A stylish and useful update for any home is to turn an old, unused tub into a shower. With a walk-in shower, your bathroom can feel bigger and more up to date. It also makes it easier for people with mobility problems to get around.
Not sure how to start converting your tub to a shower on your own? The process will be easier with our step-by-step guide.
Can I put a shower in place of my tub?
Even though the idea of a walk-in shower sounds great, it’s not the best choice for every home. Before starting this project, you should think about your family’s needs, the layout of your bathroom, and your budget.
Your Family
If you have small children or are expecting a baby, you might want to keep your tub to make bath time easier. Have a pet that likes to dig in the dirt? The easiest way to quickly clean your pet is to give it a bath.
How your bathroom is set up
You won’t always live in your house. The National Association of Home Builders says that at least one bathtub is important to most people who are looking to buy a home. If you don’t have another bathroom with a tub, you might want to keep the one in question.
Your Budget
Make sure to put all of the costs for a DIY tub-to-shower conversion into your budget. This is especially important for shower kits and the tools you need to put them together. You should also think about renting a dumpster and making plans for any other costs that might come up for cleaning up.
How much will it cost to get rid of my bathtub and replace it with a shower stall?
Costs for converting a tub to a shower range from $800 to $15,000. The cost will depend on how big the shower is and what materials you use. If you want to buy a shower kit, you can expect to pay between $1,000 and $8,000. Plan to tile your walk-in shower from the ceiling to the floor? The whole thing will cost you between $3,500 and $15,000. DIY will save you around $1,000 no matter what design you choose.
In 7 Easy Steps, Convert Your Tub to a Walk-In Shower
You can begin your tub to shower remodel now that you have a plan and a budget in place. You should allow two or three days to complete this project.
1. Gather Your Equipment
Make sure you have all of the necessary materials before removing your bathtub. Before you begin working, you should have the following tools:
- Plywood for floor protection
- Tape measure
- Flat head and Phillips screwdrivers
- Wrench and/or Allen wrench
- Putty knife and utility knife
- Drywall saw and reciprocating saw
- Prybar
- Jigsaw
- Level
- Caulk and caulking gun
- 10-yard dumpster
- PPE, including gloves and eye protection
2. Determine Spacing and Positioning
You should install your walk-in shower in place of your bathtub. Because the drain lines and water supply will already be in place, installation will be a breeze. Moving plumbing will incur significant costs, and you will need to hire a plumber to complete the work correctly. Make use of a tape measure to ensure proper spacing.
Spacing Required for a Walk-In Shower
- At least 30 inches by 30 inches of floor space
- At least 80 inches in height
- At least 15 inches between the side of the toilet and the shower stall
- Or at least 21 inches between the front of the toilet and shower stall
- Door-width space in the radius around the shower, if you plan to install a swinging door
3. Select a Walk-In Shower Design
Shower kits may sound appealing when undertaking a DIY tub to shower conversion. They’re fairly simple to install and come in a variety of styles. You can select a tile pattern. There are also square corner, round corner, and alcove shower designs to choose from.
When choosing a shower stall kit, you must decide whether you want a curbed or a curbless design.
4. Discard tiles and wall sections
Remove some of the tile and drywall around your tub before converting it to a shower. This makes removing your bathtub from the wall easier. To prepare the area for bathtub removal, follow these steps.
How to Prepare the Area
- To prevent tile damage, cover the floor with plywood.
- Turn off the water to the bathroom at your home’s main water shut-off valve.
- Remove the drain cover, overflow drain cover, and faucet knobs. Remove the faucet from the tub, using an Allen wrench to loosen any screws.
- Disconnect the main and overflow drains from the access panel behind your tub or from your basement.
- Turn the locking nuts counterclockwise with the wrench. Remove the tile around the tub to a height of about 8 inches by scoring the grout with a utility knife and prying the tiles off with a putty knife.
- Cut through the drywall with a drywall saw, being careful not to cut into any studs. If your wall is plaster, use a reciprocating saw for this step.
5. Take out your tub
We can finally get rid of the tub. Follow these five easy steps to get rid of your old tub and get your walk-in shower ready. Pull out any nails or screws that are holding the tub to the wall studs.
How to Throw Away Your Bathtub
- Pull out any nails or screws that are holding the tub to the wall studs.
- Use a utility knife to cut through any caulk between the tub and the floor.
- Use a prybar to move the tub a few inches away from the wall.
- With your prybar and the help of a friend, lift one end of the tub and turn it on its side. First, check to see if it can fit through your doors.
- Put the old tub in the dumpster you rented, and then put the drywall back up that you took down.
When you take out your bathtub, the concrete backing board and subfloor underneath are exposed. This is a good time to fix any damage to these parts. Most damage to the subfloor is caused by too much moisture. If your subfloor needs to be replaced, doing it now will save you a lot of time and stress later.
6. Put your walk-in shower in place
Now all you need to do is switch out your tub for a shower. Follow the directions carefully if you are using a shower stall kit. Remember that if you want a walk-in shower without a curb, you have to lower the shower floor. This lets the pan sit level with the rest of the floor in the bathroom.
If your bathroom floor is made of a slab, you’ll need to hire a concrete worker. Luckily, this is usually a quick job that shouldn’t cost you a lot of money.
If your subfloor isn’t a slab, get a permit from your city’s building department to cut down the tops of the floor joists under the shower pan until it sits level. Use the level to make sure that the shower pan is in the right place. If your shower isn’t level, it could leak.
7. Clean up after you change your tub to a shower
Once you turn your tub into a walk-in shower, you should feel good about what you’ve done, not worried about cleaning up. We suggest renting a dumpster from dumpster rentals miami so you can get rid of your old tub, broken tiles, and drywall as you work. Keep in mind that most cities only have one day a month for big trash, so having a dumpster close by is the fastest and easiest way to clean up.
