Need to replace one-piece fiberglass shower/tub

[Zanne]

Thanks for the replies!

Geofd, Mom hates the walk-in tubs and is firm on wanting a shower.

FishScreener, sounds like a good idea. I will have access to the studs from the shower-side and I don't believe the closet has walls-- it shares them with the shower, but it has shelves attached to the studs. Ideally, I'd love to add an access door to the closet from the bathrooms so we can keep the towels in there & get them from the adjacent bathrooms, but we also have wrapping paper, my artwork, and other junk in there so it would need to be re-organized. But, just leaving it with access from the hallway door, I could still brace any studs we notch with sideways 2x4s. I would have to put up some sort of barrier to prevent mice from getting inside the back of the shower though.

Mikey, yeah, tile is a no go. Also, we aren't going to be getting greenboard or anything like that. The walls in the house are all 1/8" plywood paneling with various patterns. Mostly white with grooves but the bathrooms have striped patterns printed on them. Mom's bathroom has green stripes & mine has blue. Both of the shower units we are considering are direct-to-stud so they are not supposed to be put over greenboard. Since the wall panels are too thin to overlap the flanges of the surround, I plan to put up some kind of molding over the top & edges. Thanks for the grab bar link!
I'm thinking of making templates with cardboard (I have plenty of cardboard boxes around) and marking holes on the surround walls, but I think I might be able to mark lines during a dry fit to figure out how far in the grab bar backers need to go. The Sterling shower unit I wanted originally had the backers already adhered to the walls. I won't have access to the backsides of the walls though, but I can at least line things up. I'm starting to lean more toward the other sterling bc I know it can have grab bars and that it is relatively flat. But, we'll have to see what the mothership likes.

 

[Zanne]

I created a slightly better sketch of the bathroom. It's not quite to scale, but it is approximate.


I have considered getting the left-drain version of the shower and moving the plumbing to the closet, however, the left drain version is $100 more than the right drain one for some reason.

 

[Geofd]

there are also one piece handi cap showers out there we have them at work and the are good size I bet r there are 3 piece hp showers out there

 

[Geofd]

there are also one piece handi cap showers out there we have them at work and the are good size I bet r there are 3 piece hp showers out there

you can roll a wheel chair into these

 

[Zanne]

One piece won't fit through the 24" door.
She's not in a wheelchair at this point. She just has balance issues and a bad knee. She can walk but uses a cane. And she can't lift her foot over the edge of the tub without falling and said she wants a shower. She hates tubs. Something to do with bad childhood memories of dirty bathwater and coming out covered in soap scum. LOL.

I made a typo in my image. Should be 106 3/4 not 1/4. But it doesn't come out to a full 140" but that is an approximate measurement and things aren't square.

 

[Geofd]

One piece won't fit through the 24" door.
She's not in a wheelchair at this point. She just has balance issues and a bad knee. She can walk but uses a cane. And she can't lift her foot over the edge of the tub without falling and said she wants a shower. She hates tubs. Something to do with bad childhood memories of dirty bathwater and coming out covered in soap scum. LOL.

I made a typo in my image. Should be 106 3/4 not 1/4. But it doesn't come out to a full 140" but that is an approximate measurement and things aren't square.

I know this sounds crazy...….we ordered a couple for work.....they wouldn't fit......so a fiberglass guy cut them in half we installed them he did his work and unless you really looked at the unit you couldn't tell......did you check on multi piece units

 

[Zanne]

Geofd, Right now I think the multi-piece Sterling one is the best bet. The one I'm looking at is identical to the handicap version except it doesn't have the "age-in-place" backers stuck to it. With how wonky the studs and stuff are in my walls, I don't think the one with the backers would fit anyway. I can make my own backers with some 2x10s. I can do a dry fit and also make templates. One suggestion I read was to glue on my own backers to the walls & then use screws long enough to go through to the stud or a board braced to the studs (if that makes any sense). So, I could have a 2x10 flush with the studs secured to the studs and then have a backer that is the same depth as the indentation of the wall panels on top of it. I could use glue and screws to secure it. I could then either attach it to the board or secure it to the back of the wall panel with adhesive and then drive the screws for the grab bar in place once it is up. The indentation is about 1-1/4" to 1-5/8" I believe. Not sure if indentation is the correct term. LOL. Vikrel material is sturdier than fiberglass.

I really appreciate the responses.

 

[Zanne]

I was inspired by this picture of the Moentrol Kingsley trim w/ grab bar & thought that instead of getting the Kingsley grab bar, the 16" grab bar with shelf could go there.


The slidebar will interfere with a shower caddy so we'll need places for her to put shampoo & soap that she can reach.

I think I'm leaning toward getting the slidebars where there are 2 showerheads (bc Mom showed an interest in having 2 showerheads). Top one connects to the shower arm & has a hose going down to the handheld. Bottom of the slidebar connects via suction cup. Less hole drilling this way. There are a few options & I'm debating them since they are off-brands & I'm not sure about the quality.

There's the Lordear chrome double shower w/ 5 settings (for both showerheads)
The Aquadance 3370 double shower w/ 6 settings
and the Sarlai double rain shower

I wish Moen made something like that.

For other grab bars, I'm thinking this Moen Home Care 24" grab bar could work for the back wall & for the vertical bar (unless she needs longer than 24")

 

[havasu]

The grab bar should be closer to the front of the tub for easier access when entering or exiting the shower.

