RTTPYO #11: How to Replace a Bathtub, Part 1
- nvilu7
- Aug 13
- 12 min read
Updated: Aug 14
Planning the Project and Choosing the Right Soaking Tub
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For me, there’s nothing like a bath to soothe away stress. Up to my neck in hot water, steam rising, the scent of lavender, dim lighting, soft music. It’s heaven.
Note that my first criteria is to be up to my neck in hot water. Which is very hard to do in a 60” long standard alcove bathtub, where the tub height is 14 inches and the overflow drain is 2 inches below the top of the tub.
Do the math.
In this post, I’ll cover how I scoped my bathtub replacement, prepared for the work, and why bathtubs are so damn short.
Stress Relief
I’m 5’ 7”. Most of my life was spent in homes with standard size bathtubs. Like every other adult over 5 feet tall, I have to choose which part of me is going to get cold when taking a bath—my feet, knees, or shoulders.
Then I rented an apartment that boasted a 19-inch-deep soaking tub. For the first time, I could take a bath without body parts sticking out.
I spent a lot of time soaking in that tub (it was a tough year).
You can buy overflow drain covers that allow you to add an extra few inches of water to your tub. If your tub is closer to 16 inches tall, with an overflow drain cover, you can almost achieve up-to-the-neck soaking.
Unfortunately, my condo tub was a 60” long 14-inch-high apartment tub, and the overflow cover wasn’t cutting it. Adding insult to injury, the tub was 29” wide (narrower than a standard tub) and I kept banging my elbows when I tried to settle in. The combination made it impossible to relax.
I compensated by seeking out hotels with large tubs when I traveled for business, and deliberately scheduling one night out of my stay with no after-work plans, so I could squeeze in a night relaxing in a hot bath.
My business travel ended with the pandemic’s arrival. And, in the face of so much uncertainty, fear, and psychic pain, a long soak was just another place where I was stuck with my dark thoughts.
Sixteen months in, when life had more or less settled into a strange new normal, I took a bath. It was more annoying and chilly than relaxing.
RTTPYO-ing the bathtub went to the top of my project list. As part of my research, I resolved to find out why bathtubs were so damn short.
Why Standard Bathtubs Are So Short
The most common type of bathtub in U.S. homes is the alcove bathtub, where the tub is placed in a three-wall recess with an open side. The sides of the bathtub that face the recess walls are unfinished; the side that faces out typically has a finished front panel called an apron front.
Alcove bathtubs are popular because they utilize space much more efficiently than freestanding or drop in tubs and allow both bathing and showering in the same square footage. Also, because they are enclosed in an alcove, they accommodate high traffic in a bathroom better than freestanding or drop in tubs.
Which brings up a question I asked earlier in this post.
Why are alcove bathtubs so damn short?
When plumbing came inside in the 1880s, bathtubs were made from cast iron, making them expensive, heavy, and difficult to install. Tubs were available in many sizes and configurations, including today’s standard 60-inch tub.
By the early 1900s, manufacturers were offering built-in—or “recess”—bathtubs and bathtub/shower combinations specifically designed to make better use of limited bathroom space. In 1911, Kohler introduced a one-piece built-in bathtub with an integral apron, an important predecessor of today’s alcove tub.
By the 1920s, when residential construction using standardized floor plans was taking off, bathrooms got smaller and more efficient. Many were only 5’ wide, with the bathtub spanning the five-foot wall. The already-existing 60-inch tub was a perfect fit, and the 60-inch alcove tub became the residential default.
That standard stuck for (of course) financial reasons. Sixty-inch tubs are economical to manufacture, easy to fit into standardized bathroom layouts, and require less water to fill than larger tubs.
Unfortunately, I think we’re stuck with this uncomfortable classic for the foreseeable future. Sorry, cold knees everywhere.
How I Evaluated Replacement Bathtubs
Since I was stuck with the standard bathtub alcove, my new bathtub had to be deep enough for me to submerge up to my neck and lie back in comfort. How did that translate into an actual bathtub?
Time to go test out actual bathtubs.
I started at my local Ace Hardware. Tape measure in hand, I made a beeline for the bathtubs and started by taking a test run in each tub deeper than 14 inches.
By test run I mean getting in the tub, lying down, and trying it out.
Was it deep enough that, when filled the water, would cover my knees?
Was it wide enough that I could move a bit without banging my elbows?
Was the overflow valve high enough that I could dispense with the overflow drain cover?
Did the tub have a comfortable slope to fit my back?
Would I be able to easily rest the back of my neck on the tub’s back rim?
Yes, I looked a little crazy, but I didn’t care. I was planning on spending thousands for this bathroom update, and I wanted to be blissfully happy with the centerpiece—the tub.
After lying in every deep bathtub, I didn’t find one that had everything I wanted. But the exercise helped me reach the following conclusions:
The tub needed to be at least 16” tall for me to submerge, with the overflow drain located 2” from the top of the tub.
