RTTPYO #12: Replacing My Standard Bathtub, Part 2
- nvilu7
- 3 days ago
- 10 min read
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About the RTTPYO Series
RTTPYO stands for Removing Things That Piss You Off — the small home problems we tolerate for years before finally fixing them.
In this series, I tackle one everyday annoyance and show how a simple design change can make a space work better.
In Part 1, I covered how I selected my bathtub and tile, prepared for the work, and why bathtubs are so short. In this post, with all the supplies in (and cluttering up the living room), my handyman Frank turns my average bathroom into an oasis.
Checking in Supplies
It took about six weeks for all my orders to arrive. I used that time to paint the bathroom for the fifth (and final) time and bought towels in a floral print that complemented the lavender walls and soon-to-be-installed wall tile.
The bathtub arrived first:
After the Epic Fail while replacing my hardwood floors, I began opening my RTTPYO orders the moment they arrived to make sure every order was correct and undamaged.
Checking the bathtub was a challenge, but I managed without killing myself.
With the tub unleashed from its box, I took a deep breath and lay down in it. Eureka! My tub testing and careful measurements paid off—the tub’s lumbar support and height were exactly right.
The tile arrived last. I examined every box—woo hoo, no breakage.
With all my bathroom RTTPYO supplies checked in and accounted for, I texted my handyman. We scheduled the job to start in 10 days.
While waiting, I bought the wall tile grout—almost-white, with a bit of sparkle to complement the glass tile and coordinate with the floor. Frank told me which floor tile grout he preferred and asked me to select the color (wise man), so I got that, too.
The night before the install started, looking at my new bathtub sitting in my living room, I thought back to what Frank told me when I first asked him about doing the replacement.
Frank said, “Replacing a bathtub isn’t simple. It’s a long series of interdependent steps. You have to get each step exactly right before you go to the next.”
“It’s going to take at least 10 days to get it done.”
I hesitated—for 30 seconds—and then thought, dammit, I really, really want that bathtub. Whatever it takes, I’m in.
Some RTTPYO projects take 30 minutes. Others take an hour or two. This one was going to take a lot longer—because I was replacing something that was literally built into my home.
Here’s what it took to get my new bathtub.
Replacing My Standard Bathtub
New Bathtub Day finally arrived. I took a final shower in my apartment-sized tub, cleared everything off the counters and walls, and covered the cabinets, toilet, washer, and dryer with towels and drop cloths to protect them during demo.
Thanks to Frank’s experience and my prep, the reno went like clockwork.
Day One – Demo Day
First, Frank turned off the water to the tub. Floods are bad.
Frank then removed the floor tile near the tub to make it easier to get the tub out.
When Frank removed the tub, the old cement board came with it. Now we need to replace it. Good thing I budgeted for worst-case scenario.
Post-demo, we were delighted to see moisture-free framing. One less thing to replace.
While the walls were open, we decided to replace the old shower plumbing with modern PEX to future-proof the bath.
Frank vacuumed everything clean and hauled away the old tub. Day One complete.
I’d forgotten how loud and dirty demo is.
I lay in my new bathtub, which is still in the living room, and watch TV with a glass of wine.
Day Two – Bathtub Subfloor Installed
Frank cut and installed water-resistant bathtub subfloor in the alcove and the section of the bathroom floor where he removed the floor tile.
It’s super-critical to get the bathtub subfloor and the floor tile subfloor exactly level with each other so the seal between the new floor tiles and the tub is tight and waterproof. Frank muttered under his breath during the operation. I retreated to my office to give him space.
Then he attached the drain assembly to the tub.
Using Frank’s measurements, I ordered the floorboards, which Frank will pick up for me in a few days.
Day Three – Installing the Bathtub
Frank and I carefully maneuvered the new bathtub into the alcove. The tub was too low. Dang!
Frank cut several wooden shims and slid them between the bath subfloor and the tub to get the tub to the appropriate height so he could connect the tub to the waste line.
It took several hours, lots of fiddling, and lots of cussing to get the shims in the right place and caulked with silicone to secure them to the subfloor and to the tub—while keeping the tub level and at the right height to accommodate the new floor tile.
Frank layered Quikrete under the tub to cushion it in its shim cradle. The cussing and level-checking continued.
Because the silicon caulk takes 24 hours to fully dry, Frank will start installing the new ceramic floor tile tomorrow.
I poured myself a large glass of wine when Frank left and hoped he has some adult beverage or other waiting for him when he got home. It was a nerve wracking day for both of us.
Day Four – Installing the Floor Tile
When planning this RTTPYO, Frank and I agreed that he would install the new ceramic tile over the existing floor, which was ugly but level and in great condition. That decision reduced the install by five days.
Thanks to the measuring, leveling, and cussing yesterday, the tile that runs alongside the bathtub fit just under the tub apron without needing to be cut, ensuring a waterproof seal after grouting.
Frank tested the layout by arranging the tile on the floor. We had one scary moment when he thought he may need one extra tile, but we played with the layout and came up with a solution.
Frank then mortared down the tiles on the center section of the floor, using spacers to make sure the joints were uniform. Tomorrow Frank will cut and lay the tile around the toilet.
Frank warned me to stay off the bathroom floor for a few hours, which of course meant that as soon as Frank drove away, I really had to pee.
Day Five – Installing Floor Tile, Day 2
Day Five was the day Frank cut and installed the rest of the floor tile—which meant that my toilet would sit in my living room for several hours.
