r896neo]

This is a terrible way to detail a shower tray and will almost certainly leak.

You would do a much better job removing the bottom row of tiles and using a tanking kit to seal tray to wall then replace the bottom row of tiles.

Better yet get a shower tray that fits although i appreciate this may not be easy or possible.

 

[wobbly2]

Thanks for the reply r896neo, much appreciated.

I understand what you are saying and reading around, the installation is really bad but it is what I have to work with, that is, unless I rip it all out and start again, for which there is no money; plus the alcove is only 840mm wide, which I don't think is a standard width for a shower tray.

I fear that removing the bottom row of tiles will result in several breakages and I don't have any spares and sourcing more of the same is likely to be difficult, if not impossible. Removing the bottom tiles from the plasterboard wall may also lead to severely damaged plasterboard with yet more problems. However, I may have no choice.

If I go the tanking route, can you suggest a suitable system? Presumably I need something that will adhere to the wall, bridge the gap and adhere to the top of the shower tray.

Again if I go the tanking route, the expanded foam between the wall and the shower tray finishes below the top of the tray; so do I need to fill-in above the foam to support the tanking where it bridges the gap (See drawing)?

 

[foxhole]

Tiling on plasterboard is never a good idea, seen many fail. Don't understand why you dismiss quadrant around base, 40mm would cover your gaps?

 

[wobbly2]

I know plasterboard is not good for tiling especially in a shower area but that what is originally there, so unless I rip the whole lot out I'm stick with it.

I've managed to remove the bottom 2 rows of tiles from the block and plaster rear and right-hand sides walls and bottom 3 rows from the left-hand (plasterboard) side. The tiles came off with very little damage to either them or the wall surfaces save a small area on the plasterboard wall. There was a small amount of dampness low down to the block and plaster wall on the back side and dry evidence of ingress onto the plasterboard side resulting in its paper/card covering pulling off, when the tiles were removed, for an area of about 50 x 75mm; thankfully the plaster (in the plasterboard) had not fallen apart.

Don't understand why you dismiss quadrant around base, 40mm would cover your gaps?

I haven't dismissed using quadrant but I also haven't been able to find any wide enough; could suggest a supplier/manufacture? I have bought some 45mm wide uPVC window trim that I thought to use but quadrant/scotia would look better and be less fiddly to fit.

Looking into the tanking kits, they all seem to be for much bigger areas that I need. Anyone suggest a supplier of smaller kits?

No arguing, just wanting to understand - I read somewhere that liquid rubberized bitumen emulsion damp proof membrane (Liquid DPM), i.e synthaprufe(?), Wickes Liquid Damp Proof Membrane etc shouldn't be used to tank shower areas and is no good for tiling onto. However, and before reading this, I had thought to use Wickes' liquid DPM with a fibre glass or suitable fabric to bridge the gap and provide the tanking. As a trial I put some of the Wickes stuff on the back of a broken tile, let it dry, then stuck another piece of broken tile onto it with tile adhesive and let it dry. The 2 pieces of tile are well and truly stuck together and when I tried to pull them apart the second piece of tile broke but not the bond between the tiles. So my question is - why is a liquid DPM no good for tanking a shower and tiling onto?

In addition I read elsewhere that one of the liquid DPM manufacturers had suggested that coating there liquid DPM with SBR provide a suitable surface for tiling.

 

[r896neo]

Liquid dpm will not work. Tanking kits come with a cloth to reinforce joints and this is what makes the seal flexible but not leaking. Liquid dpm alone will waterproof the board but not the joint between board and tray.

Dunlop do a system, wp1 or something? I have used it and a larsen one. They are all pretty much the same, about £35 quid i think