Shower Before & After with Tub Surround Tutorial

Hey Y'all!

Today, I want to share our shower before & after pictures as well as a little tutorial on how to install a new tub surround. Are you with me?!

The last time we chatted about the bathroom, I told you we were in the process of installing a new tub surround because our current shower situation looked a little something like this....

Sad, but TRUE!!!

Anyway, we took down all of the old tile, ripped out all of the old sheet rock, and took things down to the studs. Then we put up a mildew & moisture resistant barrier (purple board) & waited for the drywall guy to come & do his thing....

He came in & finished the job in just 2 hours & only charged us $75.00. That included the cost of his materials....I thought that was a pretty darn good deal! Not only did he do a good job, but now I won't ever have to worry about whether the job was done right in the first place! You just can't put a price tag on peace of mind people! Agree?!

After the mud was dry, we just lightly sanded the wall & put a couple coats of paint on the wall above where the new tub surround would be. My dad came the next day & with my hubby, they got to work on the installation! For information on the tub surround we purchased, see this post.

 The new surround came in five different pieces. One piece for the back wall, two side wall pieces, & two corner pieces. I am gonna walk you through the installation process & show you how easy this product was to use. 

To start, a level line must be established to align the top of the panels. To do this, we taped the corner pieces to the wall & used a level to draw a line connect them. 

You want to also continue that line on the side walls as well. 

Once we had our lines drawn, my dad focused first on the side panel which would cover the plumbing fixtures. He measured & marked the location of the plumbing fixtures on the BACK SIDE of the panel.

Then using the proper size hole saw, he cut out the plumbing fixture holes.

Ensure that the holes fit properly over the fixtures.

Once this step was done, he & my husband dry fit all the panels to the wall. The aligned the panels with the pencil line & taped in place with painter's tape. If panels do not align, this is probably due to the fact that the bathtub isn't level. Trim the bottoms of the panels to follow the slope of the bathtub. 

 Tape panels to wall with painter's tape...

Now it's time to glue your panels to the wall!

We used this to glue our panels to the wall....

We purchased it at Lowes when we purchased the tub surround.

Starting with the side panels, apply adhesive to the back side of panel using a caulk gun....

Apply the adhesive in an "S" pattern from the top to the bottom of the panel and also on the outside edges.

Press the panel to the wall & with a rag, rub the panel from top to bottom to smooth out adhesive & release any air bubbles. If using a solvent-based adhesive, pull the panel away from the wall for 30 seconds to allow solvents (gases) to escape. Re-press panel firmly against the wall. 

Once the panel is on the wall, you will want to again, tape the panel to the wall until the adhesive is completely dry. Follow directions on the adhesive container for recommended drying times.

Once the side panels are glued to the wall, using theses same steps, glue the back panel on next, followed by the two corner pieces. The corner pieces will overlap the side & back panels. 

We allowed our tub surround 24 hours to dry & then went back & applied a sealant (caulk) to all the seams. 

We waited another 24 hours after caulking the seams before using the bathtub/shower.

So, do you want to see what the tub looks like now?!

Here she is......

Nice, clean, & more importantly USABLE!!!

You can see we all added a vinyl caping along the upper edge of the surround. That was just done to give it a more finished look. This is completely optional!

And just because we all like a good before & after.....

Quite the improvement, eh?!

And just in case you are wondering how to keep your kids occupied & more importantly, OUT OF THE WAY while you are working.....

Just give them the box that the tub surround came in! I will keep them busy for hours DAYS!!!

Seriously, these boys have been obsessed with this box since we put the tub surround in on Saturday! I'm thinking I'm just gonna take the easy way out this Christmas & get them a bunch of cardboard boxes!! Anyone else?!

Hope you found this tutorial helpful & as always THANK YOU SO MUCH for stopping by!!

I hope you have a Lovely Wednesday!! :)

Linking up here....
Happy Hour Linky Party at Craftberry Bush
November Before & After Party at Thrifty Decor Chick