Tile – What to do with wall behind bath taps

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The tiles behind the taps of my bath have come off completely and I don't know what to do. My main concern is if it could contain asbestos withing the tiles themselves, the adhesive or the plaster stuff behind them. I assume water could also get there as well. There is also a crack in the ceiling directly below this place but no sign of damp or anything. Do I try and cover it up with something? If it does contain asbestos and needs to be removed professionally, covering it up would make it harder to remove right? I have no idea about DIY or anything and my parents aren't worried at all. Personally I am very worried about it. Also worried about the mould. Have attached some pics.enter image description here
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Thanks for reading. Any help is appreciated.

Best Answer

Don't even worry about asbestos, it's only a concern if you tear it up into a breathable dust.

You say you are concerned about water intrusion, but all around that area there are gaps and cracks through which water could penetrate. You say you are worried about mold, but the wall above is covered with what looks like bio growth (mildew).

I recommend that you:

  • clean the area with the missing tiles with TSP, then a bleach solution (in fact, do that the entire area including the wall).
  • seal all cracks, crevices, and edges with paintable caulk
  • paint area with missing tiles, and the plaster wall area above, with quality indoor glossy bathroom paint.

If you had more experience with intrusive DIY projects there are a lot of other, more permanent solutions (e.g. redo all tile) but at your skill level this should help and it will look good too.

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