Summary
Not every tub or shower can be covered. Flimsy fiberglass units come out, new plywood goes in, and the new base and walls go on a solid, level surface. Watch the 53-second video.
Can a new acrylic system just go over the tub or shower you have now? The short answer is no, not always. In this 53-second video from a real job, our installer shows why a flimsy fiberglass unit has to come out first.
What you’ll see in this video
- One-piece fiberglass tubs and showers flex too much to be a sound base for a new system.
- On this job, both units were cut out and hauled away for the homeowner.
- New plywood goes in all the way around so grab bars, doors and seats have something solid behind them.
- The result is a new base and walls that are level, square and solid.
Want to learn more?
- Tub liner vs. reglazing vs. replacement
- Tub-to-shower conversion: how it works
- What’s hiding behind your old tub?
Video transcript
Can Bath Fitter cover up any tub or shower? The answer is no, and let me tell you why. So, fiberglass is a material that a lot of new homes will use. I mean, everybody knows what it is, right? I don't think I have to explain exactly what fiberglass is, but it is just a porous material. This shower, this tub, all one-piece fiberglass units. You can see how flimsy they are, right? This is the back wall. So, the reason we can't cover over top of this is because it's not sound enough. It's not solid enough. So, what we did was we cut all of this out and disposed of all of this stuff for this customer, so they won't have to deal with it when we're gone. We took all of these units out, and we're going to put new, fresh plywood all the way around. So, when we put our material up, we've got grab bars, doors, seats, whatever. So, the answer: can we cover anything? The answer is clearly no. In a case like today, where we have fiberglass units, the best bet for us is to remove them, put a brand new base in there, brand new walls, frame everything in. It'll be nice and level, nice and square, nice and solid.
Sources
This guide applies to: Bath Fitter Arkansas, Bath Fitter Augusta, Bath Fitter Columbia, Bath Fitter Memphis, Bath Fitter Oklahoma, Bath Fitter Tri Cities, Bath Fitter Upstate SC/Western NC.