# How to patch holes in shower enclosure when going from 2-handle faucet to single?



## Studly (Feb 27, 2009)

I want to convert our old two handle shower and tub faucet to single handle. The shower wall is a white fiberglass (I think it's fiberglass ... looks like thick plastic) enclosure.

I know they sell remodeling cover plates to hide the holes from a two handle system, but problem is, the two handles are too close vertically to the faucet, so a typical remodeling cover won't work. That is unless I can find a cover that is more rectangular shaped, and not as rounded on the corners as all the plates I've seen, which won't quite cover the holes.

Assuming there are no such plates available, what's the best way to fill the two handle holes in the fiberglass enclosure? I see they have shower patch kits for enclosures do those work well? I would need some kind of backing, however. Or is there a way to buy some kind of waterproof plastic material that I could epoxy to the back of the enclosure wall, and then maybe fill in and level off with the shower patch stuff? 

I suppose I could use something like Bondo, but then I'd have to paint it too.

Anyone do this before and what do you recommend?


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Post a picture of what you have so we can see what the problum is.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=shower+repair+plates&qpvt=shower+repair+plates&FORM=IGRE


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## rjniles (Feb 5, 2007)

Have a piece of 1/2" Corian cut large enough to cover the old holes. Have it decorative with a fancy edge (ogee maybe). Epoxy and screw in place from the back. Cut new hole as required.


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## Ghostmaker (Mar 2, 2013)

Call a fiberglass tub repair service builders use them all the time prices are very reasonable in Ohio.


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## Studly (Feb 27, 2009)

joecaption said:


> Post a picture of what you have so we can see what the problum is.
> http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=shower+repair+plates&qpvt=shower+repair+plates&FORM=IGRE


Sorry, I'm not able to get a picture posted, but to describe it better, if the two handle holes were a half inch higher, than one of those shower repair plates would work. But now the bottom of the plate would bump into the top of the tub faucet and not quite cover the holes.


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## Alan (Apr 12, 2006)

Studly said:


> Sorry, I'm not able to get a picture posted, but to describe it better, if the two handle holes were a half inch higher, than one of those shower repair plates would work. But now the bottom of the plate would bump into the top of the tub faucet and not quite cover the holes.


If a remodel plate won't work, then the answer is here : http://www.diychatroom.com/f7/how-p...ng-2-handle-faucet-single-180340/#post1186039


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## Studly (Feb 27, 2009)

Ghostmaker said:


> Call a fiberglass tub repair service builders use them all the time prices are very reasonable in Ohio.


I'll have to try to find someone offering that service in my area. Haven't ever heard of a company doing that. Any idea what they might charge to cover/fill two holes?

Anyone ever try the tub/shower patch kits you can buy at the home improvement stores? Wondering if that would give me similar results as what the pros would do, or if it's tough to get it to look good?


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## TheEplumber (Jul 20, 2010)

Studly said:


> I'll have to try to find someone offering that service in my area. Haven't ever heard of a company doing that. Any idea what they might charge to cover/fill two holes?
> 
> Anyone ever try the tub/shower patch kits you can buy at the home improvement stores? Wondering if that would give me similar results as what the pros would do, or if it's tough to get it to look good?


I've seen them patch 3.5" holes before caused by an absent minded apprentice :furious:
But the problem was matching the white perfectly- manufacturers have different shades of color- so a DIY kit might present the same problem.


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## Demo Diva (Jan 8, 2022)

TheEplumber said:


> I've seen them patch 3.5" holes before caused by an absent minded apprentice :furious:
> But the problem was matching the white perfectly- manufacturers have different shades of color- so a DIY kit might present the same problem.


I have this same problem but in tile any suggestions


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## dj3 (Apr 27, 2020)

Search "Moen wide shower faucet cover plate" and see the results.
They make cover plates for what you need.


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## ihateu3 (10 mo ago)

Demo Diva said:


> I have this same problem but in tile any suggestions


Like everyone else, my faucet was too close to the 3 shower knobs to use an escutcheon plate. I was searching everywhere looking for ideas and could not find any other ways to do the conversion aside from patching the holes. I actually ordered a fiberglass repair kit and was just about ready to try and patch the holes, when it dawned on me, that I could just cut the entire area out, and fit a shower shelf in its place. I can't believe it took me 2 years to realize the simplest solution! Anyways I registered here just to share my solution, in hopes that it would help someone else since I was unable to find this answer and was only lucky to think of it just in the nick of time.

