# Drywall getting water damage around shower surround and door



## Taneronx (Jan 11, 2022)

Hi Folks,

anyone ever run into this issue? I have drywall around the tub surround that bubbles up. I’ve already redone that area once when I first bought the house but it happened again.Just curious, how does this even happen? It’s happening in both my bathrooms.


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## Gcraay (Nov 29, 2021)

I my first reaction is, that’s not the proper drywal. It should be greenboard. Especially the shower edge. It shouldn’t be getting wet at all. My house is from 1991 and I have no issues with this even in areas that actually get wet. It’s time to rip some out and check. If the drywall guys got cheap on you and slapped up the wrong stuff that could easily happen. Fire board is especially expensive and is often not used in furnace rooms where it’s supposed to be for safety. If the house is really new I’d go after the builder. I also would have to question if the fan is adequate and why I don’t see a caulk line between the drywall and tub surround.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

I don't have any issues with regular drywall in my bath rm. Most don't. You do need to caulk the tile or surround to the drywall and use a latex enamel [any sheen]


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## Boogityman (Oct 17, 2017)

I use regular drywall in my bathrooms too, even shower adjacent...the goal regardless of product should be to keep all water in the shower area.

I had a new completely open walk in shower installed probably 3 years ago now. After a few months I decided I didn't like how some water escaped out of the wet area and wet the drywall just above the tile baseboard area, similar to where you are seeing issues. So I decided to put in maybe a 6 inch piece of glass to protect those edges and keep the water in the shower. Very happy with the result. But I never saw bubbling like that...the water would stay on the surface of the painted and sealed (with latex caulk to the tile borders) and not penetrate into the drywall.

To me it looks like the water is getting behind the paint and absorbing into the drywall. Either it needs to be caulked to keep water moving through the tile-drywall joint or... I don't know how else water could be getting behind?

You said you repaired once before... What did it look like? Where did it look like?

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

If there's any caulk there at the edge of the tile/drywall boundary, it's hard to see. I bet water is getting into the paper facing of the drywall and wicking along, raising the paint.


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## Ayan (Dec 28, 2021)

Taneronx said:


> Hi Folks,
> 
> anyone ever run into this issue? I have drywall around the tub surround that bubbles up. I’ve already redone that area once when I first bought the house but it happened again.Just curious, how does this even happen? It’s happening in both my bathrooms.
> View attachment 679594
> ...


The problem you are having is water is migrating and wicking into the drywall. 

The best solution at the shower door is to remove the shower doors and then the frame. Remove all the silicone or calking form behind and around the door frame. Then apply new silicone based caulking (Tub & Shower Caulk) on the back of the frame before reinstalling it. Once installed, apply the same caulk around the frame. You also need to remove the existing caulk if any at all the inside corners of the shower. Once you reapply the tub and shower caulk and it is completely sealed, no more water will leak behind the shower door frame, and you will not have the problem anymore.

The other shower with the shower fiberglass unit has the same problem. Water is migrating and wicking into the drywall. On that unit you will need to caulk the joint you see in the photo all around the shower with the same tub and shower caulk. It would be better to install a shower door in that shower and make sure to caulk the seams in the shower unit so not water migrates behind the fiberglass panels.

If you do not install a shower door, you will need to make sure and get a shower curtain that will stick to the sides of the shower when in use to help stop water from migrating however shower doors are the better option. You also will need to get something called a shower splash guard that you install at the tub corners which stops water from running down the side and on to the drywall. Finally, you will need to caulk the seam between the tub and wall fiberglass units. 

Once you stop the water from migrating to the drywall, you can patch the drywall after it dries.

It does not matter what drywall is behind the shower if the shower is properly sealed. Even if you have concrete behind there, if it keeps getting wet over the long term, it will start to fall apart. Yes some products like green board, DensShield or Durock will last longer but once any of these produces get wet, mold will start to grow behind the shower so bottom line is to stop the water from migrating to the outside of the shower and you will end the problem you are having.


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## YaterSpoon (Dec 1, 2016)

Slide the door open,, and have a good look where the horizontal track meets the vertical piece. That should be cleaned and then give it a smear of silicone. It's often overlooked. Also, make sure the weep holes in your track are open (not caulked or gunned over)

Same problem happens in the inside corners of some window frames, including high end ones. You man not even see a gap, but there may be one that requires a dab of sealant.


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