Hi everyone,
I'm trying to destroy my house again and this time I figured I'd start with the bathroom. It's really small and I have myself and 6 kids that are all trying to fit into 1 bathroom so I'm trying to get as much space out of it as possible. I

I went to Home Depot to have a look around their tubs and saw a display that looked like a half tub/shower. I asked a guy who worked there about it and he said they just sawed a tub in half and put it there to give the appearance of a full bath. I think that would go great in my bathroom and was wanting to see if there was anything like that.

Before you mention walk in showers I had to rule those out because I still have toddlers and a baby who need the tub to get washed.

Thanks for the help.

 

You might try a plumbing supply house and see what they have available. A mobile home tub is 4" shorter [56" versus the standard 60"] than most tubs.

 

You might be able to make one from scratch. I have seen poured in place concrete bathtubs. They were just plain concrete as far as I could see. Not sure how they were waterproofed. It would probably be better to use rubber membrane and tile on the inside to water proof it and use a shower drain setup. The shower pros would have to comment on that. It, in a way, would really be a shower with very high curb.

 

What are the current dimensions of the bathroom as well as the current set up?

You can post a couple of pictures to help get the ideas flowing - http://www.doityourself.com/forum/el...rt-images.html

If this is a one bathroom house, you will most definately want to maintain a tub for resale value in addition to the reasons you stated earlier (little ones). Realistically, what are your expectations? Just because you saw a sawed in half tub you think you will save a whole bunch of room? Not sure I follow.

 

These are the pictures of my bathroom. The dimensions are 6' 2"x 7' 10" wall to tub wall and wall to door respectively. As you can tell, that's it, there's nothing else. No room. You walk in aaaaaaaand...nothing. I thought that if I could put a half tub/shower in there and a wall on the other side of the half tub that I would put the toilet on the other side of that wall and then at least have room for a vanity or maybe a double sink....something! lol

 

I don't see you being able to have all 3 fixtures AND more room. I'd leave that bath configured as is and maybe investigate the viability of adding another bath rm elsewhere.

 

Exactly what I had envisioned to see, only the colors are different. The only way to give more space is to steal from an adjacent room. However, given the vintage of the bathroom, my guess is that the other rooms are pretty cut up to begin with. You can refresh the bath with new tile and a re-glazing of the tub to white from your current green and change to white fixtures. Going with neutral colors will give the appearance of a larger bathroom. They also make sinks that are uniquely shaped to provide more room with less of a protrusion into the room. Here is an example of one that is 25" wide but only 12" deep on the sides. The bowl does come out to 19".

 

Thanks everyone!

Its exactly as you said Czizzi, theres no stealing from Bob to give to Joe in this house lol.
We were definitely going with a white color and were wanting to use a vanity since that would offer more space to put toilet paper or something but if we did that we would loose the room needed for the laundry basket so we are opting for a pedestal instead, hoping that this will allow us to keep the trash can that is in there at the moment.

About the glazing: what would be the best option for the tiles? There are a few tiles missing where the faucet is to the tub. Right now that is covered with a piece of a shower curtain duck taped to the wall. Yes, I did say duck taped. We tried to find tiles to replace but everywhere we tried ended up with a color which was a shade off. We were thinking about tearing out the tile and replacing it with drywall instead and a tub surround for the tub. I can't think of what I would do to correct the current situation if we glazed.

Thanks again everyone.

 

Tell me I didn't read that

Tub surrounds worth anything are designed to go with a certain tub. The cheap glue up ones are a waste of time IMO. Is there a cement wall behind where the tile is missing? Highly unusual that a tile would fall off a mudbase. I usually have to use a hammer an chisel get them to release. If it is drywall, then you have reached the point of no return, and it must come out. There is no rebuild with wet drywall as all the tiles on that wall will be loose.

 

It's next to impossible to find matching tiles years down the road. Sometimes you can get by with installing contrasting tiles to make it look like a design feature.

sometimes you have to do what you have to do hopefully no moisture is getting behind the makeshift barrier.

 

I completely agree with you about the glue on surrounds and if I went with the surround I was going to take out the wall and screw into the studs.
My wife found corner tubs but on reading they said the small tubs were normally no shorter than 32 in because in most areas it wouldn't pass code. Why?

Also, here is a picture of my....ingenious duck taping. Yeah, we'll go with the word ingenious.

 

"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" - The Wizard of Oz

It is drywall behind that curtain, isn't it? That many tiles would never come loose from a standard mud bed wall.

Not sure which meaning to go with...

in·gen·ious
inˈjēnyəs/
adjective
adjective: ingenious

(of a person) clever, original, and inventive.
"he was ingenious enough to overcome the limited budget"
synonyms: inventive, creative, imaginative, original, innovative, pioneering, resourceful,
enterprising, inspired; More
clever, intelligent, smart, brilliant, masterly, talented, gifted, skillful;
astute, sharp-witted, quick-witted, shrewd;
elaborate, sophisticated
"an ingenious economist"
(of a machine or idea) cleverly and originally devised and well suited to its purpose.

 

Z, the house I did most of my growing up in had plaster walls and a mud bed under all the tile. I helped my father replace the bottom 2 rows of tile on the tub surround because the majority of them had come loose. They were steel tiles so I don't know if that made a difference. The ceramic replacements [a different color] looked ok ..... and I no longer had to worry about getting fussed at for splashing in the tub

If I had to resort to that duct tape and plastic fix - I'm not sure I would have shown it to anyone

 

Hey again, so I finally started demolition and wow... I think they put more concrete on this bathroom wall than I've seen insome driveways, this had been a pain. Anyway, new question.

