Replacing bath with shower tray

So I have a bathroom in an apartment with a bath that I'd like to replace with a shower tray and glass panel. Ideally, to keep costs down I'd just re-tile that section and leave the rest of the bathroom as is. Some things I'm not sure about though:

- has anyone done something similar and only replaced the bath section and the tiles around it? How did it look with the rest of the bathroom?
- I spoke to a couple of bathroom renovation ppl / companies, and they wanted to do the whole bathroom and weren't willing to do just that section with the bath. Seems like they don't get out of bed for less than 10k.
- would the job require a full tanking kit?
- any other issues I should be aware of?

If anyone has any recommendations for someone in Dublin (city centre) that could do the job I'm all ears ️

Tia.

SomeRandomer said:

- has anyone done something similar and only replaced the bath section and the tiles around it? How did it look with the rest of the bathroom?

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My parents actually did that. When I heard about it I thought it would look awful. But they actually found and chose different tiles that work well with the existing one and it is not shocking at all. You would probable not notice.

I did this recently. I used PVC panels and not tiles and it looks well. I got a local plumber to do it.
It ended up more expensive than I thought ( of course) by the time I bought the shower, the panels and the plumber had to build a false wall to hide some pipes and box in the whole area

I think you should use a low kevel large shower tray and tile the exposed wall and floor with a similar matching black tile. Getting someone to do it would be your problem. It's a small enough job.

Thanks, so would a tanking kit be required? If so would it need to be full floor to ceiling, with the existing tiles over the bath having to come off?

I did this though i removed all the old tiles and had it all re-tiled. I tanked it. This was recommended to me; tanking is just a tape for any joints in the plasterboard that is behind the tiles and a black rubber like substance i painted over everything. I think the risk is if you don't you could find water soaks through the tiles/grout and the tiles will eventually lift. Walk in shower is great.

SomeRandomer said:

Thanks, so would a tanking kit be required? If so would it need to be full floor to ceiling, with the existing tiles over the bath having to come off?

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Yes

Harfang said:

Tanking is just a tape for any joints in the plasterboard that is behind the tiles and a black rubber like substance i painted over everything.

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Tanking is a lot more than that. As the name suggests it involves effectively creating a tank, covering the entire floor and upstands in a waterproof membrane. The manufacturers specify minimum install specifications that plumbers generally follow.

A lot of plumbers won't install low profile trays without doing it properly as they won't want the risk of you coming after them for leak damage to your property and potentially properties beneath you.

I’m a plumber and based in Dublin.
There is a couple of options here.
You could fit the tray slightly up off the floor so you can have access too the trap if you ever need it.
Thanking needs too be done right otherwise tiles will pop off the walls.
It looks straight forward really.

Would you be leaving the existing shower in place ??
Are these pod bathrooms placed into an apartment??

Pinoy adventure said:

Would you be leaving the existing shower in place ??
Are these pod bathrooms placed into an apartment??

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Thanks for the reply.

- Would you be leaving the existing shower in place ??

The existing shower is a Mira Vigour Thermostatic, and it's fed off the hot water tank which is heated overnight (so it's not an instant electric shower). There's pretty good pressure from it, and it's been working fine for the past 7 or 8 years. I can keep it or replace it, depending on how easy or difficult it is to fit a new one, and what type would be best.

- Are these pod bathrooms placed into an apartment??

No it's just a normal bathroom as far as I can tell. The apartments were built in the mid 90s.

@SomeRandomer meet @Pinoy adventure

Pinoy I wish you were elsewhere. I've a big plumbing job for the Autumn......... I'm starting from scratch and taking no chances. I once had a plumber put his foot thru the ceiling and did all sorts, threatened to sue me if I didn't pay him for the disaster he left me with. Cost me more to fix it than I'd paid him. Celtic Tiger types who had not one clue about anything.

Randomer you will regret it if you don't get a proper plumber/tiler. Black tiles should be able to match. Walk in shower is the best, doors and the cleaning of the bits is horrendous. I pulled out a bath and put in a lovely shower for the children's bathroom, regretted I hadn't done it years earlier. I can't see your hand wash basin, if it's tiny and low, now is a good time to replace it with something decent. I put in a double type, and used the entire wall behind as a mirror, not a cupboard, instead of tiling, gives great light/space to the room.

I have to say I like the panelling you can put in a shower rather than tiles, there is lots on the market now I believe, I did mine years ago and used that Grosfillex stuff in a pretty basic marble pattern as there wasnt much choice then. There is no chance of water getting through grout or any of those issues, it's very well sealed due to the way it's made and fitted. Put in a shower upstairs in a converted attic room, panelled it myself and it has never leaked thankfully, not a low shower tray though if that matters, older type!

