Taking out an old bathtub

Just you and your wife are doing this?

Research the Hoyer Lift.

Just you and your wife are doing this?

We have built 8 new homes since we have been married, and have done the electrical, plumbing, duct work, some carpentry on rough in, and we are very bad on finished millwork.  My wife has gotten so good on electric issues that for the last 20 years she will go over and fix friend's and neighbors electrical issues and rewire stuff for them....not so much since she has retired from teaching, but we used take our kenmore dryers and washing machines apart and repair them order parts......not because we were cheap, but because we liked the challenge.  She is incredibly intelligent, and tough as nails.  That broken leg from her birthday fall in March has fully healed and the ortho doc said the twelve inch steel pin in her tibia and said her range of motion has been remarkable and unless she gets an artificial knee, the pin stays.  She has been a great life partner, and has enjoyed the adventure......and now she gets her tub back.

I think Hallmark may have nailed it with the ball screw assembly....I will keep looking.

2seaoat wrote:Just you and your wife are doing this?

We have built 8 new homes since we have been married, and have done the electrical, plumbing, duct work, some carpentry on rough in, and we are very bad on finished millwork.  My wife has gotten so good on electric issues that for the last 20 years she will go over and fix friend's and neighbors electrical issues and rewire stuff for them....not so much since she has retired from teaching, but we used take our kenmore dryers and washing machines apart and repair them order parts......not because we were cheap, but because we liked the challenge.  She is incredibly intelligent, and tough as nails.  That broken leg from her birthday fall in March has fully healed and the ortho doc said the twelve inch steel pin in her tibia and said her range of motion has been remarkable and unless she gets an artificial knee, the pin stays.  She has been a great life partner, and has enjoyed the adventure......and now she gets her tub back.

Well, I am a pioneer woman myself putting in toilets, sinks and laminate floors tiling and parts on my refrigerator but bathtubs seem a little too labor intensive for me. I have one I want to replace but it seems too much of a job.

I have one I want to replace but it seems too much of a job
I would suggest looking at a couple of UTUBES on removal of an old bathtub.  They do a pretty good job on the step by step.  The first cast iron tub we did we had no video and broke it up with a sledge hammer and it was very labor intensive and we had plumbing issues.  This one was stamped steel and was much easier to remove.  I have to work the next two days, but about Wed. we will reinforce the floor and put new plywood, and should have it done by the weekend.  You will need a pry bar, hammer, and we used a jack to lift it out of position and you will need two people to lift and tilt it out of position.  Hopefully, you have a second bathroom which will allow you the time to complete it yourself.

I have removed the floor exposing woefully inadequate support for a modern bathtub, and must go to work now, but the wife will cut some 2 x 6 treated which will be attached to the outside sill 2 x 6, the central one, and the outer one.  The cross beam will also need a doubling up.  We will have to locate blocks to set in the crawl, and then get a shorter basement steel floor jack which we will bring up tight to the central existing 2 x 6 which will provide adequate floor support.  Put down three quarter plywood on the floor filling all gaps and leveling the same.  Then the hard part....setting the new tub, and getting it to line up with the old plumbing.  I have already decided not to put a shower in this unit, so I will have to take out the old plumbing supply and create a hot and cold spigot which will fill the tub.....I will not put a mixer on it, and like the old claw bathtubs it will have two spigots a hot and cold.

What is with the board turned sideways.? Sister another board the right way to them. You dont need a jack, just cut your support board and use 2 wedges and drive the wegges tights tight. Secure the wedges with screws...

These supports would never pass an inspection if I had pulled a permit, but replacing a bathtub in my county does not require a permit.  First the 10 foot span should have been 2 x 8s, second the middle board does not even go to the foundation, and Ts into the two 2 x 6 supports.  I will reinforce each of the joists with treated 2 x 6 boards, put joist hangers at the wall away from the plumbing and will secure the middle board with a simple steel screw jack.  60 gallons at 8 pounds is 480lbs, put my 235lbs you have over 700 lbs being supported by 2 - 2x6 10 foot spans which are old and have been exposed to moisture.

Reinforced the existing joist with 2x 6, dropped a concrete block into the crawl space and bolted a 2x 6 to support the reinforced joists from too much deflection.  Will now insulate the gap, and put finished plywood.

Either a brace... or get yourself a board stretcher.

