When you bought your home, you were sure you’d spend endless hours relaxing in hot bubble baths. As it turns out, you hardly ever have the time to use your tub. To make matters worse, it’s taking up a lot of real estate in your small bathroom.
At ZINTEX Remodeling Group, we’ve helped thousands of homeowners around the country to maximize their bathrooms with stylish, durable, and functional shower solutions. The tub to shower conversion is one of our most popular installations, and for good reason.
In this article, we’ll break down the problems with bathtubs in small bathrooms and the benefits of a tub to shower conversion. Read on to decide if converting your tub to a walk-in shower is the right upgrade for your home.
Is It Time to Consider Bathtub Replacement Options?
Your tub seemed like a major commodity when you bought your house. Is it really wise to replace it with a walk-in shower? In a small bathroom, the answer is often yes. Let’s take a look at three major signs that your bathtub isn’t doing you any favors.
Does Your Bathtub Meet Your Functional Needs?
First and foremost, your bathroom needs to meet a variety of functional needs. Your bathtub isn’t meeting your functional needs if:
✖️No one in your household takes baths
✖️It’s taking up space you would use for other features or accessories like a wider vanity or a clothes hamper
✖️It’s creating unnecessary safety hazards for members of your household with disabilities and/or mobility aids
Does Your Bathtub Create Aesthetic Flow in Your Bathroom?
Once you’ve established that your bathroom could do more for you on a practical level, it’s time to think about aesthetics. Your bathtub may be negatively impacting the aesthetic flow of your bathroom if:
✖️The shower curtain or water containment system blocks a window and limits natural light
✖️The materials don’t match or complement any existing updates you’ve already made
✖️The tub overcrowds other features like your toilet, vanity, or storage
Is Your Tub More Trouble Than It’s Worth?
Maybe you can live with the functional and aesthetic limitations of your bathtub, but what kind of maintenance does it require? Your bathtub is probably more trouble than it’s worth if:
✖️It leaks or contributes to excessive moisture and water damage
✖️The current shell or wall materials are damaged beyond a simple touch-up
✖️You struggle to keep it clean because of its size, shape, or materials
Benefits of a Tub to Shower Conversion
The cons of keeping your bathtub may not be tipping the scales. What about the pros of investing in a tub to shower conversion? Here are some of the benefits of replacing your tub with a walk-in shower.
Enhanced Home Value (Most of the Time)
The truth is, a soaking tub can be a real asset and some real estate agents would tell you that you should never replace an existing tub with a walk-in shower. However, there are a few conditions that call for an upgrade that will most likely support your property value:
➡️Poor scale: your tub is standard size or larger but your bathroom is 40-50 square feet
➡️Outdated aesthetics: your tub looks its age, and not in a charming way
➡️Deteriorating condition: your tub is no longer sealed properly and leaks
Recent real estate data shows that a well-executed bathroom upgrade can yield an ROI of over 70% when you sell your home. Tub-to-shower conversions cost around $5,000 on the low end and $18,000 on the high end, which can add up to $3,500 to $12,600 to your home’s overall value when it comes time to sell.
Modern Design Options
Today's walk-in shower designs offer a wide range of aesthetics, from sleek and minimalist to bold and luxurious. During the design process, you can customize your:
● Shower bases with options ranging from affordable prefab bases to natural stone bases
● Wall materials such as affordable acrylic panels or luxurious marble
● Fixtures and accessories like shower caddies and soap dishes
A new shower can also make your bathroom appear larger and more spacious. By removing a bulky tub, you'll free up valuable floor space and create a more open, airy feel in your bathroom.
Increased Safety
Tubs inherently create safety hazards, particularly for anyone who might struggle to step over that high ledge. When converting your tub to a walk-in shower, you eliminate that problem completely. You can also increase safety with add-ons like:
● Grab bars to provide support when entering or exiting the shower
● A curbless entry that eliminates the need to step over a threshold, making the shower easily accessible for everyone, including those with mobility aids
● Built-in seating that offers a place to rest and makes tasks like shaving easier and safer
Incorporating accessible features into your shower design isn't just for those with mobility issues—it's a smart choice for creating a safe, comfortable space for users of all ages.
Common Tub to Shower Conversion Concerns
Many homeowners have concerns about the tub to shower conversion process. Let's address some of the most common worries:
➡️Cost: The cost of a walk-in shower varies (between $5,000 and $18,000). If keeping costs low is a high priority, ZINTEX offers acrylic wall panels that are budget-friendly without sacrificing quality and durability.
➡️Timeframe: Some materials (like tile) take more time to install than others. A professional conversion using acrylic typically takes 2-5 days, minimizing disruption to your daily routine.
➡️Resale Value: Bathtubs can be an asset to buyers. However, a tub to shower conversion can often support or even boost resale value, especially when it increases functionality and flow in a small bathroom.
➡️Water Damage: Tubs are often seen as the most waterproof option. With proper installation by professionals, your new shower should be just as watertight as your old tub—if not more so.
Learn More About Tub to Shower Conversions
If your bathtub is more of a hindrance than a tool for relaxation, it’s time to consider your options. At ZINTEX, the tub to shower conversion is one of our most popular services for homeowners facing the exact same problems as you.
At this point, you know that your bathtub is way too big for your bathroom. Still on the fence about walk-in showers as a bathroom remodel solution? Check out this guide to the cost of walk in showers in 2025.
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