Replacing a bathtub with a doorless shower makes certain comforts you don’t get with traditional shower enclosures. For starters, there is no glass door to clean and no threshold that could leak if a door seal. And with no traditional dam at the entrance, you just walk in instead of having to step into the shower. Converting a bathtub to a doorless walk-in shower involves several important considerations.
Pipes and Drains
One cost-saving approach is to take advantage of the existing copper piping instead of rerouting the hot and cold lines to another wall. If the pipes are galvanized, consider replacing them with copper. As for the valves, it is possible to go with individual hot and cold faucets or install a single-lever blending valve. Also, plan on installing a bathtub drain grate rather than the existing bathtub drain and stopper. Similar to the faucets, the location can stay as is, if you don’t intend to reconfigure the existing layout.
Sloping the Floor
It’s important to get the water efficiently run to the drain instead of pooling, which can lead to a wet bathroom floor. If the home is on a concrete slab, the area in which the bathtub installs will need to be reconfigured to obtain the necessary slope for drainage, which should be no less that 1/8 inch per foot. As an alternative, you may consider an overhead spray instead of the normal wall-mount showerhead to reduce splashing. To get a raised base, the subfloor sheathing is removed and the floor joists trimmed — or sloping to achieve drainage, then the sheathing is re-installed to get a brick bed.
Design
Unless you intend to reconfigure the restroom, the existing wall framing at the back and side walls of this old tub surround can stay. The doorless entrance is then made by installing a glass panel or wall section that goes floor to ceiling, leaving the walk-in opening in the desirable width. Take some time to find out more about the wide variety of doorless shower designs and configurations, and select the one that suits your preferences.
Materials
Wood-framed walls will accommodate tile, granite or marble that is installed on a mortar-bed substrate or cement backer-board. The specific materials you select for the walls can have a smooth or glass finish, while the floor should have a nonslip finish. Some designers recommend nonslip materials throughout the restroom floor to eliminate any safety hazards.
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