Converting Tub to a Shower

[apnep]

Hello!
I've been lurking for a couple of weeks and thought I'd introduce myself. I'm hoping to get help from the experts as needed.

My house is 30 years old and the tile in the tub/shower area actually fell off the wall last night as my son put some pressure on the soap dish...so yay! I get to reno the bathroom which I've been dying to do. I have tiled both bathroom floors and around the master tub. I am getting ready to convert my tub to a shower using the Kerdi shower kit which I still need to order. I am both excited and nervous and I am hoping I can keep the renovation costs low.

Thanks in advance for the help you're going to give me! Hehehe.

[ddmoit]

Welcome to the forum, Ang.

Good for you for getting a thread started on your project. Bookmark it and ask all your questions here. We'll offer whatever help we can.

The first issue that comes to my mind is your drain size. Your tub likely had a 1.5" drain. Your shower will need a 2" drain all the way to the stack.

[Rd Tile]

Drain should be moved to the center anyway, so good time to replace all the plumbing.

[apnep]

Thanks, I've bookmarked it.

Yes, I've been reading all about upgrading to a 2" from a 1.5" drain and I'm nervous about what I'm going to see when we pull the tub out.

So, I was trying to keep it simple and was just going to order the 32x60 off center pre-formed liner kit. Is that a bad thing?

Can someone tell me what ABS is vs. the PVC? Does what I order depend on the drain I currently have or can I just get the PVC?

Also, I was reading a thread about Kerdi from '07 where CX seemed to have the opinion that he'd never do a Kerdi liner in a home but do a mud pan. What is the overall concensus 2 year's later? I got the impression people LOVE the Kerdi because it's waterproof and simple to set up. I'm looking for easy and foolproof and so far the kerdi seems like an easy set-up.

Thanks!

[Marge]

Hi Ang, welcome to the forum.

I think you might have misunderstood cx (he is one of the most misunderstood people I know... ). He, and most here, have nothing against a kerdi preformed pan. A mud pan is just a lot less $$$$....and kinda fun to do. Both are excellent for your project.

[ddmoit]

So, I was trying to keep it simple and was just going to order the 32x60 off center pre-formed liner kit. Is that a bad thing?

It will work fine. A centered one is better for tile layout and aesthetics, but Schluter wouldn't sell you one that didn't work.

Can someone tell me what ABS is vs. the PVC? Does what I order depend on the drain I currently have or can I just get the PVC?

They're different kinds of plastic. What you need depends on which one they use where you live. ABS is usually black, PVC is usually white. Get the one that matches the pipes in your home.

[apnep]

Mud pan...cheaper? But more labor intensive right?

Here's a photo of my bathroom. We are basically going to gut it. I can't wait. I also want to put in a pocket door, but I'll hire someone to do that and redo the texture on the wall.

[ddmoit]

Are you going to keep that window? Is it vinyl-clad?

[apnep]

Yes, I'm keeping the window. It is new. We just got new windows on our house. Aluminum, double-paned...

[apnep]

Hi!
Anyone out there in tile world?

Is the tile calculator pretty accurate more or less? For my small bathroom it sure seems like I need alotta stuff. I measured everything twice and drew it out on paper then used the calculator to draw out each wall and the floor. So, I am guessing that if it says I need 10 lbs of thinset for the shower area, that I should double it because I have to put it under the Kerdi? I am going to use the same thinset for the kerdi and then to tile right?

Thanks in advance.

[apnep]

Also, another dumb question...I guess I have to actually demo the bathroom before ordering the kerdi to find out what kind of pipe I need? ABS or PVC? Does it matter since no one will see it anyway?


Thanks, Angela

[ddmoit]

Hi Ang,

It is very likely that your house is one or the other, but not both. Can you see any of the drain pipes in your house? If they're white, it's PVC. If they're black, they're ABS. Also, what your neighbor has, you likely have as well. See if they know.

[apnep]

Thanks. Another question.

Is it ok to use tumbled stone on kerdi? I thought I read that porcelain was better to use, but all the really nice decorate cool 1x1 and 2x2 mesh tiles seem to be stone... I wanted to use it on the shower floor.

[jondon]

Hello Angela,

You can treat your shower floor like a normal pan, you can put whatever you want on the shower floor, mosaics are good to give you good slope though the slope will already be there before the tile is put down. Treat the Kerdi as you would a normal surface to tile onto. They want you to use unmodified to stick the kerdi to the walls and pan.

[Brian in San Diego]

Ang,

Making a mud bed isn't a whole lot more trouble than putting in the Schluter tray but you have to decide what works best for you. The reason you need to know the type of drain pipe is because they are different types of plastic and the glues are different. You will have plenty of time to get your kerdi ordered and delivered while the demo is going on. If you order from Tile-Experts.com you'll get the stuff before you know it. After you demo the tub and find out what drain pipe material you have you still have to take care of re-plumbing the drain and I imagine you'll be putting in a new shower valve (if you weren't planning on it you should be). So you have that to do plus putting up the drywall...you've got enough to keep you busy for longer than you can imagine.

If you want to drop by and take a look at my thread I removed a tub/shower combo and put in a shower only.

Brian