Converting old bathtub to a walk-in shower makes bathroom safer and more spacious
The way Vivian Hoelting tells the story, her tub had to go. “I had the original bathtub that came with my 1954 block house, but I couldn’t keep it clean,” she tells us. “It had hole forming and it was so slippery.”
And on top of that, Van Hoelting says the water made a whining sound as it came through the shower head. The water pressure was poor and she had to worry about slipping and falling while climbing over the tub’s tall sides. Amazingly, she was able to change all of this in just 48 hours.
Van Hoelting says she’d heard that Pacific Bath Company could improve her bathroom very quickly, but she had no idea by now much. “I had the old tub tom out and a new Kohler shower and plumbing installed in just two days.” she says. “As they were doing the work, they wanted my opinion and my input. Now I have a beautiful new shower that’s easy to clean, is quiet, has good water pressure from two shower heads (one of which can be used as a hand held) and is much more spacious. They built it exactly with my bathroom in mind:’
We asked Todd Blinn, General Manager of Pacific Bath Company, how they can address so many issues so quickly. Issues like those Vivian was experiencing. The answer, he says, is to not take shortcuts. “We refuse to cover up old problems, like many other companies will;” he says. “When replacing old tubs with today’s new walk-in showers, we remove every thing down to the studs, then we inspect and replace key parts of the plumbing and electrical.
This includes resetting the bath drain and placing a new anti scald valve in the wall. When we’re done, water is flowing well and at a safe temperature.” And with the Kohler Luxstone Walk-in shower, owners appreciate how beautiful it is, and at the same time, how functional.
The Kohler Luxstone starts with a white or biscuit colored shower pan made with a slip resistant texture and from there, it is pure luxury. Inside, you’re surrounded by walls of crushed rock, reinforced with fiber strands, and available in a choice of colors from Kohler’s exclusive Luxstone line.
The result is a luxurious look and feel of stone without gr out, so there are no grout lines. And the non-porous walls won’t harbor soap scum and bacteria, so they’re easy to clean.
“They are very low maintenance:’ says Blinn. And he would know, because his company is the only certified sellers and installers of this luxurious shower line in Oregon and Washington. After choosing the wall colors, there are lots of options for inside the shower to consider. You can choose from a variety of showerheads, including a rain shower; and you can choose a separate diverter to add a handheld sprayer. That’s one option that Van Hoelting chose.
Next, choosing floating shelves provides a good place to store shampoo and body wash; or, you can build in storage lockers and add a shower seat. The c hoices c ontinue when you decide on the type of door you want - it could be a swivel or a slider - or whether to go for the ultrachic open-air look with no door at all.
On top of this, the new walkin shower requires you to step over just a 3” threshold, rather than the 1830” lip of your old tub. That makes it safer, no matter your age. And here’s a surprise: while bathtubs typically allow just a 15”-20” wide area for standing, you’ll get virtually the entire width of your Kohler Luxstone walkin shower for standing. And with its low sides, beautiful glass and crushed rock, the feeling of all that space improves your comfort dramatically.
When it’s done, says Blinn, “Pacific Bath and Kohler are standing behind you. Pacific Bath provides a 3-year warranty on labor, and Kohler provides a limited-lifetime warranty on the parts that come together to make such a beautiful shower.”
So what does Vivian Hoelting have to say about how her showering experience has changed since she had the Kohler Luxstone installed? “Oh my gosh - it’s a night and day difference,” she says. “They did a top-notch A-plus job. I would recommend them, I really would.”
And that is reason enough to call (702) 919-7416 for a free estimate and safety inspection of your bathroom, to see what they can do for you.