SPS handymen help needed.

[Requiem For A Dawg]

My DSLD house is 4 years old, so of course it is falling apart.

I noticed several screws backing out of the fiberglass that holds my shower door on. I took the door off today to see the holes hollowed out. I was going to to the toothpick trick to fill the holes, but it is hollow inside the fiberglass shower until the drywall which is about 4 inches back.

I believe these dumbasses just screwed the screws into hollow fiberglass with nothing inside to catch the screw. I’m at a loss at how to fix this. Shower pictured below for reference.

View attachment 21423

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

You could maybe put a threaded insert into the hole and then screw into it.

 

[garddog]

Go to the hardware store and ask for anchors. Not Lowes or Home Depot but a real building supply. Tell them the exact application and there are different ones you can buy. Some screw in, some push in, some have flanges that flare out. If the holes are ragged, make sure you mud the holes back up before you drill and set your anchors. Need to let it dry completely. If that is sheet rock, you need to check for cracking. Also, make sure they used the green board.

 

[Apoplectic_Objurgator]

Buy bondo all purpose putty off Amazon. Mix it and try to get as much as you can in the hole. You can sand and paint then reattach

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

Without structure back behind you are looking at a Sisyphean task. I am assuming you are at towards the edge of the surround and if you can pull that away from the wall by using a razor knife and get a treated 2x4 behind it that would be best. Put some construction adhesive on the side towards the shower and use a few screws to clamp it on the backside. You can then re-caulk the surround.

If you want to try a toggle nut the strongest one out there you can get at Lowes or online. it is called Toggler It has plastic strapping that are like stiff zip ties. A collar goes down those rails to keep the toggle nut in place unlike the one that butterflies out. I used these to install a safety bar for my parents in a tiled shower and they worked great.

Probably still need to get some fiberglass repair bondo also. All sorts of youtube videos on fixing fiberglass tubs and showers.

View attachment 21425

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

Is it a swing or sliding door? Your picture looks flipped 90° maybe and we are talking about just a track for a slider. And the screw in the track just wallowed out. Give us a few more pics for clarity.

If this is the case, you want a jacknut. It's how you put anchors into thin stock materials like aluminum and fiberglass. See video below.

If it's a swinging door, still use a jacknut, just run a long enough bolt to get into the wood or drywall behind the fiber glass for extra stiffness. The bolt will act as a stud between the wall an the jacknut.

 

[Requiem For A Dawg]

Yeah, the picture flipped for some reason when I posted it.

It’s a swinging door. So it looks like the weight of the door was held by the screws and caulk in hollow fiberglass. Not really a great combination for longevity. I guess that’s what you get when you buy a tract home.

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

Do you know if there is a stud back there? If so, go with the long bolt through the jacknut and just predrill the stud and wallboard with a slightly smaller pilot.

Honestly the jacknut alone will probably be enough. If it held on for 4 years the way you say, I am guessing it is a very light door. Not 80lbs of 1/2" frameless glass.

 

[Requiem For A Dawg]

I just measured with a wooden skewer. The skewer went in the hole 5 inches before it hit anything which is I assume is the drywall around the bathroom closet.

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

Yeah. 17 that. Just do the jacknut. Used them to attach stuff to a plastic shed so my screws would not pull out. Worked pretty well.

Outside of that, you are pulling the whole insert out to put proper blocking in.

Most other rivets and anchors will expand in the middle cracking the fiberglass. The jacknut just collapses from the back. Prolly $65-70 all in, but way better than ripping that whole surround out if you don't have to...

https://www.amazon.com/Blind-Rivet-Installation-Riveter-Super-Deals-Shop/dp/B078W7KBNW/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=jack+nut+tool&qid=1629645597&sr=8-3

 

[Motodawg]

I always put a stud back there when i do shower doors. That being said, anchors hold well in them without a stud. Increase screw size or just make new holes and cover your old ones with 100% silicone. Give 24 hrs to dry before applying and 24 after and you won’t have any leaks. If there’s anything i can do for you, call me or find me on Facebook at Top-Notch Plumbing Service. Best of luck.

 

[paindonthurt_]

Can you use a stud find to find good spots to put in new screws that would catch and hold?

Then you can bondo or caulk the old holes. They’ll be hidden anyways by the door.

 

[T-TownDawgg]

Sounds like studs are unreachable, I'd do the jack nut or toggle bolts.

 

[Requiem For A Dawg]

Thanks, Bruce. The Toggler snap toggles worked like a charm. I bought extra for more projects in the future. Incredibly strong and easy to use.

 

[johnson86-1]

Yeah, the picture flipped for some reason when I posted it.

It’s a swinging door. So it looks like the weight of the door was held by the screws and caulk in hollow fiberglass. Not really a great combination for longevity. I guess that’s what you get when you buy a tract home.

It really is amazing the way some of them will cut corners even when it doesn't save much time or money. I'm sure there are better ones in more affluent areas, but the ones where I live are all pretty ******. The ones that try to do nicer neighborhoods that aren't destined to become ghettos in 10 years seem to have trouble getting off the ground.

 

[Requiem For A Dawg]

Yeah, rookie mistake by me. Got engaged, then rushed to buy a house. It’s been a decent starter home but nothing more. The wife and I have been here for 5 years. Hoping for a couple more, then finding something else. Never will I live in a mass produced cookie cutter subdivision again. It’s for some people but not for me.

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

Your welcome. I was impressed with them for those situations.

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

So those were able to pull tight on something as thin as fiberglass? That's awesome. I always thought it needed at least a half inch for the little plastic thread to imbed in... Looking now, does it sit inside of the toggle?

That's cool that it worked. Nice rec Bruce.

 

[johnson86-1]

Yeah, rookie mistake by me. Got engaged, then rushed to buy a house. It’s been a decent starter home but nothing more. The wife and I have been here for 5 years. Hoping for a couple more, then finding something else. Never will I live in a mass produced cookie cutter subdivision again. It’s for some people but not for me.

People obviously like them, but they are frustrating as hell to me.

Had some friends that bought one and their house was pretty good and they did good on resale. Their builder was probably building around 30 a year if I was going to guess, and they seemed to do a pretty good job, and those builders disappeared. Not sure if they went out of business or just retired. The builders that throw 300 pieces of **** together each year are blowing and going though. Their buyers pretty much take a 10 to 20% haircut off the top when they move in, and have to wait years for general housing market appreciation to make their house worth what they paid for it (and that's assuming their neighborhood doesn't fall out of favor, which most of them do although it takes about a decade). I don't understand how they keep getting customers that can afford to take that haircut or what their customers do when they try to move up after 5 or six years and the house is just now worth what they paid for it if they're lucky. Meanwhile, big swaths of area that are reasonably conveniently located are turned into pretty ****** housing stock that is a blight and drags down the area.