As a bonus, my conversion actually ended up coming out really good, you would never know that I did it just because I couldn't fit the remodel plate.


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## Mike Milam (Mar 3, 2017)

Nice tip thanks.


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## RonVan (Oct 2, 2019)

ihateu3 said:


> Like everyone else, my faucet was too close to the 3 shower knobs to use an escutcheon plate. I was searching everywhere looking for ideas and could not find any other ways to do the conversion aside from patching the holes. I actually ordered a fiberglass repair kit and was just about ready to try and patch the holes, when it dawned on me, that I could just cut the entire area out, and fit a shower shelf in its place. I can't believe it took me 2 years to realize the simplest solution! Anyways I registered here just to share my solution, in hopes that it would help someone else since I was unable to find this answer and was only lucky to think of it just in the nick of time.
> 
> As a bonus, my conversion actually ended up coming out really good, you would never know that I did it just because I couldn't fit the remodel plate.
> 
> ...


I'm liking this idea! A couple questions though...I assume the niche is as wide as the old faucets used to be and the bottom of the niche is lined up with the old faucets? I'm not sure what the bottom little shelf is. Is the little shelf covering the tub spout hole?

Our situation is almost identical to yours. I'm very excited about this idea!

Our faucet handles are 9" apart, so we would need a 10" wide niche. Is that about what yours is?


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## ihateu3 (10 mo ago)

RonVan said:


> I'm liking this idea! A couple questions though...I assume the niche is as wide as the old faucets used to be and the bottom of the niche is lined up with the old faucets? I'm not sure what the bottom little shelf is. Is the little shelf covering the tub spout hole?
> 
> Our situation is almost identical to yours. I'm very excited about this idea!
> 
> ...


Actually, the niche is a little bigger than the width of my old faucet knobs, which is ok because that just meant that I had enough wall to cut out to the width of the niche. And yes, the bottom is lined up with the old faucet knobs. The exact niche that I got (you can Google if you want) is an "AKDY 12" x 24" Shower Niche". This will be a little wider than yours as well, but will work well once you cut a space for it.

As far as that little shelf at the bottom, that is actually not a shelf, but is the faucet itself. You may actually have to go with this style of faucet to clear the shelf, since I am unsure if a normal faucet would interfere with the shelf or not. The shower kit I used for the faucet bought on Amazon, "BWE 12 Inch Black Shower System " and saved money by getting an open box return.


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## wrangler (Oct 9, 2008)

RonVan said:


> Our faucet handles are 9" apart, so we would need a 10" wide niche. Is that about what yours is


It's bet that if you measured from the center of screw to center that you'd be pretty darn close to 8". The 12" niche that is mentioned above will probably work great for you as it makes it easier to cut 3 tiles wide ( 3*4"=12") by 6 tiles high. Hopefully you won't have any studs behind the tile to deal with, but you can work around that as well


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## RonVan (Oct 2, 2019)

Well, I have to tell you, I've been stressing over this for a while. I plan on remodeling this bath but that won't be for a while. I the meantime, I can't stand the old sterling three handle faucet. I rebuilt the faucet with a kit that included new stems, seats, and washers but it still isn't very good. It's hard to get the temperature right and then if someone turns a faucet on anywhere in the house, it changes the shower temp. 

I installed a thermostatic Hansgrohe faucet in our old house and that was wonderful but I'm thinking of trying a less expensive pressure balancing faucet now in this bath to last until I can get around to the remodel. I was trying to figure out how to get access to everything and then patch it up to look nice but this is a perfect solution! I can't believe how excited I am about this.

I was talking to my wife just yesterday and told her that we were going to have to move her wire rack that holds her shampoos and hangs from the shower head. I told her I want to move the new faucet up where it's supposed to be and the rack would be in the way. She was sad about this but understood. This niche idea takes care of that too! She will have a place for her shampoos and I will have plenty of access to do the work.


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## RonVan (Oct 2, 2019)

ihateu3 said:


> As far as that little shelf at the bottom, that is actually not a shelf, but is the faucet itself. The shower kit I used for the faucet bought on Amazon, "BWE 12 Inch Black Shower System " and saved money by getting an open box return.


