A tub/shower converted to shower, isn't large enough to be curbless. A door, hinged to a wall can be frameless, and it swings IN...... and OUT.

All is idle conjecture until you post a photo of the existing bath.

When you remodel the shower make sure you use a waterproofing system under the tile in the shower and also a crack and waterproofing membrane on the floor. However well you maintain grout water will always seep through it.

i would advise you to use a shower curtain and wash it weekly. That's the easiest and cleanest solution IMO. Shower glass can get spots as you've mentioned, but where it meets the tile and the curb magnets for diets and scum.

This is the best product I have found for hard water stains on our glass shower enclosure. It comes out in a thick cream and you rub it in then thoroughly spray off. It keeps the spots off the glass for several weeks after, a real time saver. I had the warranty guy out to our new construction home for a couple of minor issues and he looked at our master shower enclosure and said it looked like it was brand new and like we never used it. And he sees a lot of showers so I took that as a great compliment. I got the cleaner on Amazon.

thx everyone! What I'll prob do is prepare the walls for glass doors and move the valve to prep for glass but after the shower is done try out a curtain and see what I think. The tile guy is licensed and I'll check to see how he's water proofing but on top of that I was planning on painting on the water proof stuff in the whole bathroom (maybe even on the ceiling?) for extra protection. Since the shower is right next to the tub it's never fun to clean around the toilet and a glass door will make the spot more tight but it will also get wet in that area. As it stands water used to get out of the curtain in that spot and finally some of the paint peeled off and the linoleum started coming up a tad bit, too. I worry about water in that area as I'd almost have to mop each time after showering potentially. That sounds worse than squeegying and cleaning by the glass, I think.

I'm glad to have learned that grout is not water proof. I'm sure that whoever built this house in the 70s used drywall behind the wall or there'd be no way for it to push in like that.

"I'll check to see how he's water proofing but on top of that I was planning on painting on the water proof stuff in the whole bathroom (maybe even on the ceiling?) for extra protection."

I would not do two or mulitple layers or systems, you will have zero warranty from any manufacturer and may even create more issues.

Idk if this has been said, but it's not that glass doors are HARD to clean, it is that they are ruined, permanently etched, by water stains. No one told me this. Nor was I told what a complete hell cleaning grout is. So after 3 years I bought my first squeegee and it helps, with the grout AND the glass, but we can never go back. And get. Dark. Grout!!

We have a glass shower door in our rental house. The tenants wanted modesty and did not want to clean the glass daily. She put a shower curtain behind the glass.

millworkman, Thx as I'm always concerned about warranties. what i meant was that I was planning on waterproofing the parts that the tile guy is not going to water proof, not layers, but I'd be interested to hear if u still have thoughts on that. I'll make sure to talk with the tile guy first. thx!

greenfish1234, yes, I knew that the calcium can be etched into the glass which is why I will spend the extra money and get the protectant. The glass guy told me that if we squeegy daily it's easy, but if we wait it's still possible to get it clean and it's warrantied, but will take a lot of work.

As far as tile, r u saying u squeegy the tile, too? I heard to not get white grout so I was going to go with a light gray. I hope that will be ok! I'm prob also crazy for getting small subway tile, too, it seems?!

bellburgmaggie, Does your glass get very wet? There's no getting away from it with my glass since the shower will be under 3' wide an I use the massager setting on the shower. I tried it without a door in my tub by pulling the curtain back since I was introduced to the idea of a doorless shower and water got everywhere. thx

get the protectant, apply RainX to the glass once or twice a month, and thoroughly wipe down the doors when through showering. clean the doors along w/your weekly/daily bathroom cleaning. That's the only way to keep the glass looking clean. If you stay ahead of the hard water deposits, it's easier to maintain. I have them and do all of that. there's just no way around it.

I have light gray grout from Mapei FlexColor CQ. it's an urethane based grout that requires no sealing.

with regular cement based grout, using any type of bleach products on it can 'pit' the grout, allowing more dirt to settle.

