So You Have a Bathtub but No Shower…
When I bought my house, there were a number of things that were dated. Few were as annoying as the absence of a shower.
I did some research and found that it is pretty easy and cheap to turn your bathtub into a fully functioning shower…
…And the best news is that everything can be found on Amazon and will cost less than a family night at the movies…Under $100.
Below is a list of what you need and what it looks like before and after.
Before and After
First, You Need a Shower Adapter to Fit in Your Faucet
This one by Danco is the one that I use because it’s a best seller and has a notch where you can put a hose clamp. If you see a shower head sprayer that does not have this…it will not have a tight enough seal, and water will spray out the sides…You probably want to avoid this.
IMPORTANT: Make sure your faucet isn’t too big for the adapter. Your faucet shouldn’t be larger than 3 inches in order to fit properly. Even at 3 inches, you’ll need to soak it in warm water before putting it on.
Then you’ll need to attach an adjustable hose clamp, conveniently found on Amazon here.
>>How to Install to Your Faucet<<
Second, Put Up Your Shower Rod(s)
Shower rods are easy to install, all you need are the screws they come with, a screwdriver, and a hacksaw to adjust the rod to fit your bathroom.
Find the shower rod on Amazon here ==> Shower Rod
I have a window by my tub, so I needed two shower rods so that water would not splash on it and the wall.
Putting On Your Shower Curtains
I got mine at the hardware store, but I did find this one similar mine; or there are literally like 50,000 results when I searched for “shower curtains” on Amazon…
You’ll also need a cheap mildew resistant shower curtain liner to put on the bathtub side of the shower rod. If you are going to be putting up two rods, you can just use a cheap liner for that too. You can find those here.
I used nicer shower curtain rings on the side that people will see, while I used cheaper ones for the back. I want it to look as nice as it can, even with the tub currently being this ugly shade of pink…
Nice Shower Curtain Rings: here
Hidden Shower Curtain Rings: here
Install Shower Caddy
Again, I got mine at the hardware store, but this one is nearly identical.
You’ll notice from the picture at the top of the page from my bathroom that I did have to bend one of the bars to fit in the shower head. But the metal is fairly flexible, which made it easy.
This also gives you room to put other shower utensils…kinda what it was actually meant for.
Recap
Things You Need to Get:
- Danco 10086 VersaSpray Shower Head
- Hose Clamp
- Shower Rod
- Shower Curtain
- Shower Curtain Liner
- Nice Shower Rings
- Cheaper Shower Rings (Optional)
- Shower Caddy
Final Thoughts…
For everyone that occasionally likes to take a bath (myself included), taking the adapter off couldn’t be easier, you just take off the hose clamp.
This project is a great way to make your tub turn into a fully functioning shower, whether it’s temporary or more permanent.
If you are in desperate need of a shower, and don’t currently have the cash to put into a pricey bathroom remodel, then this is definitely the cheapest and easiest DIY way to convert your bathtub into a shower. For many of you this may just be a temporary solution. Besides the hideous salmon pink tub, toilet, and sink that I will eventually be getting rid of, I also plan on adding the pluming for a permanent shower in the future. So this is only short term for me as well.
The easiest way to tackle this project is get everything out of the way and order it all on Amazon. All images above are hyperlinks to Amazon.
Hope this was helpful! Now order the pieces and put get putting this simple puzzle together!
Testimonials
“Fit my tub perfectly. Just move it a little to get it not to spray out and increase water pressure. Works Great. Does the job better than I expected. I highly recommend to any one needing a quick fix.” – Christa
“Exactly what I wanted, its durable and easy to install.” – SW
“Works well for my awkward size bath tap. I use it to shower off after a bath and to shower down the bath too. It’s great!” – J. White
Bonus: It’s a Great Way to Bath Your Pets Too!
If you happen to have pets, there is no easier or cheaper way to clean them than in the tub with this hand held shower head!