By Robby Raay, Trenworks Tub Cutouts
You want to convert your tub to a walk-in shower. The answer most people are given is a renovation: take the bathtub out, move the drain, build a shower base, waterproof and tile the walls, and live without that bathroom for a week or two. There is a much shorter answer. A bathtub cutout turns the tub you already have into a walk-in shower in about three hours, with no demolition and nothing touched behind the walls. You can do it yourself with our DIY kit from $299, or have our team install it anywhere in Ontario.
What a walk-in shower conversion usually involves
The conventional tub-to-shower conversion is a small construction project:
- The bathtub comes out, and the surround with it.
- The drain is moved, and a shower base or pan is built and waterproofed.
- The walls are rebuilt and tiled, then a curtain or a glass panel is fitted.
- A plumber, a tiler and often a permit, with the bathroom out of use for one to two weeks.
It is a fine result when you want a new bathroom. It is a lot to take on when what you need is to stop climbing over a tub wall.
The cutout: a walk-in shower from the tub you have
A bathtub cutout removes a section of the tub wall at the entry end and finishes the opening, so you step through a few inches instead of over the full height of the tub. Draw the shower curtain and the tub is a walk-in shower. Here is the whole job:
- Our installer measures and marks the opening to suit the tub and the person who will use it: standard, wide or extra deep.
- The section is cut out, and the edge is finished and sealed to stand up to daily water.
- The seal cures overnight, and you shower the next morning.
No plumbing work, no tile removed, no permit. Everything behind the walls stays as it is, which is why the job takes hours rather than weeks.
Which bathtubs can be converted
Steel, fibreglass and acrylic tubs, one-piece tub and shower units and deck-mounted soaker tubs can all be cut. Glass tub doors usually come off first: our installers remove the lighter kind during the visit, and heavy tempered glass doors are taken out beforehand by a glass technician you hire. Not sure about yours? Send us two pictures of the tub and we will tell you.
Do it yourself from $299, or have it installed
The DIY bathtub cutout kit, from $299. For a handy homeowner or a contractor. You cut the tub and finish the opening over a weekend, following the kit instructions. It is the lowest-cost way to convert a tub to a walk-in shower in Ontario. You will find it on our home page.
Professional installation. Our installers have been cutting tubs across Ontario since 2012. Every opening is cut to the tub and the person, finished and tested before we leave, and backed by our workmanship warranty. We price it from a few pictures of your tub, over the phone, with no obligation. Still deciding between the two? Read professional installation versus a DIY kit.
Keep the bath too: the door cap
A walk-in shower conversion does not have to mean the end of baths. The removable door cap sets down over the cutout opening and latches watertight in about two seconds, so the tub fills as it did before. Lift it off for the shower, latch it on for a soak. It weighs about seven pounds, and its seal is guaranteed for life. Read how the door cap works.
Make the new shower safe
The cutout removes the fall risk at the step. Three small additions finish the job: a stainless grab bar at the opening, an anti-slip treatment of the tub floor, and a hand shower on a slide bar so you can sit to wash. Every professional cutout installation comes with one bonus of your choice at no charge, a stainless grab bar installed at the opening or the anti-slip treatment, done the same visit.
Who converts a tub this way
Seniors who intend to stay in their home. People home from a hip or knee replacement who need the step gone this week. Caregivers who want bathing to be safer for both of them. Condo owners and tenants, where the plumbing and the walls cannot be touched. And anyone who would rather have it done in an afternoon than over a season.
Common questions
Can you convert a tub to a walk-in shower without removing the tub?
Yes. That is exactly what a bathtub cutout is. The tub stays, the drain stays, the surround stays. Only the section of wall you had to climb over is removed.
How long does it take?
About three hours on site. The seal cures overnight, and you shower the next day.
Will it leak?
The finished edge is sealed and inspected on the day. If you have the door cap, the tub is filled with the cap on before we leave, so any problem would show then.
Does it look like a renovation?
The visible change is a low opening with a finished edge. The rest of the tub and the bathroom are as they were.
Can it be reversed?
Nothing else about the tub, the plumbing or the walls changes, and the door cap closes the opening for a full bath, so there is nothing to undo later.
Does it work in a condo or an apartment?
Yes. There is no plumbing or wall work, no permit, no water shut-off and a few hours of noise. That is why it is often the only tub-to-shower conversion a building will allow.
Compare your options
- Tub cutout vs walk-in shower
- Bathtub cutout vs walk-in tub
- Professional installation vs DIY kit
- Bathtub cutout vs a full tub to shower remodel
- Walk-in tub conversion for Ontario seniors
Ready to convert your tub to a walk-in shower? Call us at 905-436-5965 for a free price quote, or read more about the bathtub cutout.
