Yes, looks like the whole thing needs to be replaced.

I'm all for preserving the old but you have to treat your old home like a beloved family member. Yours is ill and needs some major surgery. This needs to be gutted.

I had to gut my 90 year old shower last year. There were so many patches and repairs that others had performed over the years, all neglecting the underlaying problem with a leak in the walls. There are so many resources you can use to make a new shower that still has the look and feel of the old.

Yeah, that's a gut job. Unfortunate but true. You have visible tile seperation and damage there. By the time you chip that out and address whatever might lurk under there, you are looking at just redoing the whole alcove.

I'm rather fond of cinderella tubs, so I would try to reuse it if possible.

That's done for, and there is major water damage behind there. You get to do over. Daltile Color Wheel has all the parts and pieces that you need to do a retro looking bath. Start there, and find a qualified tile professional.

https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org/homeowners-guide-to-hiring-qualified-tile-installer

https://www.daltile.com/color-wheel-collection

I want to clarify that I would certainly address any issues found once we removed all of the broken tiles as far as drywall, plywood, etc.

How does anyone feel about if I removed all of the rows on all three walls from the orange line down??

There should be minimum I feel that there should be minimal water damage Above the orange line. That way, I can maintain the consistency of the orange line that travels throughout the bathroom and address all subsequent issues.

It’s fairly certain that this tub alcove was not intended to be a shower alcove so, yes, I agree that there is water damage behind the damaged tiles and perhaps the ones on the right side, too. I’m not fooling myself there.

Hi, what if you salvaged and reserved all the Vitrolite for use above the orange liner tile and outside the alcove, and used an 8x16" white ceramic tile where the alcove turns the corner, and below the orange liner. It would unlikely be an exact match but it would be consistent within the alcove and below the orange liner. And you would also have extra Vitrolite for any repairs elsewhere in the bathroom.

https://www.tilebar.com/sample-basic-white-8x16-polished-ceramic-wall-subway-tile-for-wall.html

Then you would also have the opportunity to replace the valve with an anti-scald system.

My idea would be to fill the space below the orange line in all three sides with glossy black 4 x 16 in a varying pattern To go along with the black border at the top. Regardless of what I do, all of the plumbing would be updated as a leak has developed and I have water damage in the ceiling beneath the tub hence the reason for the tile change at all. So yes, that is along the lines of what I’m thinking just with a different color. Thanks!

The only thing I would say about black is that if you have hard water, it will get white deposits on it, and soap buildup will show. If you are willing to dry the shower tile every time you use it, this won't be a problem. We dry the shower every time, it keeps it very clean. However we wear out towels like crazy. Plus you will have to add lighting in the alcove, it will be a lot darker with that black tile in there.

I’ve thought about that for sure….all of it…..but very much appreciate the confirmation. 😬

You are fooling yourself if you think the only damage to your bathroom is behind and adjacent to the ”damaged tiles” and in addition you will need to redo the waterproof lining for the whole area if converting to a shower so you will need to remove all the tile anyway.

That is not salvageable.

Does this mean you would not replace the ie going up to the showerhead? How do you know that a leak in that portion of the pipe isn’t responsible for some of your rot and water damage?

Even if you take off the Vitrolite and put it back up, I think you need to remove the entire bath alcove areas from outside corner to outside corner of the tub (and slightly beyond the back of the tub it looks like) to the studs. Then you can put the vitrolite back up. If any of the orange liner breaks since it is long, I have seen 1" orange glass liner tiles that are similar.

Maybe it will not be a match exactly but I think if you limit this to around the bathtub it's not strictly necessary, especially with a shower door or curtain.

You need a proper substrate abd waterproofing on the entire tub / shower wall BEFORE any tile work. All comes out as the entire alcove does not have proper substrate or waterproofing. Any less is good money after bad!!

I agree, take a lot of pictures, so you can get it to look very similar to what it is, but, those walls, need to be torn out, and all redone. There is no point in trying to get by with a small amount, because, it will look just like it is now, in 6 months or less. It needs repairing, and a complete water proofing before you put any tiles back on any of those walls.