I needed to stick to a 30” wide tub to avoid having to reinforce the floor joists in my second-floor condo. Or I needed to find a 30” wide tub that felt like a 32” wide tub (ha).
I preferred a reclined tub backrest for a long soak.
After my test-drives, I talked to the salesman on duty about tub materials. Their showroom had tubs in a variety of materials and he gave me the rundown:
Cast-iron: the most durable and heat-retaining, but extremely heavy, requiring floor reinforcement when installed above the first floor
Porcelain-enameled steel: a cast-iron look and almost as heavy; prone to chipping
Stone resin: durable as cast-iron with similar heat retention but not as heavy; the most expensive option
Fiberglass: the lightest and cheapest tub material; less durable than other options
Acrylic: versatile, durable, and relatively lightweight, retains heat well; prone to scratching
Once I understood the tradeoffs, I decided that my best choice was an acrylic tub.
RTTPYO Bathroom Additions
One of the items that causes a reno to go off the rails from a money, time, and sanity perspective is adding to the project after it gets underway, so I wanted my plan to include my entire wish list.
Because once you yank out the tub, and the walls are open, you should do everything you want just once. No do-overs.
It didn’t take me long to figure out what additional fixes I wanted in my one-and-only bathroom. Here’s what I added to my bathroom RTTPYO list in addition to the new tub:
New bathtub alcove tile. The bathtub alcove tile was a standard-issue, off-white square tile that was in great shape but intensely boring.
New bathroom exhaust fan and light. The current bathroom exhaust fan was so loud that you had to shout to be heard over it, and the light had stopped working early in the pandemic.
New tub faucet, shower diverter, and shower head. My current setup was circa 1997 and dripped constantly. Super-duper-annoying and environmentally unsound.
I didn’t want to hide my new bathtub and tile behind a shower curtain, and I didn’t want to deal with a shower curtain when I took a bath. I decided to investigate alternatives.
At last, I would be able to get rid of the ugly mustard-color square ceramic floor tile that I had tolerated for 12 years.
Frank my handyman stopped by to scope out the project. Our only debating point was the floor. Should the old tile come up first? It was ugly but in perfect shape, and the floor was level. If we tiled over the existing floor, the project would take 7 to 10 days; if we tore out the old floor first, it would take 14 to 17 days.
I agreed on installing the new tile over the old. (Spoiler alert: it worked out great.)
But what was I going to do for 7 to 10 days without running water? Happily, the bathtub had its own water shutoff valve, so everything except the bathtub would be usable for most of the time. My neighbors very kindly offered me use of the full bath in their basement for showers, so I was all set.
Ordering Project Supplies
Frank and I split up the project supply list and agreed to hold off on scheduling the job until we had all the supplies in hand. Frank’s list included:
Shower wallboard (cement board), because removing the old tile would damage the existing wallboard.
Standard pre-mixed mortar to affix the new tub to the subfloor.
Thinset mortar to stick the tile to the alcove walls and the new floor tile to the old floor tile, and spacers for the wall tile.
Floor tile grout.
Plumbing supplies like plumber’s putty, caulk, pipe glue and primer.
My list included:
60” long and 30” wide alcove bathtub.
Tub drain assembly (also called a “waste and overflow package”, including a drain, strainer, overflow assembly, and plug), so the tub could be connected to my condo’s waste line.
Wall tile and grout.
Floor tile.
Bathroom exhaust fan with light and heat.
Tub faucet, shower diverter (which directs water to the faucet or shower head), shower head, and shower arm. Must-have: a rain shower head.
New floorboards to match those installed with my hardwood floors.
To be on the safe side, I told Frank I would text him a link to my selections and get his OK before buying, especially for the plumbing items.
Next step—buying the fun stuff.
Buying a Bathtub
The online offerings with the standard home improvement retailers offered no 16”-and-up alcove tubs, so I extended my search to a giant online home retailer. Because I had already decided on my tub’s specifications, I was able to refine my options from 19K tubs to 25 in thirty seconds.
The winner was 20” high acrylic soaking tub with an integral (and very simple) apron (the exposed tub wall), a reclined backrest and a slotted overflow drain, giving me a ~15” high water level.
The corresponding drain assembly was linked to the tub listing, which avoided guesswork on my end (and a delay in the install if I got it wrong).
Additionally, this tub had a narrower-than-usual inside rim but a wide enough outside rim for a glass of wine and a candle or two, which gave me a little more width in the bathtub’s interior in the 30” wide footprint I needed. Score.
Selecting the Tile, Tub Hardware, and Bathroom Fan
Selecting Wall Tile
Now that I had bought the bathtub, it was time to choose the supporting cast, to make my bathroom the most relaxing place on earth.
First, the tile. I wanted the bathtub alcove tile to be a soft and serene wash of color all the way to the ceiling. I also wanted the tile to be simple and classic.
Several years earlier, when I replaced the hated ceramic tile countertop in my bathroom, I installed a ceramic and glass mosaic tile backsplash. Looking for color inspiration, I walked into the bathroom and took a good squint at it.
