How to temporarily waterproof a shower wall missing tiles
Exposed wallboard absorbs water every time you shower, which causes structural damage and leaks into the ceiling below while you wait for contractors. A makeshift barrier like a taped garbage bag can buy time, but without a proper temporary seal, moisture will continue collecting behind the wall.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Hanging a garbage bag over the hole
- 2Hanging shower curtain liners over the broken sides
- 3Using 100% silicone to glue fallen tiles back in place temporarily and seal the edges
- 4Cover the wall with plastic or a shower liner and tape it in place
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I have some tiles that fell off my shower wall.”source ↗
“I've been talking to contractors to renovate the entire bathroom, but it's taking longer than I expected to hire one.”source ↗
“I've hung a garbage bag over the hole for a month now.”source ↗
“I feel like if I do some DIY job to keep water out of the wall, it would be better for the interim.”source ↗
“My bathtub tiles are leaking. Not quite ready for a bathroom remodel. Is there anything I can do to temporarily mitigate the issue?”source ↗
“Bathroom is as old as the house, no updates since the 70s. A remodel is in the plans just not this year.”source ↗
“Meanwhile I don’t really want water collecting behind the wall and soaking first floor ceiling.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 4Gaps between shower wall and drywall
- 2Why is the paint on my bathroom ceiling peeling?
- 6Should I put caulk over missing grout in shower corners?
- 2Basement window level with the ground water leak prevention
- 4How to clean a really mouldy rental shower and fix the caulk
- 2Can you use fiberglass insulation in a basement after flooding?