I would like some advise on removing/replacing a shower surround in my
house. It is original to the 10 year old house and has developed
cracks in
the floor that I have patched several times. I want to remove and
replace
it. What is the easiest and best way to take the old one out so that I
do
the least damage to the surrounding walls? I know that there is a nail

flange under the existing drywall. Where is it best to cut the drywall
so
that the new one can easily be put in? Is it best to patch the drywall
or
replace all of it?

Thanks,

John

There are a whole range of construction methods for showers. You probably
won't know what you have until you dig in. You probably won't know how much
wall damage you did and if replacement of wallboard is required until after
you demolish. If you need to buy all materials at once, assume it will be a
gut and rebuild.



"jl" wrote in message
oups.com...
I would like some advise on removing/replacing a shower surround in my
house. It is original to the 10 year old house and has developed
cracks in
the floor that I have patched several times. I want to remove and
replace
it. What is the easiest and best way to take the old one out so that I
do
the least damage to the surrounding walls? I know that there is a nail

flange under the existing drywall. Where is it best to cut the drywall
so
that the new one can easily be put in? Is it best to patch the drywall
or
replace all of it?

Thanks,

John

My contractors recently ripped out my shower surround and put in
natural stone tile. They used a wet area barrier (like a vapour
barrier, but designed for showers) over the 2x4's and insulation, and
put wet area cement board on top of that.

You shouldn't have regular dry wall under the shower walls, though.
There is special "wet area" cement board for these applications.

Also, you should have some sort of pan underneath. My contractors put
in a copper shower pan, and then poured concrete in it and created a
drainage pitch. So if there is a crack in the concrete, there is a
copper pan to prevent leakage.

It was expensive to do all of this, but most of the times you get what
you pay for. If you are paying for labor, my advice is to not skimp on
materials, otherwise you will need to redo it in a few years...

Oh, and if you are considering glass shower doors, I wouldn't recommend
Holcam. Try finding a local glass maker that can do tempered glass. Or
better yet, stick with a shower curtain.