Cracked Shower Surround

[stugpanzer]

We ended up with cracked shower surround on our 2006 Fleetwood Pace Arrow. I called Fleetwood and they don't make that surround and they said they would continue contacting vendors to see if they can find a compatible replacement.

I contacted the dealer we purchased from (last year) and they said it's all too common for this to happen. He suggested I try submitting the 'damage' to my insurance comprehensive.

It seems I will probably need to do the repair. I would like to get ideas from others that may have dealt with this issue short of replacing the surround. This is plastic and not fiberglass so I'm not sure if the crack can be repaired or just caulked or something.

The following are pics of the cracks....

[Pogoil]

Caulk it and then tile over the cracks 2 strips of 4 inch tile will dress up the shower stall.

Pogoil.

[Gjac]

The surrounds are usually made from thermoplastic or RFG. The reinforced fiber glass has fiber glass with a thermoset resin usually polyester. You should be able to see the fibers from the backside or from the crack itself. RFG is stronger than the un-reinforced thermoplastic materials. Can you see which type you have? If you post what you have the you will get the best repair procedure.

[stugpanzer]

tred0956 wrote:
Can you get the surround off the wall fairly easily? If so, the repair is straight forward. From the back, reinforce the crack by applying some stick on fibreglass mesh used for drywall repairs-comes in a rolled up strip about 2 inches wide, like tape. Then use epoxy (make sure it works for plastic) applied over the mesh, fairly wide and thick. Or, RV shops sell a type of repair glue (much like epoxy) made especially for RV plastic fixtures. Comes in almond or white. This stuff sets up pretty quickly, so work quickly.

If getting the surround off is a pain, you could use the RV repair glue from the front side (without the mesh) and sand it down. With care, it should not look too bad. If it does, you could spray paint the repair with Krylon Fusion plastic paint. I did a few repairs like this and the paint colour was very close to the factory plastic tub.

I like this approach. This might be the plan of action.....Thanks!

[Effy]

flyfishingfool wrote:
we have to fix cracks in our shower every spring and we use white silicone2 in the cracks and works very well.

Why do you have cracks every year? Never heard of this.

[rgatijnet1]

As an alternative, you can buy 4x8 plastic panels at Home Depot and cut a piece to cover that ENTIRE shower wall where the crack is. Once glued over the existing shower stall, with glue available at HD, it will improve the visual appearance and prevent any water leaking behind the surround at the crack. Just make a paper template of the size and shape required and cut the plastic sheet to fit.

[Teacher_s_Pet]

Check around local body shops, many cars today have plastic body panels that are repaired rather than replaced. See if the shower is compatible with their methods. OR seeing as you are from Illinois, stop by Menard's and see what shower walls they have on hand or can special order.

[flyfishingfool]

we have to fix cracks in our shower every spring and we use white silicone2 in the cracks and works very well.

[Sooner_Schooner]

I've always thought of getting big sheets of the vinyl used in making decals and covering walls with it. You can decorate the way you want and it is water proof. I see no reason why this would not work.

[louiskathy]

Isn't there such a thing as marine putty? If all you want to do is repair the cracks so that water can't get behind the surround... I'm sure boat people have a waterproof putty.

I googled Marine putty and Home Depot has some but I'd go to a boat / fiberlass repair place and talk to them.

[tred0956]

Can you get the surround off the wall fairly easily? If so, the repair is straight forward. From the back, reinforce the crack by applying some stick on fibreglass mesh used for drywall repairs-comes in a rolled up strip about 2 inches wide, like tape. Then use epoxy (make sure it works for plastic) applied over the mesh, fairly wide and thick. Or, RV shops sell a type of repair glue (much like epoxy) made especially for RV plastic fixtures. Comes in almond or white. This stuff sets up pretty quickly, so work quickly.

If getting the surround off is a pain, you could use the RV repair glue from the front side (without the mesh) and sand it down. With care, it should not look too bad. If it does, you could spray paint the repair with Krylon Fusion plastic paint. I did a few repairs like this and the paint colour was very close to the factory plastic tub.

[mayo30]

That is why it cracked,you can't attach the surround solid like that,it needs to be able to expand and contract as much as possible.the usual attachment is with an expanding nylon or plastic plug style of fastener.

[stugpanzer]

mayo30 wrote:
Who put the screws in?

We bought this coach used and there was a soap dispenser that the dealer took out.

[Dick_B]

Quick drill a hole (1/16 inch should do) just BEYOND the existing crack which will keep it from propagating.
If all else fails do a Google search.

[mayo30]

Who put the screws in?