ok so i managed to accidentally make a small hole in our bathtub wall. it's the size of 4 tiles, and has punctured through the sheetrock. i got an estimate from one company saying the whole wall is weak, and that it would be about $500 to fix the whole thing (grounding, tiles, sheetrock, tinset). my question to you guys is, what's the cheapest and best option to go with here? or does anyone know someone good who can do this for real cheap? we're total noobs when it comes to any kind of foundation work, so i'm not sure if we'd be able to do it ourselves (unless it's super easy). also, would it really be necessary to redo the entire tiled wall? any help is appreciated!
I've repaired this type of thing using some thin, waterproofed wood, or even laminated cardboard as a backing.... wedged into the existing tiles around the edges... then use the color tub and tile silicone caulk that matches the grout... Put gobs of it behind the tiles and in the cracks... hold it all together on the outside with some masking tape... let it dry with no water contact for 24-36 hours (if possible)... remove the outer tape... lightly scrape away the excess caulking... then lightly fill the gaps with more caulking... make sure to get the caulk with "microban" because it resist mold. Band aid? Sure. Effectiveness? Decent. Aesthetic appeal? Not for looks. We did this one a restroom we are planning on doing a complete overhaul soon, as a temporary fix to a problem. Or you can do it the right way.
Foundation work? Where did that come from? I thought this was a wall. If it's just a wall, I assume it's about 7 feet long, 8 feet tall, with tile going up around 6 feet. In materials, that's 2 sheets of greenrock, say $50 (note my understanding of materials prices is 5 years old); maybe 7 2x4s if they have to replace all the wood framing (though if they do, what other part of the frame is bad?), which is another $60 I'm guessing; plus 42 square feet of tile at maybe $1/sqft, $42 (actually, he'd probably have to retile the other walls too, if the tub is in a corner, so maybe call it $65); a couple bucks in paint, a couple more for caulk. So materials may cost as much as maybe $200. A good contractor could do the work in one day I'd think, but maybe two. He has to pull the tub out, bust out all the tile/sheetrock, take out any rotten framing, nail in new framing, hang the greenrock, put the tub back in, tile, paint, caulk, throw out all the junk (probably paying for the landfill). And, your quote gives him about $300 for 1-2 days of work. I think that's fairly reasonable. You may get someone for $400. It's not too hard to do. But, you probably don't have the tools to make it easy, like a nail gun. Not to mention all the things you'd have to buy, like a trowel, paint brush, sledge hammer, if you don't have them.
Hole-in-the-bathtub-wall? Viagra? And BTW, you need to recreate how this hole "accidentally" happened on your wall, sir. We need pictures of that, too. What has become of you, Mr. Riley, sir? I haven't seen you since '94. Seriously, though: http://www.ehow.com/video_4150_patch-hole-drywall.html - it AUTOPLAYS, so I am adding the link to the VIDEO instead of embedding. Use THAT ^ as a "foundation" (the way you said it) to make a patch. There's also THIS: http://www.factsfacts.com/MyHomeRepair/Hole.htm .
