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Removing Shower Doors? Here's How To Fix Holes Left Behind
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 Q.
I'm looking for the best solution to repair the holes that will
be left in my fiberglass tub/shower after I remove the glass shower
doors.
In your answer to a recent question about mildew and shower doors,
I read that you had removed your shower doors. What do you suggest?
Can I realistically do a good-looking repair, or do I need to consider
getting a professional tub/shower refinishing job?
A. First, Mr. HandyPerson's lousy old sliding shower doors were
attached with aluminum trim on the front and rear ceramic tile walls,
and the screw holes were easily patched with white tile grout.
The spots are not invisible, but because he has always intended
to eventually replace the particularly ugly tile, they are easy
for him to ignore.
Tile grout will not work with your fiberglass shower. There are
patching compounds, such as Bondo, made for boat and auto repairs
that could be used to make a waterproof, permanent seal for the
screw holes.
Mr. HP has also used a two-part epoxy patch a number of times to
fix chips and scratches inside his previous dishwasher (the current
one is stainless steel), and on white porcelain sinks and tubs.
But when approaching whether you can "realistically"
do a good job, it depends on a number of factors.
If the fiberglass shower walls are not white or not the exact same
white as the dried epoxy patch or Bondo, matching the patch to the
shower may not be possible.
If you want the old screw holes to be completely invisible, your
best bet might be to hire a bath refinishing company to patch and
resurface the whole shower.
However, if Mr. HP had been faced with this challenge, he would
have simply replaced the screws holding the shower door trim with
slightly longer, ovalhead, stainless steel screws, each with a small
rubber grommet (washer) to seal the hole.
This is one of those times when a trip to a local hardware store
and a discussion with the personnel (who know the difference between
ovalhead, roundhead and flathead screws) about what you are trying
to do will produce an inexpensive, simple and permanent fix for
the screw holes.
Take along one of the old screws to make sure the replacement screws
are long enough to fill the old screw holes and are about the same
diameter so that you do not crack the fiberglass with a "fatter"
screw.
The stainless steel screws will be visible, of course. This is
not the sort of thing that bothers Mr. HP.
A number of slightly off-color patches would bother him more, just
as his inability to clean his old glass shower doors finally drove
him to the point of ripping them out with great enthusiasm.
Aside from the fact that this is an approach you can do yourself,
with a little help from your local hardware emporium, we're also
talking about the difference in cost from about $5 for materials
to at least a few hundred dollars for professional refinishing.
Mr. HandyPerson has seen some fantastic professional tub and shower
refinishing jobs, and he has nothing against the idea when done
well.
But if you don't mind the color and condition of your current shower
stall, having the whole thing redone to cover a handful of screw
holes seems a little excessive to him.
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