Do you ask prefer tub surround as you buy from Home Depot or someplace like that or just painted green board? I won't be putting up tile so it's one or the other. I'm leaning toward the paint because I've heard of cracks and stuff showing up in surrounds but I don't know. I couldn't find the pros and cons, so let me know what you think.

 

I'm not sure painted drywall alone down to the tub is a good idea although a couple rows of tile just above the tub may offer enough protection from splashing in the tub. There is no shower with this tub, right?

 

The is a shower. so that means no go for just painted green board?

 

NO! NO! and NO!!! :NO NO NO:

Painted greenboard will fail apart in short order if exposed to water from a shower, tile over greenboard will fail sooner or later in a shower. For a shower you need to install cement board then tile or use one of those plastic surrounds.

 

Once all the cement is down, you will need to get precise measurements for your tub and then go shopping to see if you can find a 3 piece tub/shower wall kit that fits your measurements. You will most likely have to build out the wall so that you can clear the tubs tile flange. Most wall kits are designed to go with specific tubs (you replace both at the same time). The universal fits you will be looking at will be a little more generic. Follow the installation directions and use tub surround adhesive to install. Don't use other adhesives (regular liquid nails, etc) as it may discolor the material the surround is made of and bleed through.

 

Thanks VERY much for the info everyone. I went to Lowe's and bought both a tub and the matching surround. I wasnt a huge fan of the tub as it feels flimsy to me when comparing too an americast tub but the wife wanted a deep tub so we got a sterling made out of Vikrell. Either way, the bathroom is completely bare now. We are going to start fitting the tub tomorrow.

My dad is helping me through this process but his info seems a bit of from my research. I keep reading a.. Mortar mix I think... Is supposed to go under the tub but he said just put sand under it because once the mortar mix dries you won't budge that tub. True or no?

 

Installation instructions for the Vikrell line of tubs states two options. One, install a felt pad (if provided with tub) under the tub secured to the subfloor so that it contacts all of the tubs feet. or option two, Without a pad, we recommend the basin area be set in 1" (2.5 cm) to 2" (5.1 cm) of mortar cement. It does not say anything about sand. You want support if you use the mortar. Once cured, it till not move. The sand would shift with use and not be a permanent base to support the tub.

 

I was thinking it would shift if it was just sand. I'll get the mortar cement and use it but have to admit a little trepidaty about it only because if it does develop a crack years down the road I have no clue how I would get that tub out lol

 

I've also seen grout or setting compound [like durabond] used but it's always best to go with the manufacture's recommendation. Basically you need something that won't deteriorate if it gets damp and will support the tub when it's full of water.

 

OK, so I have the tub in and the directions say to screw in the fasteners with the screws which they didn't give me or tell me what type of screws. After looking up what I needed I find they want me to use stainless steel or otherwise rust resistant "Truss"head screws. I went home depots and Lowe's. Both had truss head screws but they were for cabinets and not stainless steel, plated or whatever the other type is.

Question being can I use pan head screws or will that stick out to much and mess up the connection between the surround and the tub?

 

You can send us the link to the exact tub if you wish.

Use galvanized roofing nails set just above the flange so that the flange is captured by the nail head on half of the nail. or, predrill holes and drive the nails flush maintaining care not to mar the tub by striking it with a hammer.

Did you set a ledger board? cement bed? are the feet touching the floor?

 

Shop Sterling Ensemble White Vikrell Rectangular Skirted Bathtub with Right-Hand Drain (Common: 32-in x 60-in; Actual: 23-in x 32-in x 60-in) at Lowe's

The above is the exact tub.
The below are the instillation instructions for the tub plus surround.

https://youtu.be/xdONNowm_xQ

The are no predrilled holes. It comes with 4 flanges that you screw on to the 4 corners and a bunch outlets that you connect too. It is set in mortar... Finally and it didn't call for a 2x4 to rest on, I think it's called a runner? That part surprised me but the directions didn't call for it so I'm trying to follow the directions to a T.

 

Looks to have proprietary clips to hold the tub to the studs. The heads of the screws on the clips so not interfere with the surround as they are set above and covered by the flange thickness of the tub. I would look into why yours did not come with the clips and see if you can procure them.

As for the final connect of the surround to the studs, pre-drill and roofing nails will be fine.

 

Hi again everyone. I wanted to thank you all again for the help with the ideas on remodeling my bathroom and give a finished look.

The only problem I have now is that there is an area right above the tub surround, on the wall, below the showerhead that the paint is bubbling and I haven't a clue why. I can't see any way for water to get underneath the paint. I peeled it up once and the mud was all wet well so I took the mud off, waited a couple days for it to dry and repainted. Afterwards I waited 3 days before taking a shower and it still does it. It's been about 1 month since I finished this.

The window seal was also redone. I can't get the pictures to upload. I took some old pieces of wood I had lying around and cut them to fit, sanded and painted them with some semi gloss oil based. It doesn't look too bad if I do say so myself.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the finished:

 

Nice Job Stang! But your forgot to rehang the plastic over the handles.

As far as the area under the shower head. I suspect that you need to pull and re-seat the shower arm that goes into the wall. It most likely is leaking. Use both teflon tape and teflon paste prior to screwing it in. Take the shower head off and stick the end of a pair of plier handle into the curved part to give some extra leverage so you can give it an extra turn after it gets tight. Then just teflon tape for the shower head itself.

 

Hmmm, that could very well be it as I did have much problems with the shower arm leaking when I had finished everything. I put dope on it and checked it before putting the drywall back on behind it. It wasn't doing anything at that time and I thought the dope would take care of it.

The reason I resorted to dope instead of teflon tape was because it didn't matter how much or how little tape I used I always had a leak