Your fantasy is a soothing soak at the end of
a hard day in a gleaming, polished spa. Your reality is a chipped, scratched-up
tub and walls that are a mold-flecked embarrassment.
But fantasies
can come true.
You can transform that decaying bathtub area
into a luxurious, relaxing spa.
The centerpiece is the whirlpool. You can now
buy whirlpools that fit into a standard tub space and install with little more
hassle than a regular tub. In this article, we’ll tell you how to tear out an
old tub, tub walls and faucet; rough in new plumbing; and set the new whirlpool
in place.
If all goes without a
hitch, and you gather all your supplies in advance, you can complete this part
of the project in a weekend. Allow another long weekend for tiling and
finishing up. To complete this project, you’ll need basic carpentry, plumbing
and soldering skills and several special tools—a sledgehammer, a mini tubing
cutter ($15), soldering tools and a tub drain wrench ($10). All are available
at home centers and plumbing supply stores.
Expect to pay $700 or
more for a whirlpool. You’ll pay another
$250 to $300 for the faucet, waste line and other materials. Tile walls will
cost an additional $200 to $800, depending on the tile you
select.
Planning and Prep Work
The first step is to
decide how much of the bathroom to demolish. The existing tub is a standard 30
x 60 in. Whirlpools that size are available, but we decided to replace it with
a slightly roomier, 32 x 60-in. model. We recommend that you add this extra 2
in. if you have the space. It’ll complicate the project a bit; you’ll have to
shift the drain about 1 in. (Photo 7) and the tub edge may have
to sit on top of the existing flooring. But you’ll enjoy the extra width when
you’re soaking in the tub.
After forming your plan,
call your local building department to see which permits you need (you’ll
almost certainly need an electrical permit) and learn about any special local
rules regarding whirlpools. Some inspectors require a separate wall access for
servicing the motor and pump, depending on the model you buy.
Open the plumbing access
panel behind the tub and test the hot and cold water shutoffs. Turn them off,
then turn on the tub faucet and see if any water drips out— old shutoffs often
leak. If they leak, turn off the water at the main shutoff, drain the water
lines and replace the old shutoffs with ball valve shutoffs (Photos 1 and
2). If your tub doesn’t have shutoff valves, add them now. They
allow you to turn the water back on to the rest of the house while you’re
remodeling the tub area. It’s easiest if you solder a short stub onto the
uphill side of the ball valve to add on to later (Photo 2). After
the joints have cooled, close the shutoffs and put tape or caps on the copper
stubs to keep out debris.
Next, disconnect the
waste and overflow coming out of the old tub. If the P-trap is plastic and in
good condition, leave it in place. If it’s metal, it’s probably old, so replace
it with a plastic trap.
Note: Many
older houses have galvanized water lines. If they still provide strong water
pressure, you can add new galvanized fittings, or make a transition to copper
with a special dielectric coupling—a fitting that prevents rapid corrosion in
the steel ($5 at a plumbing supply store). However, if the water pressure is
low and the inside of the pipe is obstructed with mineral deposits, replace the
water lines with new copper or CPVC lines. With the old tub out of the way,
there’ll never be a better time.
Remove the Tub and Tile
The next step is
demolition. Place a heavy-duty dropcloth over the floor and protect or remove
other bathroom fixtures. Check the other side of the tub walls and remove any
breakables or pictures—the walls shake during demolition.
Make level and plumb
lines around the old tile as guidelines, then cut through the drywall by making
multiple passes with a utility knife. This takes longer than using a saw, but
you’ll avoid hitting hidden wiring and plumbing. Keep your cutting lines within
the perimeter of the new tile layout so that the new tile will just lap onto
the old drywall and hide the joint. Work your way down the studs with a pry bar
and pull off larger sections by hand (Photo 4).You may have to smash
through the tile with a hammer to get holes started near the top. If your tile
has been set in a 1-in. thick mortar bed, you may have to pry it out piece by
piece, cutting reinforcing wire as you go. Wear eye protection to protect
yourself from flying chunks of tile, and a dust mask to filter out dust. If the
wall insulation is at all moldy or damp, pull that out as well. When the wall
thoroughly dries out, brush any moldy areas with a wood
preservative.
Clean out the debris,
then remove the tub—either by breaking it into pieces or carrying it out whole.
To carry it out, first lever it onto its side on an old, upside-down piece of
carpet, then transfer it to a dolly or just drag it out on the carpet. Get a
strong helper—cast iron tubs weigh 200 to 300 lbs. and can’t be moved by one
person. If your tub is fiberglass or enameled steel, it will be much lighter.
You can either carry it out or cut it into smaller pieces with a reciprocating
saw. Keep in mind that you may have to remove more drywall if you take it out
whole. This isn’t necessarily bad; you may have to remove more drywall anyway
to get the new tub in (Photo
11).
Although it’s a messy,
jarring job, breaking a cast iron tub is often the easiest alternative. Start
breaking the tub on the bottom and sides with hard but controlled hits from a
sledgehammer (Photo
5). The shards from the enamel and cast iron are razor sharp; eye
protection is a must. Lay an old blanket or dropcloth over the area you’re
breaking to keep the shards from flying. It’s also loud; wear earplugs. Break
the tub into at least four manageable sections.
