The kids are older – maybe they’ve left home – and you’re clambering over the side of your family bath to get into the shower one day when you think, “Do we even need this bath anymore?” Does that sound familiar?

 

Whether it’s down to our busy lives or accessibility, energy saving or personal preference, more and more of us enjoy a shower instead of a bath. And if that’s the case, why take up space in your bathroom with a family sized tub, when you could change it into a luxurious walk-in shower with, picture this, powerful massage jets and a rainfall shower head. 

 

If you’re unfamiliar with renovation, you may be put off by the thought of building works in your home. So, let’s take a look at just what is involved in exchanging an unused bath for your new shower.

 

Preparing your walls for a new shower

When a bath is fitted, the walls are tiled down to the edge of the bath and then sealed, which gives a tidy finish and reduces the risk of leaks. This means, of course, that when the bath is removed you will have a half tiled wall.

 

There are a number of ways of fixing this. The cheapest option would be to finish the bottom half of the wall only with more tiles. However, the likelihood of matching patterns would be very slim, and even if you could find the same pattern, the tiles would be from a different batch, which brings in variances in shades.

 

Another option would be to remove all the tiles and start again. However, it’s likely your tiles won’t match the rest of the bathroom and you’ll have to do them all, changing your project from a simple partial shower renovation into a completely new room. That’s when the costs go up.

 

The third, and most used option, is to overlay your tiles with wall boarding. To do this we would first check for any loose tiles and remove them. Then, we level out the walls, and fit a waterproof boarding over the top, leaving a clean, professional finish.

 

Organising your bathroom renovation 

Finishing the walls is actually one of the last parts of the job, although the decision does need to be taken from the beginning as to how you would like to complete the room.

 

The full order of renovation will be something like this:

 

1. Remove your old bath and loose tiles. We can organise a skip for the waste to make the renovation easier.
2. Our plumber will alter the exposed pipework to cater for the shower, moving the shower head if necessary and allowing for the depth of the wall boarding. The bath waste will be moved to work with the shower tray, under the floor if possible.
3. The walls are levelled and prepared.
4. The shower tray is installed.
5. Wall boarding is added at this point.
6. Now for the finishing touches. Your new shower, shower cubicle and glass panel will be fitted, and your beautiful, modern bathroom is ready to use.

 

The key to a smooth renovation project is to have a plan in advance, and professional tradesmen who finish the job to the highest standard. When we work with you on your bathroom design, we take care of all the details so that every stage is completed swiftly and properly.

 

If you want to update your unused bath for a modern shower, call us today on 024 7669 1469.