For many people a bath tub will have been their preferred bathing choice for many years. Which can make it difficult to accept that once their mobility becomes limited, replacing the bath tub with a new walk-in shower is the best solution. Bath tubs can be awful hazards for people with reduced mobility, with many slips, trips and falls causing unpleasant injuries. When people notice they are becoming less mobile, it is a good idea to change the bathroom before it causes harm.
When deciding to install a shower there are many choices and options available. The best solution is to ensure the new shower is designed around the end user’s mobility, rather than accepting a one size fits all option which will not suit an individual’s specific needs. To get it right choose a good quality, competent mobility bathing specialist such as Bathtime Mobility, who can design the new shower area to suit the end user.
Obviously, the first task is to remove the bath tub, which will leave an area of the wall un-tiled where the bath used to be sited. The new shower area can either be re-tiled or covered with a decorative wall cladding, such as Geo-Panel.
With the bath out, the bath waste pipes will have to be adapted to suit the new shower tray. If level access is required, the shower tray will require recessing into the floor with waste pipes routed below floor level. In some cases a pump is required to ensure adequate drainage. Water feeds for the shower unit need routing to the receiving location, then the walls can be tiled or cladded with wall boards to complete the shower area.
The final tasks are connecting the new shower unit to the hot and cold water feeds and fixing the shower seat, doors and support rails, grab rails and shower rail and curtain as required.
Once underway the work can typically take 2-3 days to replace a bath with a walk-in shower. If the rest of the bathroom is being refurbished the work can take around 5 days, depending on the scale of the work involved.
If you’d like to discuss replacing a bath with a new walk-in shower to suit a person with limited mobility, get in touch with Bathtime Mobility on 03300 882 237.