So I'm looking at a tub facet fabricated from two ball valves and copper pipe. Whta is behind the wall paper? Do you have access from the other side of the wall? Is it open for the full dimension to the duct tape? How long is this expected to be in place? As a minimum instead of wallpaper, I'd find something more solid and impervious like a masonite board, linoleum, lexan, etc. Cut it to the needed shape and then use a silicone sealant to seal the edges. wallpaper isn't going to last at all.

My plumber cut the tile in my bathrooms due to lack of entry from back of showers. He then used a Smitty Plate to close up tile. Not the expensive decorator type on Amazon. I have 14 by 6 inch thin plastic oval shaped cover for pipes extending through wall. Plumber also said anyplace that cuts plexi glass could cut any size needed and cut the holes for pipes. Best wishes for your repair.

So is there a hole in the wall there, or just some missing tiles? From the way your wallpaper looks, it seems like a gaping hole behind it. I can't believe there wasn't some other way to carry out the repair. What kind of plumber leaves behind a mess like that? Good grief.

Sorry for the delay. In my last post on this topic I did show the pic. of what i had before, but for some reason my post disappeared into thin air. There had even been responses to it.

To answer your Qs, there were just missing tiles, but that gave access to centipedes (from basement i assume). They were gross. Now there seem to be less of them, but i'm thinking at least one might have managed to squeeze thru the area surrounding the green valves.

I don't have access via other side. Indeed i'm not sure this will last long, but once i did it, i'll need to wait it out, because NO WAY am i exerting my achy body to remove the sticky duct tape once i went through the heavy work. And it was major work for me.

The plexiglass sounds interesting, but my question is how can be attached. However, 0n 2nd thought, it might be too tricky to attach since it's not flexible the way my wallpaper was, because beneath the ample "hump" you see jutting out (and why i needed to force those pleats on each side) are non-removable plumbing pipes which had been there before. And also, i needed to cut slits (below the valves, where you see the duct-tape at the base. Otherwise, i would not have been able to encompass the copper pipes (at each valve) with the wallpaper.

So regretfully, i don't think plexiglass could work for this due to its non-flexibility.

Ditto for stiff linoleum, lexan and so forth. (I also lack strength to cut all these, or know how to shape them

Actually, it was extremely hard for me to get my above wallpaper shaped as well. It was sorta intuitive guess-work, and a minor miracle.

I'm still puzzled by what your plumber did there. I've never seen anything as crazy as that. I can't imagine it saved you much money when generic low-end Imported bathtub faucet kits sell for anywhere from $25 to $50. That ugly hack is likely to end up rotting your wall from water incursion.

I'm not a plumber, but if I were tackling something like this on the cheap, I'd start by opening up the wall from behind (cutting the drywall or plaster if there's no access panel). I'd rip out that monstrosity and recycle the copper and brass.

I'd cover the gaping hole in the tile wall with something like Marlite, which is prefinished tempered hardboard sometimes used for shower surrounds. It would probably need edging, and would have to be sealed to the existing tile, possibly with a good dose of white silicone caulk. As I say, I'm not a plumber, and others here will probably have better ideas for how to effectively fix that hole in your bathtub wall.

Finally, I'd install a decent but inexpensive tub faucet, then close up the wall from behind.

I don't know what your financial state is, but if you can at all see your way clear to do so, you need to hire someone to do this over and do it right. A good handyman with some plumbing skills should be able to handle it, and for less cost than most plumbers. Talk to some friends and family members in the area and get a recommendation for a competent, honest one.

I do not understand what I am looking at here, but are you able to hire an exterminator to handle your centipede issue? I wish you the best and hope you can find a resolution to the plumbing and centipede issues.

I see thanks for the input! Meanwhile i'm holding out, because i specifically like the positioning of the makeshift valves, due to my varicose+neuropathic feet/ankles. See, the new positioning (as an unexpected/unpredicted bonus) has been allowing me to position my feet against the tub-wall while the cool-then-warm-then-cool water flows down my ankles/legs. I was unable to do that with the original 1950s faucet positioning.