58" Bathtub? Nope! It's going to be 60"

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punch1

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My existing bathtub measures 58" wide by 30" deep and 15" tall. I am looking to replace it but cannot find anything that is only 58" wide. Everything out there seems to be 60". I have to replace two of these but am at a stand still. Making the rough opening wider to accommodate a 60" tub is not an option. Please, any help or suggestions?

Thanks, Pat
 

Asktom

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54" tubs are available. It is also possible to trim the bottom part of the studs and notch the floor plate to get it in.
AskTom

It's a 60" tub, but don't feel bad, you're not the first to jump to that conclusion.
Tubs are 60" long, so most bathrooms are framed at 60-1/4" so that the tub will fit in. Then you add 1/2" backer board on both sides, that adds one more inch, then tile over that, which depending on the tile may get you to 58" finished. Its very common for a standard 60" tub to measure something like 58" to 58.5" from end to end with tile. The backer board and tile are built out from the walls so that water drops down into the tub and not behind the tub.
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punch1

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Thanks for the quick reply. Ideally, I'd like to find a 58" tub. Going to 54" would just eat up more of the little existing space there is but it may be the easiest choice of anything.

You got me thinking about notching out the study but i had planned on installing tile on all three tub walls and this would complicate matters from what I'm envisioning. I'm at a loss and am really hoping someone is aware of a 58" tub. These were installed in 1979 and are full one piece sets.

Pat
 

Jadnashua

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It is unlikely that it is really defined as a 58" tub...as far as I've been able to determine, they just never made any. The only possibility might be a specialty one for a trailer, if that. Most 60" tubs are not the full 60" long (but are often close). The measure is from the outer rim to outer rim of any projection and a 60" tub is designed to slide into a rough-in space of 60" long. A one-piece tub was probably installed during construction before all of the walls were up, and they framed it to that specific piece, rather than building the walls and sliding it in. they did you no favors. I do not think you will ever find one if your stud-to-stud distance is really 58". 58" on the finished wall-to-wall is possible (most would be less), but not-stud-to-stud.
 

punch1

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OK, I might be an idiot. I measured from drywall to drywall and came up with the 58" in my original post. Assuming 1/2" drywall, which is in the rest of the house, than the rough opening should be 59 inches. This is too close to 60 inches to not believe that this is already a 60" tub. Agree?

Thanks,

Pat
 

Geniescience

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Do you not have tile on top of the drywall? Did you measure 58" from tile surface to tile surface?

Edit: tile and thinset (cement glue) is about 1/2" thick. All told it can remove an inch on each wall. You end up with 58" from tile to tile, finished surfaces.
 
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Jadnashua

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It is almost certain that you have a 60" tub. To take it out, you'll have to tear some of the drywall out, as there's almost certainly a lip that is burried underneath the drywall. The rough size is raw stud-to-stud, not between finished walls.
 

Terry

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It's a 60" tub, but don't feel bad, you're not the first to jump to that conclusion.
Tubs are 60" long, so most bathrooms are framed at 60-1/4" so that the tub will fit in. Then you add 1/2" backer board on both sides, that adds one more inch, then tile over that, which depending on the tile may get you to 58" finished. Its very common for a standard 60" tub to measure something like 58" to 58.5" from end to end with tile. The backer board and tile are built out from the walls so that water drops down into the tub and not behind the tub.
Standard tubs are 60"
Short tubs are 54"
Long tubs are 66" or even longer.

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punch1

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I'm sure it'll end of being 60". It does measure 58" from drywall to drywall with no tile and I'm 99.9% certain it's 1/2" drywall so the missing 1" leaves me puzzled. I'll find out for sure once I tear it out though. Thanks for the tips.

Pat
 

Jadnashua

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The fiberglass or acrylic on each end probably has a flange on it, maybe 1/4", so now you're up to 59.5", then add a little drywall compound, and then, they don't make it fully 60", because it has to fit into the slot, which is supposed to be built to 60". It's a real pain trying to shove one if if it is an exact fit, what with warps bows, etc. of the studs, and slight problems with the walls being perfectly square and plumb.

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Zimilak

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I have the same problem with a 58" tub measured from drywall to drywall

I took measurements 4 times to get the same measurement. Can you tell how you resolved this? I'm looking to upgrade my existing tub to a walk in shower and cannot find a shower base that measure 58", only 60". If I order a 60" am I going to have more problems than I need?
 

Jadnashua

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Tubs are always measured from the studs, so drywall to drywall will always be less. IOW, you have a 60" tub. Now, it could actually measure slightly less than 60" so if the rough opening was 60", you'd have a little wiggle room to install it. In doing a shower, you'd be removing the drywall anyway, so you should be able to fit a 60" shower base. Now, there are several issues: the drain for a tub is generally 1.5", and the drain for a shower (by code) is 2". You cannot legally use a 1.5-2" reducer - plumbing can only go from smaller to bigger, never the reverse. And, the drain is likely in the wrong place.
 

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A typical rough opening is whatever the pan or tub is, plus 1/4"
Sometimes it's larger than that.

A layer of drywall or backer board is 1/2" times two.
A layer of tile is 3/8" or more times two.
That's how you get your 58" between the two end walls. The tub is sandwhiched between all that mess.

Swan makes a replacement shower pan for a tub with the drain on the end.
If the existing plumbing is 1.5", I just funnel the 2" shower drain down to the 1.5" trap.


Showers in the 60's used to be plumbed with 1.5" p-traps. Code was changed to 2" for showers.
Except for parts of Canada.

swan_3260R.jpg
 
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Kyle Van Otterloo

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I know this post is about 5 years old and I am hoping the guys who had the 58" measurement are still active here. Punch1, did you ever open up your wall and find the exact measurement between studs? I have the exact same tub/shower set up. I was just informed by a contractor that the vent pipe needs to run between a 2 x 6 wall. Which one side of the tub is a 2 x 6 but I can't see the vent pipe. I am able to open a door on the other side of the wall to get to all the plumbing, so that is the reason I know there are 2 x 6s on the other side. Thanks for any info.
 

Jadnashua

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If you happen to be outside of the USA where they use metric...it might not be a 5' (60") tub, but really...the odds are really slim you have one imported that is 58"...it's a 60" tub stud to stud (not the finished wall opening). They are made in the US starting at 54" (rare find) at 6" intervals with the 5' tubs being the most common. Personally, I have a 72" tub and would really have liked to have a 78" one, but couldn't squeeze it in. They tend to get more expensive when larger because mostly, the demand isn't as high.
 
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