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Old 10-31-2018, 09:04 AM   #1
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Crack in Shower wall/surround

When we were winterizing and cleaning we found a crack in our shower wall/surround. It starts on the edge of the shower surround and goes past the shower "glass" and into the shower by about 6 inches. I am sure I will eventually have to replace the shower surround but is there a way to patch it? The surround is not tight up against the wall and so it flexes. That flex means that caulk will not work very well on it. I was thinking of finding a piece of plastic that I could then glue (plastic glue) and caulk it over the seam. I don't have any plastic in white or cream color but I do have some in black. It won't match but it might hold enough to keep water from getting behind the wall and down into the storage area. Thoughts?
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Old 10-31-2018, 09:08 AM   #2
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Originally Posted by Electra glide View Post
When we were winterizing and cleaning we found a crack in our shower wall/surround. It starts on the edge of the shower surround and goes past the shower "glass" and into the shower by about 6 inches. I am sure I will eventually have to replace the shower surround but is there a way to patch it? The surround is not tight up against the wall and so it flexes. That flex means that caulk will not work very well on it. I was thinking of finding a piece of plastic that I could then glue (plastic glue) and caulk it over the seam. I don't have any plastic in white or cream color but I do have some in black. It won't match but it might hold enough to keep water from getting behind the wall and down into the storage area. Thoughts?

Eternabond tape will probably make a good temp fix. I’d drill a small hole at the end of the crack to stop it from spreading then apply the tape over it.
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Old 10-31-2018, 09:10 AM   #3
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There's a way, but it's over my head. First FROG I went to, we had a big screw-punch hole in shower. FROG sent some kind of fiberglass (?) repair guy and he worked about an hour........filling, sanding, buffing, etc.......and it's like new. But as for SELF repair, I have no clue, sorry.
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Old 10-31-2018, 09:11 AM   #4
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Eternabond tape will probably make a good temp fix. I’d drill a small hole at the end of the crack to stop it from spreading then apply the tape over it.
I didn't think about that Eternabond. I don't have any currently but will order some or see if the dealer has any. The RV is in repair currently for a tire blowout that happened back in August.
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Old 10-31-2018, 02:05 PM   #5
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How about epoxy applied with a toothpick? You can help it into the crack with compressed air
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Old 10-31-2018, 02:23 PM   #6
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Flextape form temp fix.
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Old 10-31-2018, 02:31 PM   #7
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I have the same problem except mine was up near the shower head anchor. I used plastic bondo. It’s very tedious. But it works.

First I got the smallest drill bit I could find. Used a magnifying glass to get right at the end of the crack on both sides and drilled it.

I used painting mask to get close to the line on both side of the crack. Once this was done I cut off some bondo mixed it up and used medical gloves to force it into the crack.

I only got about 30% the first time. So then I had to work it about 5 times like this.

Good luck.
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Old 10-31-2018, 02:48 PM   #8
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Syringe and epoxy I’ve done it a dozen times on things like this. Flex it to open it up, inject it and pull it closed with gorilla tape.
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Old 10-31-2018, 03:01 PM   #9
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I've had good luck with JB Weld, might not match color exactly but it will seal the crack. You can sand it flat after it dries
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Old 10-31-2018, 08:28 PM   #10
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3M 5200 may not be pretty but it is water tight. I use it for intrusions on my boat below the water line. It is pretty much considered a permanent patch. I've used it on a no-no on the edge of my trailer roof four years ago and it is still good.


Epoxy may work also. I use marine epoxy on many things. It is readily available at most big box stores.
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Old 11-01-2018, 06:34 AM   #11
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Bathtub repair kit

A fiberglass repair kit will work the best. I have attached a link to the item in an eBay listing:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Epoxy-Batht...Cz4:rk:13:pf:0

It is a color match fiberglass. I have used it on a previous camper and it never failed.

Prior to using the kit you should drill a small hole right at the end of the crack. Any more flexing will cause it to grow. An 1/16" drill will suffice. Make sure you are right at the end and drill slowly so as not to crack it further.

Right now, all the stresses are concentrated at the very tip end of the crack. By drilling the hole you will prevent it from growing longer by relieving the stress at that single tiny point and spreading the stresses around the entire circumference of the drilled hole. (Think of a small crack in the windshield of your car that grows and grows with time and temperature changes.)

We use this method to stop cracks on aircraft windows, which are subject to LOTS more stress than you bathtub surround.

No tape or anything applied over it will stop it from growing longer. They may create a temporary seal until the crack grows longer than the strip of tape.
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Old 11-07-2018, 02:23 AM   #12
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From your description, it sounds like the surround was screwed to the wall unevenly or the wall isn't square/flat.

I think before I fixed the crack, I would figure out which by unscrewing the fasteners on that corner of the surround (Top and down the side) and then see if the surround will actually lay flat against the wall (both top and side) and can be rescrewed correctly.

If the wall isn't square and the surround won't lay flush so you don't have a repeat of this issue, I think I would be looking at a minimum of shimming out the wall (again, top and side) enough that your giving the surround support at the fasteners to try to prevent a repeat. THEN, I would move forward with whichever of the repair options you choose for the surround.

Just my two cents. Good luck in the repair and let us know how it turns out.
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