Most Mustachian place to start reno?

[MBot]

My husband and I joke about "temporary permanent" fixes to our 1300 sq ft 3 bed 1 bath. We're pretty handy, and already repaired the main floor plaster and insulated/dry walled the 2nd floor bedrooms

The current issue is this:
- bathroom tub leaks around the caulking at the bottom of the surround. Behind the surround is old plaster/drywall, not cement board. Tub is 15 years old or so.
- water from this began to leak thru the kitchen ceiling about 6 months ago. Tore out large amount of kitchen ceiling drywall. Verified this is the only leakage.
- it only happens once in a while of a heavier person showers or takes a really long shower. It's not terrible (a few drips to a few tablespoons) and drops directly on the kitchen laminate floor.
- however, the drywall cannot go up with any water leakage!
- re caulking fixes the problem for a month or two, but since the material underneath is wrong, it ends up pulling away.
- the entire bathroom has drywall OVER old plaster and lath, and as such should all be torn out to re insulate, gain several inches of room, and replace the broken window that extends into the shower (window currently held together by Tuck Tape)

- The bathroom has a new toilet and vanity that can be reused. and we were hoping to hold off on the tub/shower reno for another 2 years.

Is there a "temporary permanent" solution here that would allow us to repair the surround and therefore kitchen ceiling, or should we gratefully live with the "open concept" ceiling for those 2 years?

[Hallihunter]

Are you using silicone in between the surround and tub?
Also remove as much of the old silicone/caulk as possible.
Is the drywall greenboard?
I would try and take care of that asap, agua no bueno!
Think of it as killing two birds with one stone.

Also consider leaving the plaster/lathe...you only gain an inch and save
On dump fees. Or maybe only do the exterior wall and insulate.
Make sure its greenboard!!

[Blindsquirrel]

 Fix the leak first, do not need to tear out drywall over plaster. If anything, I would cover with concrete board and tile. Tile is easier to install than anyone ever thinks it is and it is cheap.

[MBot]

To clarify, we live in Northern Ontario and both tub/shower walls are outside walls. -30 in winter. Adding insulation is a priority.

So when we fix it, it's 80% of the way to being a full gut/re insulate job anyway, may as well do all 4 walls and cut down interior noise/gain 3 inches per wall.

Yes it's silicone caulk. Prior jobs have been full removal of the caulk and residue, then re-caulking. 

The leak is not in the plumbing, we've verified this - just in the silicone caulk peeling  and what it's adhered to

There doesn't seem to be much of a "temp" solution at all.

[Zaga]

Do you have those plastic sheets like these:  http://www.lowes.com/pd_72405-44905-688840_0__?productId=3436816

We did something like that as a temporary fix on the back wall of our shower, the old tile had started to fall off so we stripped it and glued up a plastic panel with construction adhesive, then caulked the whole thing.  Did that in 2008 and it has lasted just fine with no leaks.  One caution, take care to avoid air bubbles when putting it up.

[Spork]

It sounds like you already know this, but DO NOT use greenboard!  Concrete backer is made for wet areas and tile adhesion.  Greenboard is made for humidity, not for wet areas.  (I.e, greenboard is great for the bathroom walls, just not the tub surround.) Way too many builders do this and I cannot for the life of me understand why.

If you get the slightest leak at the caulk seam (like you have) ... greenboard will wick the water right up through the exposed gypsum.  It is likely the cause of your existing failure.

You mentioned that it happened with a heavier person showering...  Is this an acrylic tub?  They tend to flex quite a bit.  If it is... and if you can get underneath it in your tear out .... See if you can push a bed of concrete or thinset between the tub and the subfloor to reduce the flex.  Of course, if the flex is in the flooring, then you're out of luck.

I would probably bite the bullet and fix it.  Having one bath makes it a rush job... and that will be a pain. 

[Greg]

If you decide not to redo the surround, try foam backer rod in the joint to help support the caulking.  Try a polyurethane caulk, the expensive kind, it stays flexible and water won't hurt it.

Another idea I've seen and used for clawfoot tubs is a shower curtain that goes all the way around.  This will keep water from reaching the tub/wall joint and while it is funky and doesn't look like much, may be a good short-term solution, and can even be used this way during renovation, like with the wall surfaces removed.