And there it was…a narrow glass tile in a graceful shade of lavender. Eureka!
I went to daltile.com, which had two enormous showrooms in the Portland area, and found glass subway tile that matched the backsplash.
I calculated the tile square footage I would need by multiplying the height and width of each wall, adding those numbers together, and adding 15% for cuts and broken pieces.
Next week I would head to the Daltile showroom to look at the glass tile IRL and get a price.
While there I could look for floor tile, too, so I jotted down the bathroom floor measurements.
On to the rest of my bathtub’s supporting cast.
Selecting the Tub Hardware and Bath Exhaust Fan
Selecting the tub hardware was easy. My go-to for faucets, etc. is Hansgrohe. I love their modern design, solid construction, and reliability, and it’s easy to buy their products online. I selected a set with a rain shower head. Done.
Finally, I needed a new bathroom exhaust fan to replace the loudest bathroom fan on earth. I found a very highly-rated combination exhaust fan/light/heater at Lowe’s. After consulting with Frank, I bought the unit.
Now I needed to select a paint color. Surprisingly, this was easier said than done.
Wall Color
Every wall in my condo was the same color I had painted it when I moved in 12 years earlier, and I still loved the colors I picked. The exception was the bathroom, which I had repainted four times.
My current bath color was a sea green with an overlay of two coats of translucent metallic paint applied with a damp cloth. It took two weekends to complete and I really wanted to love it—but the result was completely meh.
The only upside to that bathroom paint job was discovering the metallic paint. I dug out the paint swatch card and was stoked to discover that the line included a metallic lavender shade.
I immediately drove across town with my backsplash sample and compared it to the larger paint swatches available at the store. They matched so well that I bought a gallon of paint on the spot.
That night, I painted a section of the bathroom wall with the latest bathroom paint—and loved it. It was gorgeous and soothing and definitely not meh. On other words, a keeper.
FINALLY.
Everything was coming together—but I needed to confirm that the paint and the tile would coordinate before I started celebrating.
Visiting the Tile Showroom
I moved my tile showroom trip to the next day. I soon found the lavender glass subway tile, and was psyched to see that it was a close match to the paint swatch and the tile in my backsplash. Even better, they had a free sample, which I added to the RTTPYO accordion folder of home décor samples and swatches that I toted everywhere.
Floor tile next. Now that I had decided on a darker color scheme for the walls and bath tile, I wanted a large rectangular ceramic tile in an almost-white with a matching grout to visually expand the bathroom floor and brighten the space.
Almost-white is tricky as the tile’s undertone can create a yellow or pink cast, which would look awful with the lavender. I spent 30 minutes narrowing down my choices and then lugging 6 finalist display samples (actually full sized tiles) to various parts of the show room to look at them in different lighting.
Unfortunately, none of the showroom lighting was remotely like my bathroom lighting.
I had narrowed the choice to two (white and light gray) and was wavering back and forth when the sales rep finally took pity on me.
“You know,” he said, “I can let you take display samples home if you bring them back tomorrow."
I practically hugged him, signed out the two finalists, and went home for a sanity check in my bathroom.
The full-size lavender glass subway tile looked great with the paint and the white floor tile.
Done.
The following day, I went back to the showroom, returned the samples, and placed my order.
Now it was a matter of waiting for my orders to appear, then schedule the work.
Shower Curtain or Shower Door?
While I waited for my orders to arrive, I pondered whether or not to stick with a shower curtain or look for an alternative.
Since four bathroom paint changes were accompanied by four shower curtain changes, I was pretty much over having a shower curtain.
Most of the time I would be taking a shower in my new bathtub. I wanted something that would keep the water in the tub when taking a shower, but not make me feel like a goldfish in a bowl while taking a bath.
Which meant that the typical sliding glass bath doors were out.
What I wanted was a bifold glass panel, trackless if possible, that kept the water in the tub when I showered but folded out of the way when I took a bath. But customer reviews on the trackless doors complained endlessly about leaks.
After looking at hundreds of choices, I finally found The One.
Yes, the bifold glass panel had a track, but across a little over half the tub, leaving room for my wine and a lavender-scented candle. And the reviews rejoiced over the door’s water-tightness.
And, yes, the door folded against the shower wall, allowing me to bathe like a human instead of a goldfish.
Done and ordered.
Next step was to wait for everything to arrive and schedule the work.
Once the supplies (and Frank) arrived, the hard work would begin.
Bathroom Shopping List
Here's what I bought for my bathroom upgrade:
Kohler Underscore 60" x 30" Rectangular Alcove Soaking Bathtub with Integral Apron
DreamLine Aqua Fold 36" W x 58" H Folding Semi-Frameless Tub Door
Daltile Color Wheel Classic glass subway tile in Wood Violet
Daltile ColorBody Porcelain Floor Tile in Exhibition White (discontinued, sadly)
Utilitech 1.5-Sone 80-CFM White Lighted Bathroom Fan and Heater
Metaltech acrylic paint in Tarnish
Up Next
Good-bye, old bathtub.
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