Replacing a bathtub and shower - options?

[wahoowad]

My bathtub and shower are one single unit - no seams. It was installed when the house was built in 1987. It has lost the shiny finish and soap scum buildup happens fast and it is always unsightly. There even appear to be discolorations that won't clean up. It is time to replace but it is clear a replacement unit will not fit through the bathroom door. The original was installed as the house was built so that ishow they got it in there. It is a smallish bathroom too.

There are 2 piece (or multi-piece) units at the big box stores that would fit through the door. But I've seen these in other places and the seams/joints between the walls and at the tub are usually very unsightly and cheap looking. An alternative is to have it ripped out and tiled, which I am considering but just wish I could get a whole new unit replaced and not tiled. I want to keep it as a single tub/shower unit and not convert to tub or shower stall only.

Any other options folks want to recommend? Anybody have a replacement unit with seams that they think is appealing?

Thanks!

 

[colebrookman]

In my first house I put a one piece unit in by tearing open the outside wall. No seams, no leaking. I had to reside the house anyway. In my present home I bought a large two piece from HD. Also bought the cap for it which seems to dress it up. Was going to install a light in it but found it was not needed. The size was the largest I could put in my bathroom so you don't feel claustrophobic when you shower and very easy to clean. Tile is nice but this works. It's all what you prefer and can afford.
Ed

 

[d.n.f.]

I have a three seam unit (one on each wall), and it looks dank but it came with the house. Will be trying to find a one piece.
I find they clean up better. This will only be a guest shower so it won't get much use.
Tile is nice, but you have to keep up with the maintenance.

 

[Highbeam]

I agree with all of you guys. A one piece shower/tub is my favorite situation. Made even better with the addition of the sliding glass doors vs. the stanky curtains. The glass door is great to keep water in the tub and not on the floor. The only thing worse than a tile surround is a tile surround with a window above the tub.

Honestly, I would consider opening up the doorway to make room for the unit to pass through. A single interior doorway should not be too bad to repair. Take the opportunity to upgrade the door.

 

[d.n.f.]

My other bathroom (there are three in this house) has a tile surround with a window.
Luckily this is used only as a powder room. Why on earth would anybody do this? There is mold around the whole thing.
Plus as an added bonus, the window is wooden.
Sweet setup.

 

[struggle]

I have as of this last winter installed three different style Sterling shower set ups in my house. They are hands down the best remodel stall I could find. Although not cheap they are easy to put in and seem to be durable for every day use. Most any home remodeling center will have them like Menard's, Lowe's etc.

I put in a corner model in the basement. Stand up 48" in the master bath and a tub set up in the hallway bath. I would not use anything else in a remodel. Here is the website for them but the prices seem higher than what I paid. I guess they are showing MSRP.

http://www.sterlingplumbing.com/home.strl

 

[InTheRockies]

I put a new kitchen and bathroom in the small house I live in now (I intentionally bought a fixer-upper to keep my costs low--I like renovating anyway). As long as you have a standard sized doorway you should be able to get the old tub out and a new tub in. I did have a helper get the old tub out and the new tub in--the old tub was a heavy cast iron piece (horrible avocado green with multiple chips) that had an acrylic surround stained beyond repair. I installed a new acrylic, whirlpool tub (standard size) with tile surround. I had never had a whirlpool tub before. I was always a shower person. I haven't taken 1 shower with the whirlpool tub--I love the whirlpool. It wasn't that much more expensive than a regular tub, either. Good luck. If you've got some helpers available to help you maneuver the old tub out and the new tub in, you might want to expand your options. Here's a photo of the old bath in the house when I bought it and the new bath I put in.

Old bath

New bath

 

[granpajohn]

I didn't do research, but I know of a Corian unit which comes in adequate pieces. It is not cheap. But it is a superior material to common acrylic or fiberglass. I've only seen it used in that one application.

Whatever you do, don't use tile. (Just my experienced, biased, opinion.)

 

[wahoowad]

The person who came by is a tile guy and he recommended a installing a tub pan and tiling. I personally would prefer another smooth wall one piece tub/shower unit like Struggle mentioned, but it is a small abthroon and I just don't see it fitting in the door. Even a door demo/rebuild may not give enough room. There isn't a lot of wall space to demo given where the door is located. I also can not remove any walls given where the bathroom is located.

I am somewhat hesitant about tile but figured a new job done right (this guy was recommended by friends) would be OK. I've never had tile so thought it would be worth a try. I'll go back by Lowes and look at multi-piece tub/shower units again but did not recall any that I liked the first time I looked. I need a new floor (linoleum is old) and toilet and vanity/sink and just prefer to have this guy do it all. I touch a piece of plumbing once and find I have to touch it again about 10 times to finally get it to stop leaking.