Bronte said:

@SomeRandomer meet @Pinoy adventure

Pinoy I wish you were elsewhere. I've a big plumbing job for the Autumn......... I'm starting from scratch and taking no chances. I once had a plumber put his foot thru the ceiling and did all sorts, threatened to sue me if I didn't pay him for the disaster he left me with. Cost me more to fix it than I'd paid him. Celtic Tiger types who had not one clue about anything.

Randomer you will regret it if you don't get a proper plumber/tiler. Black tiles should be able to match. Walk in shower is the best, doors and the cleaning of the bits is horrendous. I pulled out a bath and put in a lovely shower for the children's bathroom, regretted I hadn't done it years earlier. I can't see your hand wash basin, if it's tiny and low, now is a good time to replace it with something decent. I put in a double type, and used the entire wall behind as a mirror, not a cupboard, instead of tiling, gives great light/space to the room.

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Thanks for the introduction @Bronte

When you say a walk in shower, do you mean the ones with the door enclosures? I can imagine they're pretty hard to clean, and I had my heart set on a tray with a glass panel.

You're right my wash hand basin is pretty small and I have a simple cupboard over it. The rest of that wall is tiled. This could be a good time to put in a bigger sink and a mirror like you say

SomeRandomer said:

Thanks for the reply.

- Would you be leaving the existing shower in place ??

The existing shower is a Mira Vigour Thermostatic, and it's fed off the hot water tank which is heated overnight (so it's not an instant electric shower). There's pretty good pressure from it, and it's been working fine for the past 7 or 8 years. I can keep it or replace it, depending on how easy or difficult it is to fit a new one, and what type would be best.

- Are these pod bathrooms placed into an apartment??

No it's just a normal bathroom as far as I can tell. The apartments were built in the mid 90s.

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Will gladly take a look when I’m back from my holidays if you like.

Bronte said:

@SomeRandomer meet @Pinoy adventure

Pinoy I wish you were elsewhere. I've a big plumbing job for the Autumn......... I'm starting from scratch and taking no chances. I once had a plumber put his foot thru the ceiling and did all sorts, threatened to sue me if I didn't pay him for the disaster he left me with. Cost me more to fix it than I'd paid him. Celtic Tiger types who had not one clue about anything.

Randomer you will regret it if you don't get a proper plumber/tiler. Black tiles should be able to match. Walk in shower is the best, doors and the cleaning of the bits is horrendous. I pulled out a bath and put in a lovely shower for the children's bathroom, regretted I hadn't done it years earlier. I can't see your hand wash basin, if it's tiny and low, now is a good time to replace it with something decent. I put in a double type, and used the entire wall behind as a mirror, not a cupboard, instead of tiling, gives great light/space to the room.

Click to expand...

Starting from scratch is sometimes easier.
The joys of working in domestic dwellings is damaging it

Pinoy adventure said:

Will gladly take a look when I’m back from my holidays if you like.

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Great… I'll pm you and we can take it from there

SomeRandomer said:

Thanks for the introduction @Bronte

When you say a walk in shower, do you mean the ones with the door enclosures? I can imagine they're pretty hard to clean, and I had my heart set on a tray with a glass panel.

You're right my wash hand basin is pretty small and I have a simple cupboard over it. The rest of that wall is tiled. This could be a good time to put in a bigger sink and a mirror like you say

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I had a look at your pictures. In my experience as a landlord it's always a better job if you start from scratch, otherwise it will never look entirely right. This hhowever is your family home, and you'll regret it if you don't do it right.

The recent family shower we did 2 years ago I didn't actually tile the entire room. Why. There is no need. It was a toilet, bath, double sink. Pulled out the bath, in a shower, and only tiled that. For the double sink, unit purchased from Ikea 100 mm I put a full wall to wall mirror above it, doing away with the need for tiling, and making the space bright and light. (it was already but this made it even more so.) The walls were then painted white. Purchased lovely floor tiles that were not slippy.

Walk in shower

Didn't have the space, but you do. So you need a shower tray of 90 (standard I think) by 170 (I think). @Pinoy adventure or another plumber will give you the correct measurements. If you're in a hotel they often have these nowadays. You can get great ideas from hotel bathrooms.

You put up a glass wall with a good decent gap to walk into . Then you never have a door problem and you don't have a cleaning issue with the door either. My preference is not a full glass wall, but you don't have the space, I saw one which was half wall half glass recently, and where the wall meets the glass there was a ledge which was ideal for shampoo bottles etc, easy to clean as it was tiled. The actual glass wasn't glass either, it was some kind of plastic but it was grooved. I do get how great the glass looks, as I hate cleaning it, I'm always on the look out as a landlord for better options.

Can't see your sink, but the ones installed in Ireland are horrendous. Too low, no space for anything. A drawer unit with a bit of surround is best. At the end of your shower you could put up a heated towel rack. Don't get me started on the unique Irish idea of a blow heater in bathrooms.