 

[Zanne]

Thanks, Havasu. I plan to have a vertical grab bar right in the entryway of the shower for her to hold on to as she steps in, and was thinking the front one with the shelf could be held on to as she steps in before she reaches the one on the back wall. I'm trying to find a good picture of the layout. I'll have to get her to sit in a shower seat and reach so I can take measurements to figure out ideal heights for things.

This image is similar to what I'm looking at doing (only the shower control would be underneath rather than alongside the slidebar-- assuming there is enough space).


I just realized the Lordear one I linked was the wrong one, the other option on the page would work bc it has a diverter at the bottom- the one I linked has the diverter out of reach. The Sarlai one might be nice- if it isn't junk.

 

[havasu]

Looks good. I'd recommend you follow ADA guidelines, and make sure you put solid bracing behind the shower wherever grab bars are to be utilized.

 

[Zanne]

Havasu, good idea. Since I will be cutting the existing wall panels out behind the current shower, I will make sure to add plenty of bracing anywhere that grab bars can go. I will have to check the wall panels from the shower to make sure the bracing butts out enough to touch the backs of the walls so there will be no chance of the wall panels pushing in.

Mom didn't like the Sarlai rainshower type & after much searching I found there is Moen version in chrome- Moen Renewal 25113. Their recommended price is asinine $287.90, but Menards has it on sale for $99.99. It's more expensive than the other ones, but I'd trust Moen over the other brands.

As an aside, Mom really liked the 16" grab bar with shelf.

 

[Zanne]

Moen reps told me that the slidebar is 19" long, but I can see that it starts at a lower point (but the height depends on the shower arm used). That doesn't leave much room for sliding the handheld up & down. Moen recommended that the showerhead be mounted about 46" above the center of a one-handled trim/handle, but I will have to measure to see if that is feasible. Since the shower arm pictured appears to be the standard moen shower arm, I think it drops down just a couple of inches (I think they said it is a 6" long shower arm but I don't know the full amount of the drop). We may use it on the existing shower arm if it has a suction cup at the bottom to stick to the wall (if not, we can always add a suction cup- we have the technology!)

I'm hoping to get Moen to send or upload specs with measurements- their website has no measurements in their diagrams.
It looks like there is a small hook at the bottom of the slidebar mount- I wonder if it is for loofas or soap on a rope or something.

I think my current shower arm is less than 6' from the floor bc it doesn't seem to be much above my head and I'm only 5'5". Mom is 5'6" but she has more "padding" on her backside to raise her up while sitting.

 

[FishScreener]

Look at the installation sheet. It should have the dimensions. The sell it to the Architect, and owner, cut sheets don’t have much, if any technical information, just pretty pictures.

The installation instructions, are typically where you find dimensions.

 

[Zanne]

Thanks, FishScreener. I will have to see if the included instructions have measurements when it arrives. The Moen website requires that I register the product before I can access the instruction stuff on their site. The exploded parts and specification pdfs do not have measurements.

I measured 19" down from the existing shower arm & it goes down further than I thought. It looks like the handheld would be in reach when Mom is sitting even if the 19" is from the center of where the shower arm goes in to the wall. The bottom part of the slidebar has a suction cup so it can be repositioned.

I really need to get my own bathroom fixed up enough that I can put the toilet in so that we will have a working bathroom while the other one is being worked on. I wonder if I can get a cheap lightweight grinder that can take the botched self-leveling bumps down & smooth it enough that I can do a thin layer of skim coat or something to smooth out the floor. But, that's for another thread. LOL.

I should probably order the shower pan/wall kit before it is discontinued like the tub/wall combo I wanted for the other bathroom.

 

[TomFOhio]

Zanne, do you have a Harbor Freight around you. They sell inexpensive grinders.

 

[Zanne]

Zanne, do you have a Harbor Freight around you. They sell inexpensive grinders.

Yes. There's one in the big town north of here about an hour away. I haven't been there in awhile, but I will try to check it out next time I'm up there. IIRC, everything they sell there is covered in some kind of goop to prevent rust that has a strong odor. LOL. I used to remember what it was called.

I'm still debating whether I should see if I can remove the affected board (not sure if I can pry it up) or if I should try to grind it down. I suppose I could try the grinder thing (and see if they have the things with coupons at the front of the store).

Edit: Checked their website & there was a coupon for an angle grinder but it expired 2/28. Grinder was $9.99 but now it's back up to $14.99- which isn't bad though. What sort of wheel/attachment would I need to grind self-leveling compound?

 

[TomFOhio]

Look up the grinding wheels and they usually tell in the description what they will grind up. For a one time job you don't need anything
fancy and expensive. LOL.......

 

[Zanne]

Looks like there are a variety of grinders for sale in their sale ad. I'm not sure how many amps I need to grind it. You think 6amps would be enough? https://www.harborfreight.com/4-1-2-half-inch-angle-grinder-with-paddle-switch-65519.html

It comes with a paddle switch which is supposed to make it easier to use, but I'm not sure how. LOL. Ultimately, I'll have to see what they have in stock at the store though. I'll have to go soon & hope they have wheels for it too. Not sure what type of wheel to get for smoothing it out either. Probably one of the thicker things & not a cutter- if that makes sense.

Turns out Mom ordered the 16" grab bar & it just arrived.

 

[Zanne]

I'm debating between getting the 6amp grinder from HF or spending $10 more to get a Porter Cable 7.5-amp grinder from Lowes. I wonder if the wheels from HF would fit it. People were asking what the "arbor size" was and answers ranged from 5/8" to 7/8" but I didn't see a definitive answer. If it's 5/8" the wheels from HF should fit.