Tub-to-Shower Conversion Pros and Cons: Deciding on Your Next Remodel

By Molly Ryan

Tub-to-Shower Conversion Pros and Cons: Deciding on Your Next Remodel

Your bathtub is starting to look dingy and feel spongy underfoot. You want to invest in a bathroom remodel, but you’re not sure if replacing the bathtub or installing a shower is the right choice. Tub to shower conversions seem like they’re getting more and more popular, but why is that? And even though it was the right choice for your neighbors, will it be the right choice for you?

At ZINTEX Remodeling Group, we have completed over 20,000 tub and shower remodels, making us one of the leading bathroom remodeling experts across the south and midwest regions. Tub to shower conversions happen to be the remodel we complete the most, and we’re here to get transparent about why they’re great, but not great for everyone. Let’s dive in to the pros and cons of tub shower conversions.

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Top Reasons to Get a Tub to Shower Conversion

First, let’s talk about the main reasons why homeowners typically decide to replace their bathtub with a walk-in shower. This ranges from increasing accessibility to streamlining their bathroom cleaning routine.

Walk In Showers Increase Accessibility

A standard tub ledge is at least 14” high, requiring you to raise one leg over a foot into the air while balancing on the other to get in and out. For a lot of people, this isn’t physically possible. For others, it might be possible, but it still creates unnecessary risk.

A walk-in shower base has a threshold of 4” or less, drastically reducing the lifting and balancing requirement to enter and exit. When paired with safety features like custom-placed grab bars and a bench or folding seat, walk-in showers can accommodate disabilities or aging in place.

Walk In Showers Modernize Your Home

If your bathroom feels dated, it could be that old fiberglass tub or fading tile and grout wall system. Do you need to complete a full studs-to-done remodel to modernize your bathroom? Chances are, a simple tub-to-shower conversion (and maybe a new coat of paint) will work wonders.

Walk-in showers look and feel modern due to their clean, straight lines and the way that they open up the space for seamless use. Customizations like a glass door or fixed glass panel and matte black hardware will maximize that modern aesthetic.

Walk In Showers Can Save Space in Small Bathrooms

In addition to that 14” ledge, the standard bathtub is about 60” in length. That means it needs at least that much space (plus the additional space taken up by the wall surround, plumbing, and plumbing containment) in your bathroom. If your bathroom is small, that’s quite a bit of real estate to devote to one fixture, especially if you don’t really use it.

One option you have when converting your tub to a walk-in shower is to design a shower with a smaller footprint. The smallest standard walk-in shower has a base of 30” x 30”, taking up half the space (or less) of your current tub. You can either leave that extra space open and enjoy more room to move around in or you can use it to fill a practical need, like increasing storage space.

Walk In Showers are Easy to Clean

Getting into all those nooks and crannies can be time-consuming and difficult to complete. As can bending or kneeling to wipe down the inside of your tub walls. Frankly, there’s nothing like scrubbing away the ring around a bathtub to make you consider doing away with your bathtub altogether.

If you upgrade with a tub-to-shower conversion in an easy-to-clean material like acrylic, you instantly improve your bathroom cleaning routine. All your walk-in shower really needs is a weekly or biweekly wipe and rinse to keep soap scum at bay. The non-porous, seamless surfaces will resist mold, so there will be no elbow grease required.

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Take a look at some recently completed ZINTEX Remodeling tub-to-shower conversions in homes just like yours.

Biggest Downsides of a Tub to Shower Conversion

What about the reasons not to invest in a tub-to-shower conversion? For some homeowners, the cons outweigh the pros and a tub-shower combo replacement is the better choice.

Walk In Showers Don’t Provide Hydrotherapy Benefits

Naturally, the biggest thing you’re losing when you invest in a tub-to-shower conversion is your tub. Showers are adequate for meeting your daily hygiene needs, but they can’t provide the hydrotherapy benefits of soaking in hot water.

If you’re looking for an accessible and versatile upgrade that doesn’t sacrifice hydrotherapy, you may want to consider a walk-in tub and shower combo. Walk-in tubs have an entry of 3-7”, a comfortable seat, and premium upgrades that enhance hydrotherapy, like whirlpool jets.

No Tub May Reduce Home Value

One of the biggest concerns homeowners express when considering a tub-to-shower conversion is how it will impact their home value. There was a time when getting rid of a bathtub was quite likely to lower your home value. Is that still the case? Not exactly. You’re at very low risk of reducing your home value with a tub-to-shower conversion if at least one of the following applies:

Your home will still have a bathtub in a different bathroom
Your future buyer is more likely to be older with no children in the household, rather than a young and growing family
You hire a trusted remodeler for your bathroom tub to shower conversion

Realistically, not having a tub in your home isn’t likely to reduce your home value these days. Instead, it might limit the buyers who are interested in your property, which can slow down your sale process a bit.

Walk In Showers Aren’t Always Family-Friendly

Why did we specifically mention young and growing families? Because young children tend to take baths until they’re at least five years old.

If you have kids under five or you’re thinking about growing your family in the coming years, you may want to stick with a tub-shower combo in your guest or hall bathroom. Your primary bathroom, on the other hand, may be the perfect candidate for a spacious, modern tub-to-shower conversion.

Cheap or DIY Tub to Shower Conversions Can Go Wrong

As tempting as it may be to cut costs by going the DIY route or hiring a cheap solo contractor, we don’t recommend it. When you cut corners, you run the risk of damaging your plumbing, failing to waterproof your shower, and making other expensive installation mistakes.

When you’re having new showers installed, there’s one cardinal rule to follow: hire a company with a reputation for doing great work. The most valuable remodel is the one that is built to last and meets your needs for years to come.

Is ZINTEX the Right Bathroom Remodeling Company for You?

At this point, you feel confident that a tub to shower conversion is the right remodel for your bathroom. Now, it’s time to find the right bathroom remodeling experts. Could we be the fit you’re looking for?

With over 25 years of experience, we’ve completed thousands of tub to shower conversions. Learn more about our tub to shower conversion services and contact us if you want to talk with one of our professional design consultants for free!

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