Our walk-in shower is a mess. It's seen better days, that's for sure. Years ago we ripped out the olive green bathtub with the sliding shower door and replaced it with a fiberglass shower insert and a custom glass door.
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.
It was easy. I went to a plumbing supply showroom and picked out a new shower. I think they only had 2 to pick from, so it didn't take long. Then I called the glass people to come out and install a shower door. They came out, took some measurements, and built a door. I don't remember choosing anything about the door, but maybe I did.
Fast forward to the present day shower remodel. I am losing my mind. There are so many decisions to make. Tile? Marble? Granite? Fiberglass? Acrylic? Quartz? That's just the shower walls and counter tops. What about the glass door? Clear? Frosted? Framed? Frameless? Pivoting? Sliding? And the shower head? Bench or no bench? Ledge or cubby for those pesky shampoo bottles? So many decisions.
I've spent hours on Pinterest looking at other peoples showers. I've polled friends and family about their showers, and the do's and don'ts of a remodel. This chick's had it!
Here's what I found out.
Tile people love tile. These are the people that take out old tile and put in new tile. They aren't afraid of mold or mildew and don't worry about spilling something hot pink that might soak into the grout. They're the bravest of all and they probably have a housekeeper.
Fiberglass people are the no-nonsense bunch. They go down to the local big box store and choose white or off-white and they're done. If you were paying attention, you'll remember that I'm sort of a fiberglass person. But fiberglass scratches. I know that because I've scratched plenty of it over the years. Then mildew or "hot pink liquid" takes up residence in the scratches and.....you see where I'm going with this.
Marble people sound like fancy people, but I think they're just lazy. These are my people. I don't want any cracks or creases to scrub. No cubbies, ledges or seats. If I could get a disposable shower I think I would. I'd pop it up like one of those net laundry hampers, shower, then throw it away. But if I can't do that, then marble is the way to go. Smooth and easy to wipe down. And maybe a little fancy.
I'm going to add photos of the shower remodel to document the progress. I'll add them every day or so to this post so you can follow along if you want to.
DAY 1
This isn't a very good picture of the original shower. It was a fiberglass insert with a framed shower door.
My husband grabbed his saws-all and went to work cutting out the fiberglass shower. These pictures show what was left when he finished.
The first picture is a furdown just above the shower space. These were popular back in the 70's. They don't serve any purpose, as far as I know, unless they hide heating and air-conditioning ducts.
The second is just the bare studs, and the third is the concrete and dirt sub-floor and the drain hole. You can't see it here, but the dirt is really wet so it looks like there's a leak that needs to be fixed.
DAY 2
The furdown over the shower space came down. There was one over the sink, too. I can't believe how much bigger the bathroom feels!
SHOWER SPACE
before
furdown removed
VANITY
before
furdown removed
