Shower/sink connectors at the back
(Photo from Jacob Davies)
Installing a Fiberglass Tub Surround to Protect the Walls
Daily usage of a household tub usually takes its toll on the nearby bathroom walls. These bathroom walls are susceptible to water damage. A proven way to correct this destruction would be to tear out the walls and build new ones. Yet another, easier and faster alternative would be to cover the walls using a bath surround system. A fiberglass tub surround fits over the walls surrounding your tub or shower pan. The fiberglass acts as a barrier to the moisture produced by the shower, protecting the walls in your bathroom from water that is used during a bath or shower. In the event the walls are tarnished, make these architectural fixes before covering the walls with the surround kit. Any moldy or rotted wallboard will need to be removed. You should also blow dry the whole region. You'll identify water damage if you have mildew and the walls are soft on contact instead of being rock solid.
A carpenter will charge around $500 to install a quality fiberglass unit as long as there is nothing wrong with your bathroom walls. One of the main tasks is unhooking and reconnecting the existing plumbing lines and plumbing fixtures. A tub surround kit costs about $250, so you could save a couple hundred bucks by installing it yourself. This assumes that your walls are generally solid / don't need replacing and your fixtures and pipes are good. Replacing the plumbing lines, fixtures or having to repair the bathroom walls obviously is going to be a more involved job that will cost more money, whether you DIY or hire a contractor. Most tub surround kits come in modular pieces that fit together as well as molded-in shelving that slots in easily (they use a tongue-and-groove interlocking system so that the parts fit together without much hassle). For ease of installation there are cutouts for plumbing and the fixtures. These units are typically made of fiberglass and acrylic.- http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/improvement/interior/1275886 - A fiberglass tub surround can instantly change the look of your bathroom from dated to modern. Installing A Tub Surround. Get Started > ... Plastic tub surround kits, ... pressed-fiberglass kit at the high end of the price range.
- http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/construction/projects/install-shower-tub-surrounds.htm - Installing a fiberglass shower and tub surroundings is fairly simple. Adding a new plastic or fiberglass tub surround is a simple solution for a clean, ...
