Your quick guide to tub and shower conversions

As one of the most frequently used areas in the home, it’s no surprise that the bathroom is one of the top places homeowners remodel. Making upgrades and improvements ensures this space helps the livability, functionality and comfort of your home.

Research recently posted by Remodeling showed the market for bathroom remodeling is booming. Over 14 million bathroom remodels and replacements were made in 2015 alone, with showers and bathtubs among the product categories with the highest estimated value. 

Your tub or shower shouldn’t just be the place you go to get clean – or at least it doesn’t have to be. Instead of being a source of embarrassment or frustration, your outdated bathtub can actually become an element of your bathroom – and home – you’re most proud of. With the right bathroom remodeling services and tub liner products, you can transform your boring, mundane shower into an enjoyable, spa-like experience and ensure it’s a luxurious source of comfort and relaxation – all in just one or two days.

Let’s take a look at the three most popular options for going about this.

Tub-to-shower conversion
According to House Logic, there’s a rising trend of homeowners converting their bathtubs into showers. Some people, especially those without children, simply don’t have much use for a tub anymore and think a standalone shower would be more fitting. You can customize your new shower with a shower seat or bench if you still want the flexibility to sit while bathing.

When you decide to give your shower or tub a makeover, it’s also a great opportunity to consider adding or replacing any fixtures and accessories. Maybe you want a rain shower head – a popular choice among homeowners.

Walk-in tubs
If you aren’t ready to say goodbye to your bathtub experience, but are having issues getting in and out of your tub, consider a walk-in tub as a safer solution.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every year, thousands of injured seniors are hospitalized due to falling, which often happens in the bathroom. This is why homeowners should take extra precautions in ensuring their bathrooms are safe by doing some or all of the following:

• Adding grab bars.
• Lowering the threshold for easy entry and exit.
• Installing slip-resistant flooring.
• Having shower seats that are ADA height compliant.

Walk-tubs can also improve a person’s well-being since they can increase circulation, reduce stress, relieve aches and pains and even ignite the release of endorphins! Plus, they can help you maximize the space in your bathroom since they tend to be more compact than conventional tubs.

Enhance the look and function of your bath with a new wall liner.

Bathtub replacements
If you love your bathtub but just need to update the appearance, consider the bathwraps experience where our products can be custom measured and manufactured to fit right over the existing unit – and can be completed in just one day.

The wall liners come in a wide range of colors and style variations – allowing you to customize and tailor the product to suit your aesthetic and functional needs including:

• Solid colors
• Simulated tile
• Premium granites

Factors to consider
The size of your bathroom is going to play a pretty big hand in determining the scale of your bathroom remodeling project and the specific type of tub or shower you get. If you’re working with a relatively tight-knit area, you may want to tear out the tub and install a new shower stall instead.

With both walk-in tubs and showers, if you choose to have a door, how much room you have will affect whether the door should swing inward or outward.

The amount of time and work that will go into the conversion or installation, of course, depends on what you’re currently working with. If no changes need to be made to the plumbing or water supply line, conversions can be quite simple.

Choosing quality products and service
A great deal of what makes these liners so beneficial to homeowners stems from the fact that they are made from 100 percent acrylic. This is important for a number of reasons. It is a nonporous material that translates to an easier maintenance and a longer lifespan.

With these liner products, you won’t have to worry about it cracking, peeling or scratching, nor will you run the risk of the material looking grimy and deteriorated over time. Because acrylic retains heat better than other alternatives, it is ideal to use in the bathroom and can even further help prevent slipping.

To ensure you choose the right product and that the installation process goes as smooth and successful as possible, it’s important to work with a home remodeling company that specializes in bathroom remodeling. For additional information and guidance that can help you plan a bath remodeling project, download our white paper: