Conversion of Tub to Shower

This bathtub shower combo was very usable but needed some attention, mostly just some recaulking. But it appeared to have been cleaned repeatedly with something abrasive because the actual finish on the tub was deteriorated. This was more difficult to remedy because I have had a bathtub "refinished" before and it did not hold up. Also I just plain hated the assist bars. (You thought I was going to say it was just too white, but I still associate white with clean and am OK with it in kitchens and baths). So, I found all that to be enough motivation to take the plunge and get rid of the whole tub thing and have it replaced with a stall shower, which I prefer overall. My great "tile guy" (pictured) did the demo, the boarding, waterproofing, tile and grout. I did hire a licensed plumber to put in the new drain, snub off the spout and raise the control height. There was actually a quality Moen control in there so I just bought a new trim kit online and easily replaced it myself, updating from a bright chrome to a brushed nickel. Because this bathroom is in a seventh floor condo, the only other obstacle was that the drain could not be relocated from the front (classic tub position) to the center (shower position) because we could not be breaking into the concrete floor which was also the sixth floor ceiling! The plumber did have enough room in the existing floor trough to move the drain about 6 inches and this was plenty. The final position did not cause the floor to look too steeply pitched up front, as some quoters predicted. I actually prefer not to be standing on the drain! I chose not to have a door installed at this time since I simply prefer the decorating possibilities of shower curtains, but it can be added at any time (as can assist bars if needed). This entire process took about a week (luckily we have another bathroom) and was very messy mostly in terms of the fine dust from removing the old tile and board - it was everywhere even though an exhaust fan was used. No surrounding walls or floor tiles were damaged (my biggest fear) and I just did a little paint touch-up on ceiling and wall edges. It is a complete success and I love everything about it! I kept it streamlined and understated and while it is updated, it still blends with the rest of the room where I like everything just the way it is.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• tub
• shower
• tile
• plumber
• Moen
• trim
• assist
• bars
• conversion
• condo
• bathroom
• bullnose
• positemp
• drain