How to Add a Shower to a Bathtub

Adding a shower to your bathtub can be accomplished with household tools, new wall materials and the purchase of an externally attaching ready-made conversion fixture from your local hardware store. Luckily, not all conversion kits are simply hand-held shower heads; many offer a permanently mounted exterior pipe that connects to a shower head, providing a relatively easy installation without the impermanent feel of a hand-held shower head. Waterproofing your walls may be the most time-consuming portion of adding a shower to your bathtub, but it will save you costly repairs decades into the future.

Things You'll Need

• Greenboard
• Grout
• Tar paper
• Screwdriver
• Waterproof fabric
• Vise-grip
• Tile
• Shower curtain
• Ready-made externally attaching bathtub to shower conversion kit

Instructions

1. Turn off the main water supply to your house before attempting any modifications.

2. Waterproof your walls slightly above the height where the shower head fixture will be placed. Remove any existing tile or other wall surface until you reach the sheetrock. Install a sheet of greenboard in the sheetrock's place. Place a waterproof fabric, such as plastic sheeting, behind the greenboard. This water-resistant material will catch any water that gets through the water-resistant greenboard. Place several layers of tar paper over the greenboard. Place the tile on the tar paper but not directly on the greenboard. Use grout to secure the tile to the tar paper. Choose a light-colored grout for the tile, such as white, to make future clean up easier.

3. Confirm that your ready-made conversion has an externally installed pipe for the shower head. Attach the supporting hook from the ready-made conversion kit to the wall at the height for the shower head. Add supporting risers at regular intervals for the pipe that leads from the tub fixture to the shower head. Make sure the supports are firmly secured by attaching them with a threaded cover and stud. This will prevent the supports from stripping out of the wall and keep the pipe from rattling.

4. Remove the old tub spout. Use a vise-grip to grip the spout while using a screwdriver to unscrew any screws.

5. Install the new ready-made conversion fixture where you removed the old tub spout. Clean the pipe threads on the fixture before inserting the new ready-made conversion fixture.

6. Turn your main water back on. Run the new shower for at least five minutes to test your installation for leaks.

7. Put in a shower curtain or shower door so that you have an enclosed space in which to shower.

Tips & Warnings

• When shopping at the hardware store for your ready-made conversion kit, be sure to know the specific make of bathtub you have. A clawfoot bathtub, for example, will take a slightly different conversion kit than a whirlpool or pedestal bathtub.

• While no material is truly water-proof, certain materials, such as plastic sheeting, will slow the progress of water into your walls for decades.

References

• "Waterproofing Tile Shower and Tub;" Tim Carter; 2003-09
• "Black & Decker Complete Guide to Dream Bathrooms: Design Yourself & Save;" Ruth Strother; 2008
• "Choosing Tile Grout Color;" Scott Hares; 2007

Resources

• Add a Shower to Your Bathtub From the Plumbing World