I have a question. As I am thinking this through in my head (which is dangerous), and I'm wondering about the securing of the tub spout. Many of the bath/shower faucet kits require either a galvanized or copper pipe between the mixer valve and the tub spout to make the spout rigid. How did you plumb/fasten the tub spout given the niche is between the valve and the tub spout? Did you use a flanged elbow? Does it seem solid? 









****** *
From Moen Instructions: "Tub/Shower Position the valve body 32 inches from the floor of the tub basin. The shower arm should be placed 78 inches above the floor of the tub basin (recommended installation of the shower arm is with a flanged elbow fitting – not included – and attached to a wood brace). The tub spout is to be no less than 6 inches and no greater than 11 inches below the valve. If installing a threaded tub spout, connect to the valve with 1/2 inch pipe or 1/2 inch copper tubing with a threaded adapter. If installing a slip-fit tub spout, connect to the valve with only copper tubing – no threaded adapter is needed."
****** *
I think most of these Moen plumbing dimension restrictions are because of the type of diverter. In this case it's the kind of diverter on the tub spout that blocks the tub spout and forces the water to go up to the shower head. The niche idea may not allow this type of diverter since the geometry is all wrong. I'm thinking either an actual diverter valve (like you have) would be required or just eliminate the tub spout all together.

I noticed that there is a stud on one side of your niche. Is there room on the other side of the niche for the plumbing? It looks like you had access to behind your niche and faucet, is this right? Did you run supply line pipes behind your niche or around the sides? I won't have room behind the niche. Did you use PEX?

I don't really care about the bath tub. When I re-do this bathroom in the future, I will eliminate the tub and just have a shower but until that remodel happens, I would like to replace the faucet setup because I can't stand the old Sterling three handle system. 









I have galvanized pipe (IPS supply line) coming up from the crawl space to the faucet. I haven't cut into the wall yet to see how this connects but the drawing shows a coupling that looks like it converts the IPS (galvanized pipe) to something the faucet uses. Is that what your old faucet looked like? I'm thinking that I'll probably have to go into the crawlspace and start my PEX down there so I can route it around the niche to the valve. If the niche cutout starts at the current faucet holes, there won't be enough room to start the pex at that point. Did you have to do something like that?










I was hoping to not have to do any of this upgrade in the crawl space since it's 90' from the access hole to this spot. Then, when I have to get the tool I forgot, It's 90' out and another 90' back in. Some of the 90' journey involves laying on my back and shimming under HVAC ductwork. When I re-did the plumbing for our kitchen re-model, luckily, the floor was rotted out under the old kitchen sink creating a convenient access hole but I have since replaced the subfloor and flooring covering that hole.


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## RonVan (Oct 2, 2019)

Studly said:


> Anyone ever try the tub/shower patch kits you can buy at the home improvement stores? Wondering if that would give me similar results as what the pros would do, or if it's tough to get it to look good?


Depending on how skillful your original installation was, the holes around the faucets may be less than 2" in which faucet hole covers may work.




















Amazon.com: 2 Inch Kitchen Sink Hole Cover Black Faucet Hole Cover Stainless Steel Kitchen Sink Tap Hole Plate Stopper Cover Blanking Metal Plug (4 Pcs) : Tools & Home Improvement


Amazon.com: 2 Inch Kitchen Sink Hole Cover Black Faucet Hole Cover Stainless Steel Kitchen Sink Tap Hole Plate Stopper Cover Blanking Metal Plug (4 Pcs) : Tools & Home Improvement



www.amazon.com





After thinking about it, I don't think the niche idea will work in my situation. I also don't like the large "Remodel cover." 













I think I am leaning toward covering the faucet holes with the smaller covers rather than the large remodel cover since I don't want to install the new faucet that low. First, I will open the back side of the wall to do the work. 
I'll cover the back side with a cover like this. 




