Very hard water means this:

A THOROUGH bath cleaning to include all fixtures, THREE times a week.

I feel I may have avoided grout staining if I had been squeegeeing all along. Now that I squeegee the WHOLE SHOWER it is easier to clean and doesn't get as bad in between cleanings. My grout is white but I have to tell you that the pink rusty color and mildew spots will certainly overpower pale grey. If I had to do it over again I would do slab or very large format tile or very dark grout. And I will henceforth always be a sqeegeer :(

Epoxylike grout like Fusion Pro will help with waterproofing and mold. It won't discolor.

Schluter offers Kerdi membrane and related products for waterproofing.

If you decide to go with these products make certain you choose an installer with plenty of experience in using them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_ct9igRN4U

Unfortunately, the guy in the video above does not use the materials and techniques to waterproof a shower or bath than are usually used in the USA. He is in Canada and they do things a little differently there.

Changed the Kerdi video to a US version.

I recently bought a scrub brush attachment for my husband's drill. Have high hopes for life changing impact!!

dan1888, while Kerdi does allow gypsum board to be used under it's membrane the gypsum board manufacturers do not spec their product for wet areas. The usual backer board used in the USA by good installers is CBU ie something like Durock which is water resistant and the seams are all tapped and filled with thinset before the membrane is installed. This might be a bit of a hangover from when poly was used behind the wall, but I think it's a better way to do it and some inspectors might be looking for it.

Greenfish1234, this might sound ignorant of me but can you regrow over here grout making it a darker color now? I guess it would depend on how high they did the grout period on my pool it seems like there still space if I wanted to add grout. They actually had air pockets and I had to have them come out to fill in the pockets after building the pool.

Regrout over existing, is that your question Kim? Only if fairly fresh and not fully cured. If fully cured you need to remove existing grout.

There are tinted grout stains you can use to change the color- I have been considering but I have marble tile that I am worried will take up the stain as well :(

Beth H, I saw a post from a while back and ironically I had already changed my mind from white to your exact grout due to your pic and post. I wanted white but many had said it's not a good idea. How is your light gray grout from Mapei FlexColor CQ holding up as far as the pink staining...? I had already gone to Floor and Decor and verified they have it, also. How do u clean it your grout? I am going to use porcelain tile so I'm ok there.

dan1888, Another time I may be naive. I was hoping that a licensed tile guy would have experience and training with lots of grouts and would be able to use the grout u recommend if I were to buy it and ask him to use it. I guess it makes sense that everyone has their way of doing things. Do u know if it is similar to what Beth H recommends (FlexColor CQ)? It was hard enough finding a tile guy we like and if he says he doesn't have experience using it I'd like options.

millworkman, Yes that's what I meant, regrouting over grout for greenfish1234's situation. Staining it sounds like an interesting idea, though!

greenfish1234 I saw that on a Life Hack video and plan to buy/make one. It gives me an excuse to buy a cordless drill.

kimromen,,,i'll be honest,,,I do get some of the pink stuff on the lower tiles. I squeegee after every shower. the problem is, I have a marble shower floor so I can't use any of the regular cleaning stuff. I use a stone cleaner, but once a month or so I do have to use something stronger just on the grout joints on the wall around the lower part and make sure it doesn't wash down onto my marble. however, if you get a porcelain or ceramic floor, you can use whatever you want to clean it. it does come off easily w/the regular bathroom cleaners. If I could use that on those joints once a week, I wouldn't have any issues. If I could go back, I would have used a porcelain tile instead of the black marble for my shower floor. Luckily those pink stains are only on the lower three rows near the front of the shower, and it's easy enough to clean. Otherwise, the lighter grout is fine. the dark charcoal grout on the shower floor does discolor w/the hard water. since I can't use any of the hard water deposit cleaners on the floor, I'm stuck. The stone cleaner works great on the marble, it just doesn't remove those deposits from the grout. 'don't use marble in your shower and you'll be fine!'

