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I need some advice. My shower stall in my house has a crack in the base. I'm worried about the potential water damage below the unit. I've tried sealing it with Real Seal, but it wears away after a couple of days/weeks. I visited Home Depot today and the guy there recommended Homax Tub and Sink Refinishing Kit. But that looked like it was for porcelain and not whatever my shower is made of. Beyond that, he said the only thing left is to replace the shower which would be at least $400 plus labor.

My next step is to call out somebody for an estimate of some sort. But I thought I'd ask here for any recommendations first. Does anybody have any advise before I drop over $1000 on this? I have to imagine that this is a common problem so surely there is a simple solution.

crack

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  • Is that fiberglass? It is hard to tell from the photo.
    – wallyk
    Commented Jul 7, 2014 at 2:48
  • It looks like it could be a lot of cracks from the photo, which means to me that it is going to keep cracking. So, if it was me, I'd remove it and install a new unit. But, if you want to try to seal it, you could try duct tape (you can get different colors), epoxy, clear silicone, or Bondo. If you go with the latter approach, be sure to rough up the area first with 60 grit sandpaper, then wipe clean with rubbing alcohol.
    – getterdun
    Commented Jul 7, 2014 at 3:58

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That looks like fiberglass (if it feels pretty flexible its fiberglass, if it pings when you tap it with your wedding ring its porcelain) which could in theory be patched with a fiberglass resin patch. Use the kind with the fiberglass mesh, not just Bondo it will crack. Or you could try West Systems G/Flex Epoxy Kit WSY-650K, I've used it to do some hairy fixes and it is pretty impressive. Having said that, I would consider any patch to be a temporary fix at best. You've got water, regular stressing forces caused by your shifting weight in the tub, and a hole that may be leaking into an area that you can't see. Bad juju. Also, and I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the last time I replaced a shower/tub insert it ended up costing the homeowner about $2300 because we had to tear up and replace a lot of the sub-floor due to years of minor leaks and overflows. You may not be looking at water damage yet but I wouldn't be surprised if you have to perform a little surgery once that shell is out. Best of luck, ph

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  • Even if it isn't fiberglass, a fiberglass patch will do just fine on pretty much anything. All it is is reinforced epoxy, and I have yet to find something that I can't 'glass over to patch a leak or a crack. Whether it will give enough structural support or not look like hell is a different story...
    – Comintern
    Commented Jul 8, 2014 at 4:06

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