Can You Add a Shower to a Bathtub?

While having a bathtub in your bathroom can provide you with a perfect look and feel right in the comfort of your home, sometimes you might become bored of lying in the tub with warm water. Sometimes you are in a hurry and all you need is to just stand under flowing water over your head and get it over with. Adding a shower to the bathtub will place you at liberty of having choices to make; you could take a shower while standing away from the bathtub, take a shower while standing right in the bathtub or you could also take a shower while lying in the tub. This article answers the question whether you can add a shower to a bathtub.

The Process of Adding a Shower to a Bathtub

• Installing the Bathtub Faucet

Assuming that the cold, hot and drain spouts are on the surface of the floor, it becomes a whole lot easier. To fix the female valve to the male cold water spout, hold the male cold water spout with a pipe wrench to make it firm while you cut it with a caulk, after which you will make some treads on the outer surface. Use Teflon tape to make the treads better. Use the pipe wrench to attach the female valve to the male spout. Repeat this process with the hot water spout as well as the drain. Then proceed to mount water supplies into place.

Having done that, put into place the bathtub faucet. Experts advise the use of a faucet that has a bathtub valve, overhead shower valve and an overflow valve that prevents water from overflowing onto your bathroom floor; instead, it is led into the drain. In addition, it also has hot and cold water valves, all in one package. These come in a wide range of designs and materials to choose from and you do not have to break a bank to have one.

• Installing the Showerhead

After you are done with installing the bathtub faucet, it is time to mount the showerhead. You can have a steel galvanized one or chrome coated showerhead rod that comes with two showerheads into one piece; one for the overhead shower and the other for showerhead hose, to use while lying in the bathtub. To mount it properly, use a pipe wrench to make tighten it so that water leaks do not occur. In addition, you can use Teflon tape to make the treads firmer. When you have the showerhead rod standing on its own, this is where you proceed to the next step of installing the shower curtain ring, which will not only act as additional support for the shower rod, but it will also provide you with an optional shower curtain.

• Installing the Shower Curtain

For the showerhead rod and the curtain ring to be joined, the showerhead rod has to be secured. First, ensure the shower rod is standing upright using a level. Then add an elbow, which you can mount to either the wall or the ceiling. Assuming that you choose to mount the shower rod and the curtain ring to the ceiling, the elbow will support the shower rod, and the elbow will be supported by mounting brackets into the ceiling with screws. To avoid damaging the ceiling with excessive force, use a power screwdriver so that the ceiling remains intact. The shower curtain prevents water from splashing on the walls, which might not be having waterproofing, so you will not need to install a new one.

• A permanent exposed shower

Alternatively, you could decide to have an exposed shower, which means you have a shower that stands alone open. In this case, some shower pans come with a shower faucet, shower rod and a curtain rod. If this will be your ultimate choice, a professional contract will be needed since the process of installing this type of shower is not an easy thing. Again, the curtain will prevent water splashes from destroying the walls, hence no need for waterproofing. You will also need an anti-slip bottom to protect the floor from water damage.

Adding a shower to a bathtub is not easy, not unless you have had some handcraft skills. In the event that you are not sure of what you are doing, it is highly advisable that you do not even try it. You could make some grievous mistakes that could lead to serious accidents or cost you so much money in terms of damages. Call your contractor for peace of mind and great results.