as for the grout, I called floor and decor and they said what they carry that is sealed and won't mold or mildew is: Quick View

Mapei 107 Iron Ultracolor Plus FA Grout

Size: 10lbs$17.94 /pieceView Details

Does anyone have experience with this? thx!

kim,,I used the Flexcolor CQ (they also carry that. it's already pre-mixed and ready to go. if you tile guys aren't used to this grout, it does have a specific way of grouting and cleaning. if you do use it, make sure they know to grout in small patches, and wipe up immediately afterward without using a lot of water). I'm not familiar w/the FA grout, but Mapei is a good company. If you want honest opinions on what works the best, head over to the JohnBridge Tile Forum and search that grout name. they're all tile pros over there and have used everything on the market.

https://www.johnbridge.com

remind the grout guys to use very little water on their sponges when wiping after grouting. dilution of the grout will ruin it, especially w/darker colors.

Beth-in frustration I used a bit of bleach soft scrub on my marble shower floor. The marble is fine, but the grout has white spots! What works Best for me is neutral cleaner with baking soda and a stiff scrub brush, hopefully my drill brush will really get in there :)

i'll try some of it on a spare piece and see if it damages it. thanks!

this is what I use for the marble. works wonders on stone, not so much on the grout joints w/the pink stuff!

greenfish1234 - We used Laticrete epoxy grout in our masterbath, 10 years ago, as well as in the kids/guest bathroom in 2011. I never have to clean the grout. I just occasionally spray the tile with shower spray, rinse it off with the hand held shower, that's it. No scrubbing ever.

Both bathrooms look like the day they were completed. Including he master bath glass enclosure, it just requires wiping after use.

Since your cementitious grout creates such problems for you, I would think it be worth your while to have a tile professional remove your existing grout and regrout using one of the newer not cement-based grouts, I think Laticrete's epoxy grout is just one possibility.

Using epoxy has been one of the best decisions we made. I look at my friend's shower, newer than ours, and I shudder.... splotchy grout with a pink cast in places, which she scrubbs off using bathroom cleaner w. bleach, but reappears after a week's time, ughh...

Our kid's/guest bath - all DIY by the way. (Done with the help of the tile professionals on the John Bridge Tile forum):

My House · More Info

Niche detail

My House · More Info

thx. I'll check out that forum!

Pippa i am sick with envy. I had never even heard of epoxy grout. Mine was supposedly everything resistant but you know the rest of that story...

I have owned a cleaning service for 30 years. I totally agree with your housekeeper. Although I love the looks of glass doors when new they look horrible with spots. If you have natural stone in the shower it makes it even more difficult to keep up. People get marble showers with glass doors and wonder why the cleaners can not keep them clean. Everything that we can use to keep the glass clean will destroy the marble. It is a lot of work. Unless you are willing to wipe down the glass daily after you shower I would not recommend them.

virginia lynn - I hear your pain!

Clearly, marble has NO place in any shower. It's way too porous to be used in wet areas. And of course it can't be cleaned with even slightly acidic cleaners which is needed to remove yellowing calcium deposits. Yet, people keep having it installed, and tile professionals don't refuse. Go figure. They must not mind call backs.

I've never seen a marble shower that still looked good after a year or two of use.

Give me hard-wearing, easy-clean porcelain tile any day.

To the shower door issue, i am about 5 months along using my Kohler door with some water-shed factory-applied product and am quite happy. A wipe down after use with a microfiber cloth has been keeping it looking good. Pretty hard, well water here.

tuckerdc, do u just use a microcloth or do u squeegy first? glad to hear you're happy after 5 yrs with hard water!