Rough In the Plumbing
Begin the rough-in
plumbing work for the whirlpool by laying out the center lines for the drain,
the new anti-scald faucet, the tub spout and the shower head (Photo
7). Follow the
dimensions in your whirlpool’s instruction booklet. Standard minimum heights
for the tub spout and faucet are 4 and 12 in. above the overflow level of the
tub, but these can be higher if desired. (Note: Think ahead and try to
position your spout and faucet to complement your future tile layout.) Install
a 2x4 backer for the faucet and set it at the depth shown in the manufacturer’s
instructions (Photo
8). You may also need to install backers for the shower head and the
tub spout.
Assemble your copper
pieces and solder them all at once (Photo 9). If you solder directly to
the valve, be sure to remove the cartridge first. Don’t solder in the tub spout
until after you install the tub (Photo 16).
Also, check the P-trap
to make sure its center reaches the new drain. There was enough play in ours
that we didn’t need to extend the drain the extra inch required for the center
of the 32-in. tub.
Mark the Tub Location
Tub setting and leveling
systems vary by brand. Our tub is designed to be set in a bed of mortar and
leveled by edge supports screwed to the wall (Photo 10). Some
tubs of other brands sit on a leveled subfloor. No matter what method you use,
the weight of the tub must be supported by the floor, not the tub rim. It’s
essential to follow the instructions included with your tub.
Level the top of the
edge supports at 21-1/4 in. above the highest point of the subfloor. We
actually measured ours from the highest point of the existing tile floor,
because the outer edge of our new 32-in. wide tub overlapped the floor tile by
2 in. (The old tub was 30 in. wide.) It was easier to position the tub edge on
top of the tile than to remove the tile and set the edge on the sub-floor. This
technique works best if your existing tile floor is level. Choose the technique
that best fits your floor.
If the floor under your
tub is more than 1/2 in. out of level, take a few minutes to check the floor
joists and the structure underneath. In older houses especially, it’s not
uncommon to find that a floor joist has been cut to make room for plumbing, or
has rotted because of water damage. Excessive sagging can also occur because a
load-bearing wall was mistakenly removed in a previous
remodeling.
Follow manufacturer’s
recommendations for the placement of the electrical outlet (see
Figure A).
Install the Whirlpool
Now test-fit the tub to
make sure you can get it in (Photo 11). We discovered that we
hadn’t cut out enough drywall and had to pull off more at both ends. And you’ll
often have to remove the toilet to get the tub in. Then install the drain—it’s
easier to do now, as long as you remember not to rest the tub weight on the
drain after you’ve installed it (Photo 12). Set the drain inside the
tub in plumber’s putty—make a rope of it, about 1/2 in. in diameter, and stick
it on the underside of the drain before you push the drain through the bottom
of the tub. Hold the drain steady on the inside of the tub with a special tub
drain wrench. The putty should squeeze out all the way around the
rim.
Spread mortar underneath
the tub, roughly mirroring the outline of the tub base (Photo 13). Seat
the tub fully into the mortar,
but don’t get into the tub or put
any
weight in it until the mortar
hardens.
After the mortar
hardens, hook up the waste, overflow and trap (Photo 14), then
solder on an extra-long copper stub and cap for the tub spout. Temporarily
attach the faucet handle, open the shutoffs in the access panel, turn the water
on and check for leaks in the copper lines. Then cut the copper spout to the
length in the faucet instructions and run water into the tub. Feel each joint
and the seal under the tub for dampness. If you do get any leaks, make sure the
slip nuts have been fully hand-tightened, or turn them an extra quarter turn
with an adjustable pliers. If it still leaks, take the joint apart and check
the washer—they occasionally break.
Now fill the tub up to
the overflow drain and check it for leaks. Then plug in the tub and turn it on.
If nothing happens, look underneath the switch and make sure a small, flexible
rubber tube is connected to it. If not, find it and insert it firmly into the
hole in the bottom of the switch. Also, make sure the GFCI is set and the
circuit breaker is flipped on.
Tip
If
you want to replace your floor tile, you don’t always have to remove it. If the
subfloor and tile are still sound, you can add another layer of tile on top of
the old one. Check with a tile store for details.
With the tub running,
check all the pipes and joints for leaks (Photo 15). They’re rare but not
unheard of, so check carefully. If you find one, call the manufacturer right
away for repair instructions.
Figure A: Electrical Plan
Click image to enlarge.
You’ll
need at least one dedicated 15-amp GFCI circuit—two if you decide to install an
optional heater. In our bath, we installed two “blank front” GFCIs in the linen
closet so we could test the circuits without opening the tub access, then ran
two separate 14-2 cables to outlets at the pump and heater locations. You also
need to run a solid No. 8 copper ground wire from the motor to all metal
associated with the tub. Check with your electrician or inspector for wiring
details.
Buying a Whirlpool
Whirlpool tubs come in a
wide variety of shapes and sizes and are made by a number of national and
regional manufacturers. We chose a model that has an integral tiling flange and
fits into a standard 5-ft. space. If you have more room, you can install a
drop-in model—a whirlpool meant to sit on top of a tiled deck. Check with your
local distributors for model and installation instructions. Some tubs designed
to fit a standard 5-ft. space have add-on flanges. Avoid these if you can—the
add-on flanges won’t be as watertight as the integral
ones.
In this article, we’re
installing an American Standard whirlpool (the Williamsburg Elite,
800-442-1902). Other manufacturers have somewhat different tub designs and
installation techniques. Be sure to check the specific instructions included
with the tub you
buy.
Tip
Small parts always seem
to fall into open drains. Close or cover the drain when you’re handling
them.
The final step is to
lock the rim of the tub into place with roofing nails or wafer-head screws
(Photo 16), in
the manner specified by the tub manufacturer.
Now clean up, and get
ready to close up the walls and tile.