Amazon.com: Access Panel Door 12'' x 16'' Inch - White Opening Flap Cover Plate - Box Door Lock - Door Latch : Patio, Lawn & Garden


Amazon.com: Access Panel Door 12'' x 16'' Inch - White Opening Flap Cover Plate - Box Door Lock - Door Latch : Patio, Lawn & Garden



www.amazon.com


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## wrangler (Oct 9, 2008)

RonVan said:


> Depending on how skillful your original installation was, the holes around the faucets may be less than 2" in which faucet hole covers may work.
> 
> View attachment 713303
> 
> ...


And often the large remodel covers won't allow you to meet the min distance requirement from valve to tub spout needed on many valves. 
Glad you found an acceptable solution.


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## RonVan (Oct 2, 2019)

I cut out an access hole to change my valve. The tile was installed in 1970 and boy is it thick.









I used this cutting blade to score the tile.









The toilet paper holder fell off while I was hammering the tile



















I need to cut a hole on this side for the valve


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## RonVan (Oct 2, 2019)

I was wondering if anyone knows the answer to this; The instructions for a Moen tub/shower mixing valve (and many other ones similar to this one) that has a diverter valve on the tub spout gives minimum and maximum dimensions for the distance between the tub spout and the mixer valve.










It's hard to see in the diagram above but the minimum distance between the tub spout and the mixing valve is 6" and the maximum is 11". I imagine that when the water is turned on (valve opened) that water flows down to the tub spout but also water flows up toward the shower head. Gravity keeps the water from coming out of the shower head until the tub spout diverter valve is closed and forces water to go all the way up to the shower head. 

In the diagram, they have 46" between the mixer valve and the shower head. If you maintained the 46", would it matter if there was 15" between the tub spout and the mixer valve?


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## wrangler (Oct 9, 2008)

Though I've never tested it, I would assume the reason for the 11" Max is to provide sufficient back pressure to keep the spout diverter closed and force the water to go through the showerhead. Raising it higher may not allow it to close completely and leak through the spout or possibly not stay closed at all


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## RonVan (Oct 2, 2019)

wrangler said:


> Though I've never tested it, I would assume the reason for the 11" Max is to provide sufficient back pressure to keep the spout diverter closed and force the water to go through the showerhead. Raising it higher may not allow it to close completely and leak through the spout or possibly not stay closed at all


That sounds reasonable. I looked at my (temporary) project this afternoon and 13” is max I can go without making my access hole bigger and if I go 11”, it will make life easier all the way round. So… I’ll follow instructions and go with 11”. As a side note, Delta allows up to 18” between the spout and mixing valve. Delta must have different geometry.


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## wrangler (Oct 9, 2008)

RonVan said:


> That sounds reasonable. I looked at my (temporary) project this afternoon and 13” is max I can go without making my access hole bigger and if I go 11”, it will make life easier all the way round. So… I’ll follow instructions and go with 11”. As a side note, Delta allows up to 18” between the spout and mixing valve. Delta must have different geometry.


Yes, we used to install Delta for that very reason, to give the shower users a more comfortable valve position.


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## RonVan (Oct 2, 2019)

I had to take some time off from projects but I finally got around to the shower valve install.

i cut an access hole behind the valves. I bought a plastic access hole cover from Amazon











I cut the galvanized pipe going up to the shower arm and was able to unscrew the faucet fittings from the galvanized pipes coming up from the crawlspace. 











The union fittings to the old faucet had to be scored to get them off. 52 years of corrosion!


I then put shutoff valves on these supply lines so I could turn the water back on. 








I cut the hole through the tile for the new faucet and cutout the Sheetrock to work on the shower arm. 

















As it turns out, this tile (installed 52 years ago) was pink. It was painted white but it’s amazing how well it holds up! I primed the area around the holes that were still pink and added a top coat later. 










Hooked up the Pex and secured the new valve 









I used faucet hole covers over the old faucet holes. Leak tested okay. Caulking should be dry by shower time tonight.


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## Racinmason (3 mo ago)

Maybe do what my dad did when he added a new ding on his car's bumper....place a Jeff Gordon sticker over it


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## RonVan (Oct 2, 2019)

The toilet paper holder fell off while I was hammering the tile out on the access hole. The tile and mortar was 1” thick! Anyway, a little PL3 construction adhesive did the trick and it’s as good as new.


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## RonVan (Oct 2, 2019)

Update! The new shower mixer/valve works wonderfully! The temperature is rock solid once set, the flow has increased, and no leaks. I'd say this project is a success!


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