How to Use Wood As a Tub Surround

Plastic pre-made tub surrounds are everywhere these days, but the fact is, the walls above and around your tub can be covered with anything you like--as long as it's resistant to moisture. Even wood will work, if you hang and seal it correctly. This design is for a classy-looking, library-style tub surround of stained and glossed oak panels dressed with trim. The wood is stained and given one gloss layer before hanging it, and then is given two more gloss layers after hanging to help protect it from moisture. It's a complicated project and shouldn't be attempted unless you're very comfortable with your carpentry skills, but the result will make your bathroom a place that people talk about.

Things You'll Need

• Enough 4 x 8-foot sheets of 1/4-inch wetrock (similar to drywall, but made for high-moisture environments) to cover the walls around the tub. Enough 2 x 2-foot unfinished oak wall panels to cover the whole area around the tub. Determine the number of panels needed by taking the square footage of each wall and dividing by four (an 8 x 5-foot wall is 40 square feet, so it will need 10 panels). Flat oak trim, 1 to 2 inches wide. Determine the number of feet you need by taking the number of panels and multiplying by three (10 panels will require 30 feet of flat trim). Enough oak inner-corner trim to span the vertical inner corners coming up from the tub to the top of the area that's going to be covered. Enough thin oak bullnose trim to span the whole perimeter of the area to be covered. (It should have a design that is thin enough to rest flush against the thickness of the wood panels.) Tape measure Pencil T-square Long level Razor knife Circular saw Drill Pilot bit (about 1/16 inch) Screwdriver bit Hammer Box of small trim nails Box of drywall screws Nailset Carpenter's glue Wood stain Polyurethane gloss Stain and gloss brushes Fine-grade sandpaper

Instructions

1. Prepare your wood. Lay out all your wood panels and trim in a well-ventilated work area. Gently sand (by hand) all surfaces that will be exposed, and wipe away the dust. Use the stain brush to apply the stain generously to the sanded wood. After 10 minutes, wipe it away with a paper towel. Let the stain dry overnight, then apply the polyurethane gloss, brushing it on slowly to avoid creating bubbles. Let it dry overnight.

2. Measure the broadest wall above the tub and cut pieces of wetrock to size. To cut the wetrock, stand it on its long end. Use your tape measure to mark at the appropriate length. Set your T-square on the top edge of the piece with the flat guide running down through the mark. Make one straight cut with your razor knife along the guide. Snap the piece into a right angle at that line, then cut it along the reverse side to separate the pieces.

3. Affix the wetrock to the wall by spreading carpenter's glue around the back, pressing it against the wall, then driving in drywall screws with your drill and screwdriver bit. Put screws every 6 inches throughout each piece. Repeat all along the area around the tub until it's completely covered with wetrock sheets.

4. Use your tape measure, pencil, level and T-square to divide the largest wall into four even sections, with the lines spanning the width and length completely and crossing in the middle. Make sure the horizontal line is level, and that the vertical line crosses it at a 90-degree angle.

5. Spread carpenter's glue on the back of one wood panel and press it on the wall near the middle, so that it's bordered on two sides by the horizontal and vertical lines. Nail the panel into place with trim nails, putting them about every 6 inches and sinking them just below the surface of the wood with the nailset. Repeat for each of the other panels, placing them next to each other in a checkerboard pattern until you've hung as many full panels as will fit on the wall.

6. For the edges of the wall, cut additional panels to size using your circular saw, and hang them in the same manner. Repeat the process for the other two walls around the tub, so the whole area is surrounded by wood panels with seams in a checkerboard pattern.

7. Measure the two vertical corners of the area and cut two corner trim pieces to size. Glue and nail them in place in the same manner as the panels, EXCEPT first drill pilot holes in the wood for the nails so the trim doesn't split. Measure the exterior edges around the outside of the paneled area, and cut bullnose trim to size. Miter at the corners as necessary. Glue and nail the trim into place, again drilling pilot holes.

8. Measure the longest horizontal seam from the edges of the corner trim on both sides, and cut a piece of the flat trim to size. Glue and nail it into place, with pilot holes. Repeat for the other two horizontal seams (on the other two walls), then do the vertical seams, which will each be the height of a wood panel minus half the width of the trim on either side.

9. Once the whole wood enclosure is up, tape newspapers all over the tub to protect it. Go over all the wood lightly with sandpaper, by hand, to buff the gloss so the second coat will stick. Wipe the wood of all dust. Apply the second coat of gloss with a brush, using slow careful strokes to avoid bubbles or drips. Let dry overnight, buff again, and apply a third coat.

10. Run a caulk line completely around the top and sides of the tub where it meets the wood.

Tips & Warnings

• Always wear eye protection when using power tools.

References

• More information available here.