Remove old Tub shower and add a new one

[scotty47]

Hi, I am new to the forum and was wondering about some advice on Removing an old 1 piece tub shower and replacing it with a new 5 piece unit, I have a few questions that I hope someone can help me with, Here goes
1. what is a good name to purchase ( in Canada )
2. the unit I have now has no drywall behind, should I be looking at adding drywall
3. is it easy to line up the drain, I would like to do it without cutting out ceilling below, if need be I can come though wall

Thats it for now, I am sure I will have more questions later. Thanks in advance........scotty

[jadnashua]

I just cut my old one up with a sawzall and took it out in pieces. Make sure you don't cut the water lines or any hidden wires! The drain might be a problem, but I cut around it and could remove what I needed to after the rest was out. Many of the tub surrounds are made to go on the studs...you'd have to pick the one you want and read how they suggest you install it.

[Basement_Lurker]

1. It really depends on what region you are in, generally I like Maax or Lasco products, and Maax should be available nationwide.
   
2. Each type of unit has its own installation requirements. But for a 5 piece, you will have to drywall.
   
3. It is not easy to line up the drain without access from below. If you are lucky, your new tub will like up with the old drain. This is not something you want to chance as a leak down the line will be hard to detect and will certainly cause plenty of water damage. People actually get the bright idea to use a union p-trap in this situation, which is not only illegal but will certainly result in a leak!

Using a sawzall is fine to remove the tub, but you want to be really careful cutting out the surround....there is always the risk of an electrical line behind there and electrocution is a real risk. If you don't want chance it...use a sledge and bust it up safely.

[scotty47]

Thank you for the great tip, basement_Lurker I will go from the Kitchen side to get to the drain, as it is a 4 level split. Now that you have given me a couple of brand names I will look at there web sites. Again Thanks.............scotty

[JOHN_P]

After looking at a lot of tubs and surrounds, I'd recommend looking at the Kohler/Sterling Accord tub and surrounds. The tub is made to match up perfectly with the walls, they are very solid, look very very very nice. I looked at the Maax and Lasco products, but once I saw the Accord one, I was sold.

The other plus is no calking needed (though I think there were other makes that offered that too, but on one of the Lasco ones, I opened the box only to find their taped on caulk strip already falling off, and the walls were a lot flimsier than the Accord.

Anyhow, if I had to do another one, I'd get the same one again. The only (very) time consuming item was getting the existing walls squared up and sized properly because the opening tolerances for the tub/walls was only 1/8" and I was dealing with some very crooked walls and studs, but once that was done, the tub/walls fit together so nice, feels very solid, looks really good. Mounts right to studs, is three piece walls, nice shelves.

Just thought I'd share my experience as I went to a lot of stores and bath shops and for the money, this one was in my opinion the best deal out there.

[scotty47]

Thank you John_P looks like a great product, and I found a company in my home town that sells them.............scotty

[scotty47]

It took a while but I finally got all the info I need for the Sterling accord tub shower I will be using, my next question is how hard is it to install the drain and overflow if you cant get below the tub. Thanks................scotty

[hj]

For a plumber it is easy, we do it all the time. For a DIYer, however, it could be a daunting task.

[walkintub]

For bathroom remodeling , most of home use the walk in tub for elderly and disabled.
The walk in tub may equipped with shower enclosure ,it will save space .
We find one walk in tubs manufacturer which supply many kind of acrylic high quality and affordable walk in tub

<a href="http://www.walk-in-tub.org" target="_blank">walk in tubs</a>

<url="http://www.walk-in-tub.org">walk in tubs</url>