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Tub won't fit?? Use 6.5x13 tile surround for tub?? HELP!

12 years ago

I am driving myself crazy with picking out everything for my master bath remodel. I need some advice, please!!

We have a house built in 1977 with original small tub. From wall to wall to wall (so behind the current tile) we have a hair over 59" x exactly 39" to fit a new tub. I can't find a decent cheap one that will fit! Does anyone have any suggestions?? Is it possible to cut into the wall a little??

I'm also trying to pick the tile for the tub/shower surround (combo). I like the look of the brick-lay, but of course it's more expensive, so I have to be sure. The tile we like comes in a 6.5 x 13" size. Would that be good for the walls? Has anyone ever done this? My husband is concerned that if we have our 18" on-a-diagonal floor tiles and then the 13" square on-a-diagonal wall tiles that it will look funny -- too similar, to matchy-matchy, boring, etc. Any suggestions?? This is our tile we've picked, in the cappuccino color:

Here is a link that might be useful: Marazzi Artea Stone

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Comments (6)

Betsey Thompson
12 years ago
Hi, is this your forever house, and if so, do you have room to move one of the walls? A six foot tub is a lot more comfortable if you are a bath taker, but you'd have to decide whether it is worth the investment of reframing. What kind of tub is installed now, and how big is it?
rmsaustin
12 years ago
Do you have to have a tub? You could do a nice sized master shower instead. As to the tile - you could add a coordinated decorative tile to the bath or shower wall to break things up a bit and add some interest, or do a horizontal 13 x 6. ( or so ) top and bottom row of the field tile to break things up, or both.
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Yeah in the permit stage-- what bath tub did you pick?
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Comments (7)
I did a lot of research on this since I had been so unhappy with the tub we had in our previous house. We had the typical jetted whirlpool tub. Even with weekly cycling bleach through the piping, we would still get black flecks pumped into a clean filled bath when the jets got turned on. If you Google "black flecks/flakes/gunk whirlpool" you'll get lots of info on this. When I looked into the air tubs, it seemed that there was still about 1/2 cup of water that would sit in the piping and could mold etc. I found out about Sanijet tubs and looked at their website and spoke to a couple of very helpful people when I called Sanijet. They have a pipeless system where individual jets intake water and the jets are easily removable and can be cleaned in a dishwasher. (View videos of this on the website) Another huge plus is that these jets are much less noisy than the typical whirlpool tub. Ours is ordered but not yet installed. We got a big 2 person tub. I think it measured 72 x 42. They run specials periodically. We got ours at 50% off list price. The company has no showrooms. Fergusons used to carry them but I read that Kohler (which is their main brand) made them discontinue that line since Sanijet states how hygienic Sanijet tubs are which I guess infers that the other tubs aren't. I hope to be able to report back here once I get into the new house. The company will tell you the nearest Bed and Breakfast or hotel that has their tubs installed so you can try them!
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you have some tough choices ahead of you. You can easily find some marble that accents and works well with the surrounding area, and make like a corner shelf in one section and then make a cut in shelf on the long wall for your soaps. i think the use of granite or marble will make the bathroom look imaculate and even spark some interest in re doing the bathroom since you've come this far.. but FIRST!! call and make sure that where ever you bought that tile in the first place HAS SOME MORE IN STOCK! I have ran rings around town and jumped from hoop to hoop trying to find tiles that match in NUMBERS of bathrooms ive done..
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Which would cost less-replacing tub with another tub or shower?
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The answer depends upon the details: - A prefab shower surround will probably be your cheapest option (and while they lack in looks, they're super easy to clean). - A builder-grade tub/shower combo would probably come in second lowest. - A shower-pan-flooring with tile walls would be next in line. - Then an all-tile shower (of course, that depends upon whether you go with economical tiles or not). - And most expensive would be a nicer-grade tub with a shower. And with any of the above, you get into the question of what type of shower head you're using. A simple shower head can be had for less than $100, whereas a handheld on a pole is going to be more, and if you want a rainshower head in the middle of the shower in addition to the "regular shower head", that'll be more still. So, really, it depends.
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Ask your structural engineer about the weight of a porcelain over cast iron tub like those from Kohler. Get a licensed, insured pro to do the installation. Check references and go see their tile work. An acrylic surround and tub is fine unless tile and cast iron tub are more typical for your neighborhood.
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chrisk327
12 years ago
yeah.... I'd cut the walls down a half inch to fit a full 60" tub. if you're going to take baths, I would say that 60" isn't really enough to be comfortable. well for us tall people.

Also, again, maybe just my personal preference, but I wouldn't do diagnal on floor and walls where they meet up. I'm not really sure if you can easily transition from floor to wall like that.

a shower that size would be nice too if you want to kill the tub
winesnob
12 years ago
I understand your decisions, we are also in middle of remodel, it is so much over budget and my DH keeps saying if you don't make some happy decisions when you have the opportunity and installing a new tub and tile is not something repeated, every time you walk in that bathroom you will say gosh I wish I had thought thru some options to have what would make me smile. If you love candles, and a nice bath even occasionally I would try to find that tub.
GreenDesigns
12 years ago
What's behind the non drain end of the tub? If it's a closet like so many bath setups, then you can steal some room for it for your tub. You can always find a pantry type cabinet to fit there or face the closet the other direction if that will help with storage.
linnybinny
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks for all the replies! This is our first house, not our "forever" house. We are planning to finish the bath update so we can put our house on the market within the next 8-10 months. Then hopefully we'll be in our "forever" (or at least for a long time) house. :)

The tub in the master is somekind of old, original cast iron tub. So I know it will be a pain in the butt for our GC to remove! I'm not much of a bath person except for occasionally, but my hubby likes to take them a little more than occasionally. Really this update is to make our home more attractive to potential buyers and hopefully secure us a fast sale.

The master is one of the only things we haven't updated in our home, and we're not planning on spending a fortune. What I DON'T want to do is spend this amt of money period, and then wish I had done the tub. It's in really good condition, but it's so narrow and shallow. I wanted to potentially put in a deeper, wider one, but the walls are an issue. The non-plumbing side is my husband's closet, which is the same size as mine (not very big, but a "walk in," which is the plumbing side.) Moving a wall is an expense I'm not willing to undertake, so that's why I was wondering if we could hack into the wall just a bit where the tub is against my husband's closet. I havent talked about this with my GC yet. I'll do that this week. But y'all have seen that done??

Removing the tub and taking the time/money/effort to create a big walk-in shower is not what I wanted to do. We do have another tub in the hall bath, but not having a tub in the master might make someone not want our house. It's all about resale at this point! At the lowest remodel cost. :)

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