How to Remodel a Bathroom With a Whirlpool Bath | Home Guides

If you have the space, consider a tub built for two.

Whirlpool tubs, jetted tubs and air baths provide a place to relax, unwind and decompress at the end of your day. Adding one to your bathroom can help create the feeling of a luxury spa in the comfort of your own home. Whirlpool tubs come in a wide variety of different, shapes and sizes, all with a variety of features from positionable jets to aromatherapy and lights. Remodel your bathroom to include one and feel the difference it makes in the space.

Determine the Placement

A usable, comfortable whirlpool tub does not have to take up a lot of space in your bathroom. In fact, if you can fit a standard alcove tub into the space, you can fit a whirlpool tub. If your bathroom is tight on space, combine your tub and shower into one area, using an alcove design for your tub. For bathrooms that have a little more space, consider placing a slightly larger tub into the corner of the bathroom. If you are remodeling a large master bath, either abut your tub and shower together, building a deck around the tub, or sink your tub right into the floor for an unobtrusive design.

Determine the Size

Take careful measurements of your bathroom to determine how large a tub can fit in the space. Your whirlpool tub and its deck require a minimum of 24 inches of clear space in front of it to pass code. If your tub is placed next to toilet or sink, it shouldn't come within 15 inches of the toilet's center line or within 10 inches of the sink's center line. Once you know the size of tub that will fit, pay a visit to a showroom and have a seat in several tubs of approximately this size to find the one that fits you.

Determine the Deck

Unless your tub is being combined with a shower and will be installed in an alcove, you will have your choice of tub deck style. The tub deck is a large box that the tub sits in. Tubs can either be "dropped-in" to the box, with the rim of the tub on top, or they can be "undermounted" with a large slab sitting on top of the tub's rim. Drop-in style tubs can have any material for the tub deck, including tile or slab, which can make them more decorative and better for formal style bathrooms. Undermounted tubs require a slab top, which gives them a more streamlined look that works better in more contemporary settings.

Create a Cohesive Design

Your new tub does not exist in a vacuum or in an area all by itself; it needs to interact and work with the rest of the bathroom design. Create a purposeful design by incorporating details from the rest of the bathroom in the tub area. If you have an undermount tub, use the same slab material on the tub deck as you do on the bathroom vanity and on the shower curb. If your tub abuts a shower, extend a few rows of shower tile around the walls surrounding the tub. Bring either the flooring of the bathroom up around the face of the tub deck, or extend the wall tile around this area to tie the space together.