Damp walls being bath? Help!

[sleepingkoala]

So I think the walls behind my bath are damp. The reason is because a couple of months ago I changed the sealant strip around my bath as it had turned black from mould. And I noticed that when I removed the old sealant it was dark brown underneath in places where the mould was bad. I didn't think much of it and just put the new sealant over it. However I had a issue with some 'handy-men' having to fix the cabinet in my bathroom and they were too heavy handed and banged too hard with hammer when resembling the cabinet which caused some tiles underneath the come loose. Two of these tiles happened to be right next to the bath (adjacent to). And when I removed those loose tiles I saw a dark patch on the plaster on the side of the plaster next to where the bath is. So I imagine that the wall actually behind the bath looks the same or worse. The trouble is that now a few months later, there is a weird smell in my bathroom which I think is the damp plaster behind the bath!

What should I do? Do I have to have the whole bath removed to replace the last behind it? or is there some other way? Help please! Thanks.

[Testificateman]

Do you have an overhead shower in the bath and how long have you had the tiles?
The dampness could be caused by a few different things. The seal around your bath, the grout between the tiles and too much condensation in your bathroom.

[sleepingkoala]

Testificateman - Yes I have an overhead shower in the bath. I don't know how long the tiles have been there because I have only lived here for a year and it was all there when I bought the place from the previous owners.

[Testificateman]

Sounds like the grout and seal might have gone. Had a similar problem with my old house. I removed the tiles and plaster around the bath, used plasterboard and dry wall adhesive and re tiled the bathroom.
The dampness in the plaster is, unfortunately, hard to reverse and will need removing. Depending on where you get the tiles from, you could do it all for around £600.

[sleepingkoala]

thanks for your reply. So I have to get to the wall behind the bath? So i need someone to remove the bath, fix the wall somehow and then put the bath back in place?

[wowfudge]

Yes - you might have to have the wall re-plastered and the floor below the bath might need attention too.

[Testificateman]

It does sound like that the grout in the tiles has lost its waterproofing and, with you having the shower, water has gone through to your wall.
If you are ok at DIY, I can talk you through how to do it yourself. It isn't very hard to do and you will save a lot of money.