We are heading to the hardware store for the final plumbing connections and plumbing fixtures.  We took our showers, and have shut off the water, I will be cutting out the old plumbing and will be putting a shutoff on the cold and hot supply which will be accessible from the back hatch and will make it easier to repair or replace.  We had to shim to get the floor level, and I think I will do a mortar set.  We will mix up the mortar and block by the back of the tub.....set the tub, and my wife will sit in the tub for about twenty minutes as the mortar sets up.  It gives much more support to the bottom of the tub and back, and I am a big person stepping into the tub which is steel or cast iron....no problem, but acrylic or fiberglass needs to be supported.  We painted the plywood because it gives some protection to the plywood if there is a leak.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cement_board

The pipes are insulated away from the hatch and the prior owner's  heating guy just stubbed in a six inch hot air from the furnace which pumps into the 10 x 10 crawlspace as you saw was well insulated.  In regard to cement board, I always use the same if I am putting in a shower.  I do not use it when putting in a bath.  The grand kids may splash about, but the two of us will not be splashing(sex in the tub is in the rear view mirror......but I might suggest the same to the wife, but it would be hard to do with a pipe wrench in my ear), and I was going to go with ceramic tile, but I am still concerned with even a little frost getting into the ground and moving my support which would impact the tile set on the cement board.  We are going to use an acrylic surround.  It has a very clean look and we will be reinforcing the studs so we do not have to be exact on positioning the grab bars(we got 2).

My problem now is the existing flexible copper 1/2 inch has evidence of prior ballooning up with a possible freeze.  It has been a bitch this evening to file and sand down the out of round copper to the shut offs.   We just finished soldering and will turn on the water in a half hour after everything cools down.  If it leaks we will have a day delay in setting the tub.  We have a bag of mortar, and if there are no leaks we may try to set the tub tonight......we will see.

Lucky on the connection to the existing out of round hot water and cold water supplies.....shut offs are tight.  Tight fit on bathtub, and 1/4 inch out of level.  we will screw 1/4 inch plywood at the back of the tub and will apply masonry cement from the back of the tub to mid thigh area of the tub.  This should firm up the tub and give a firm bottom for stepping into the tub.  Roughed in the overflow and drain....they line up.  We have the finished fixtures and will pick up the surrounds  in the afternoon Wed after the cement has set up.  Should have water in the tub late thursday or Friday morning.  We will have to trim it out and set grip bars.  We have marked our solid studs for a lift to be installed as needed.  I will hopefully mix up the mortar and show the application prior to setting the tub tonight.  I have been resting regularly, but had a tough evening at the hardware store.....ran out of gas.

Good job. Glad it went well. Not an easy project. You done good.

We will get the surrounds on later today, and reinforce beams for grab bars.  I have a poker game tonight so will not set the drain and overflow.  We have the fixture, and I will solder on the spout extension, caulk and remove the blue protective film.  I think my wife will take a bath on Friday and after two years of showers she get back to what gives her great relaxation.

I will build some shelves for plants and knick knacks about 10 inches off the ceiling. I have identified the support beams for a lift and have reinforced them.  I start my next project which is a platform tent 16 feet x 12 feet which I am going to elevate above the islands.  The steel for my RV came in too high, so I am going to build an insulated year round elevated tent with bunk beds, solar power, toilet and shower, and a ice air conditioner.  I will post photos when I start in late July.  My lull fuel filter is fouled and every time I change the same on the bobcat I get air in the diesel line.  I pretty much have the bobcat figured out, but the lull is a whole other animal, and without its 10k lifting capability, I will not be able to stack the concrete blocks for the tent base.  I will post photos Thursday morning on the tub.

A must have!

So you got it all finished ?

Yes, all but some trim work which we will work on Friday morning.  We could take a bath or shower tonight, but will have to get a shower curtain.  My wife likes the curved shower curtains over a glass doors.  She feel trapped when using the bath.  The photos I will show will not have the two grab bars on yet or the top shelf which we will build Friday, but everything is tight, caulked, level, and working.  This took more out of me than I suspected.  I am definitely a sick dying man this evening.  I hope I will awake in the morning with a little more strength and a positive attitude, but my projects are getting much more difficult.  My wife and I were talking about how great it would have been to have our knowledge at thirty......at 63 and sick......well it is hard.

here is roughed in plumbing, and then the tub with enclosures.  It really turned out much better than other tub removals.

I think I will await until we have the two by four shelf supports and grab bars installed with some bubble bath in the next photo in about an hour.  We just pulled the protective film off and have tested the controls on the plumbing.  We will need to fill the tub, and I am going to work on my wife getting in under the bubbles and showing off her peg leg steel pin operation from March 7th.....like I said tough as nails, and a great life partner, friend, mother, and lover, I will ask her to read this post and hope I get lucky........but as tired as I am.......hey, maybe I will get in and you can see my beautiful wasted legs....yea....thats the ticket.  One hour is bath time.