Beth H, I posted on the forum u suggested. I'm sure they know what they're doing but now I'm even more overwhelmed. I was going to attempt to try to do the bathroom with some help and we decided to hire out jobs, with mostly licensed people who have skills and knowledge that we don't have. Interestingly, I was telling someone today that one part I didn't research was the waterproofing of the shower and our tile guy was a referral, has good reviews, and is licensed so I'm not going to worry about learning about that and I'm going to entrust that he knows what he's doing as a licensed tile guy. This is what they told me on the site:

"Stop reading Houzz and start reading here. Don't make any decisions or payments until you've had time to get a good sense of things here.

Neither tile or grout are waterproof. The shower needs to be waterproofed before the tile and grout are applied.

Fusion Pro is what's called a "single component" grout and is not an epoxy at all. Nothing wrong with it, but it's not epoxy. Just about any grout will be fine if it's used according to the instructions. Color doesn't have anything to do with it.

You need to ask any prospective contractor how they're going to waterproof the shower. If they start talking about sealing the tile and grout, send them on their way. If they say they're going to use Redguard/Wedi/Kerdi, ask then for as many details as they can provide and come back here to verify they've got the right idea."

It was hard enough talking with the tile guy about the drain that he says has to be moved and that I can't use a linear drain in a curbed shower no matter this. I wish I had asked all of this earlier before we were scheduling to start the job. :(

kim, yes, waterproofing is paramount w/tile showers. Most homeowners don't know anything about them and trust the people they hire to do right. a lot of those people end up on here asking, "what went wrong?"

I urge people to do a bit of homework and get an idea of what's correct and what is needed. Ask you tile setter all the questions you think you need to know and see how knowledgeable they are. I tell people all the time that grout is not waterproof. sealers only buy you time before a stain sets in. a lot of people assume it makes them stain/water proof.

The more you know, the more you'll know when your tile guy is a hack or not.

Do you know how you want your tile layout? a good setter will do a dry set on the floor or outside to make sure his measurements are spot on you don't end up w/tile slivers. the hacks? they'll just start on the wall in a corner and do whatever.

My guys spent almost 3 hours figuring out the exact measurement/placement of my herringbone accent piece. All the tiling around it and the niches are spot on and perfectly done.

JB forum has a wealth of info. When I wanted to do slate tile in our kitchen (we do our own tiling) I found out about sealing them first, how to clean them, etc. ditto w/the pebble tiles and travertine. I sat and read for 4 hours and absorbed as much as I could.

as for Fusion Pro, or FlexColor CQ, or Laticrete, etc, every setter has their favorites. find out what your guy likes to use. is he flexible to try other items? willing to work w/you and your questions? if he asks for half payment up front, and the rest before the grout is dry, pick someone else. final payment (usually the last 50% or so) is held until you're satisfied w/the final work. If he is picking up the tile and supplies, obviously you'll give him the money for that. If you order your own tile, tell him about it and see if he can get it at his discount or if he's willing to work like that.

I imagine regrouting a shower, especially one with small hex tile, is an enormous job-has anyone had it done?

greenfish1234 - When I suggested regrouting, I was not aware that you have a hex tile shower. Ugh! It might be less expensive to have it re-tiled.

Thanks everyone! One of the things that made me trust the tile guy initially other than he was a referral, friend of a friend, was that he doesn't collect any money until we are satisfied at the end of the job. He has good reviews but not tons of reviews and his licensing all looks up to par. One thing that I had learned about starting tiling in the middle of a wall is something that I said Ali checked in with him on and he does that so that made me think he should know a thing or two.

It feels a bit odd for me to be interviewing him regarding the process now that we've all ready basically hired him and he is supposed to start the job next week. When he comes over Friday I can ask him more questions but for now I might text him to try to get a bit more information without scaring him away. Folks seem to have plenty of work out here and he has been nothing but professional so far but I'm going to have to figure out a tactful way how to text him to get more info out of him.

They also have classes at Floor and Decor. Maybe I should see if they have a class Saturday!

Pippabean, somehow I had missed the pictures of your bathroom. What a beautiful job and work that you did!

kimromen - thank you for your kind remarks.