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Converting Bathtub to Shower

enkay18 | Posted in General Discussion on July 13, 2010 09:50am

Hi – I’m trying to convert the bathtub in my bathroom to a Tile shower with sliding glass.

The demolition part went really well, within 4-5 hours I was able to clear out the old mess. The tub was a fiberglass tub with surounds ( attached pic )…i took out the tub by cutting into pieces using a reciprocating saw and used a utility knife around the edges to expose the nails and screws holding it to the dry wall.

But it looks like I’m completely lost now..haha…

I was thinking of using this backer board (http://www.gp.com/build/product.aspx?pid=4684 ) to do my tile installation on the wall and using the this acrylic shower tray on the floor. http://www.duravit.us/products/categ…seo6q3rws.html

However I just realized that maybe there already is a backer board on the wall which I didn’t remove. I’m not sure. I’ve attached pictures of my bathroom as it stands now.

I’m wondering if they are indeed backer board then do I take them out and replace with new ones or should I just install my tiles over the existing ones? I probably need to water proof them etc.

Also the floor is just wood, probably OSB chip board. Can i install the shower try just on top of the board or do I need to put backer board on the floor too and water proof it? Since the tub didnt need a backerboard i’m thinking a shower try should be the same.

I also probably need to move the water trap around since the shower tray needs the trap at the corner. And also there is an extra pipe coming out for bath tub which I don’t want, since i’ll be using only the head shower. What do i need to do? I’m completely lost here.

And Finally any tips to install glass sliding door for the shower? Any recommendation for which one to use?

I know i’ve asked too many questions but as you can probably guess i’m a complete noob here. I’ll really appreciate if someone can help me out here.
Thanks.

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  1. DanH | Jul 13, 2010 10:44pm | #1

    What's installed appears to be just drywall (maybe moisture-resistant, maybe not), not backer board.  Take it down and install backer board if you're going to do tile.  (I'll leave it to the tile experts to tell you how to waterproof everything.)

    Since you don't know what to do about the plumbing I'd suggest you hire a plumber to take care of it.

    What's below this bathroom?  Crawl space?  Unfinished basement?  Finished space?

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