I refrained from drinking my usual second cup of coffee that morning.
Frank arrived with the floorboards, primed and ready for me to paint over the weekend.
Frank assured me that he will not leave me toilet-less at the end of the day. He drained and removed the toilet, then laid down mortar and tile in sections, cutting tile as he went.
I walked two blocks to Starbucks to buy us coffee and pastries and use their facilities. We chatted and enjoyed a break while the Quikrete dried enough to reinstall the toilet.
Day Six – Seal Connections and Grout the Floor
Frank double-checked to make sure that the tub was level and the tub apron was at the right height for the new tile, then sealed the connections between the tub and the waste line.
Frank then screwed the upper edge of the tub to the alcove walls. “That tub isn’t going anywhere,” he said. I started dreaming of the day when I could actually use my new tub.
Tub secured, Frank laid the floor tile next to the tub and grouted the entire floor. He warned me in 7 different positions not to walk on the floor for several hours, then left for the day.
Two visits to Starbucks later, the grout was set and I was free to carefully use my bathroom.
Day Seven – Wallboard and Floorboard Installation
My first conscious act that morning was to look at my new bathroom floor.
It looked fantastic. The white tile was fabulous with the lavender walls, and the large tile and matching grout made the bathroom look much more spacious.
Whew.
Frank cut and installed the cement board in the bath alcove walls. Pretty uneventful except for a bit of cussing when cutting out the right side wallboard to accommodate the bath and shower plumbing.
The final task for the day was installing the floorboards that I painted over the weekend.
By the end of the day, my bathroom looked like an actual bathroom and not a construction zone.
Days Eight through Eleven – Wall Tile Installation
This part of the project was slow-going because 1) I wanted the tile to extend to the ceiling (which is a lot of tile), and 2), the tile was only available in individual tiles, meaning Frank had to apply them one…by…one.
Thankfully, the tile looked great with the wall color and the grout looked great with the tile.
Even with the grout haze on the tile, I saw my beautiful new bathroom emerging.
Tomorrow—running water.
Day Twelve – Grout Haze Removed, Exterior Plumbing Installed
Frank removed the grout haze from the tiles. So sparkly!
The tub faucet, diverter, and showerhead were installed.
MY SHOWER WAS OPERATIONAL.
Frank will return next week to install the bifold shower door.
That night, sans curtain or door, I carefully took a shower in my own bathroom. It was heaven.
Over the weekend I took two long baths. Also heaven. Much better than what I imagined when lying in the bathtub in my living room.
Solving Unexpected Problems
In addition to installing the glass bifold door, Frank and I had two last-minute, unexpected tasks left to finish up the bathroom.
And I wanted to figure out solutions quickly to take advantage of Frank’s time when he returned to install the shower door.
The first task was finishing the tile edges on the alcove’s right and left walls. Despite all my careful planning, I hadn’t found anything other than standard glass tile edging, and I wanted something a little more unexpected.
So far I hadn’t come up with any brilliant ideas (actually, I hadn’t come up with any bad or average ideas, either).
Gritting my teeth, I opened my laptop and resigned myself to several hours of random searching. I searched homedepot.com using terms like “tile edging”, “metal edging,” and “metal strips.” Yes, it took hours, and I looked at hundreds of possible solutions, but nothing jumped out at me.
Finally, I came across a narrow metal trim that looked a lot like the metal track on my glass bifold shower door. It was just wide enough to snugly cover the tile edge. Thinking back, I have no idea what it’s intended purpose was, and I can’t remember the search term I used.
Fingers crossed, I placed the order.
One of the few times in my reno life that I have thrown something at the wall to see if it sticks.
The second task did not emerge until the wall tile was done. Because the bath alcove was not exactly square, the tiles on one wall didn’t quite meet the ceiling.
Dang.
After sleeping on it, I decided to add crown molding around the tub alcove. After some texting with Frank, we agreed on the following:
The molding needed to be narrow and simple to minimize attention (this is a modern bathroom, not Versailles).
It also needed to be lightweight and waterproof so Frank could attach it to the ceiling with silicon caulk.
A few internet searches later, I found and ordered the molding.
Finishing Touches
Frank arrived Tuesday morning to install the shower door. Unfortunately, the crown molding and trim failed to show up. Sigh.
The shower door installation was very straightforward. First, Frank screwed the door frame into the shower wall using a special drill bit to avoid shattering the glass tile he just installed.
He then used silicon caulk to attach the bottom track to the tub, making sure that when the door was in use, the door bottom rested against the track to keep water in the tub.
After taping the track to the tub with painters tape to make sure it stayed in place until it dried, and warning me to wait for 24 hours to use the door, Frank headed out.
The crown molding and trim arrived the next day. I immediately took the trim in the bathroom and tried it on the tile edge.
OMG. It was perfect.
Even a blind pig can find an acorn now and then.
I painted the crown molding to match the walls and waited for Frank’s return.
It took him six weeks to find a break in his schedule to finish up. Waiting was easier than I thought it would be since I had a fabulous new bathtub, gorgeous tile, and a foldaway glass shower door to comfort me.
My bathtub replacement included a full tile surround, flooring, plumbing updates, and finish work and took twelve days to complete, not including my pre-planning and research.
Yes, this project was a haul. It took dozens of nerve-wracking decisions, careful preparation, bags of patience, and two final leaps of faith, but it was worth it to get a bathroom customized just for me.
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
Selecting and buying custom furniture.
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