Installing a bathtub by yourself can be hard, especially if you don’t have anyone else to help you. This is because bathtubs, even the light-weight ones, are all generally very heavy and big-sized. Not only that, you will also have to estimate and consider the size of your bathroom space to make sure that you have enough space for one. However, it can still be done as a do it yourself project.
- Take a trip down to your local home improvement store to pick out some of the bathtubs that you might be interested in. Take down their measurements, making sure to include the space needed for the appropriate fixtures. It would be practical to shortlist a few bathtubs of different sizes so that you can pick one that will fit your bathroom later on.
- Now, measure your bathroom to ensure that you have enough space to accommodate any one of the bathtubs you have short-listed. Make sure that you have enough space for the related fixtures as well. Not only that, you must also make sure that you have ample space to move around once your bathtub is installed. Also, when deciding where to place your bathtub, make sure that it does not come in the way of door ways. You may want to make a cut out of your intended bathtub shape and size on a few pieces of newspaper and place it where you intend for it to be to make sure that you can still open the doors even when it is fixed in.
- Once you are sure that you have ample space for a bathtub, you can now purchase your bathtub and bring it home.
- Place shims on your bathroom floor to make sure that your bathtub will be levelled. Place your bathtub on to the shims and make sure that it is levelled using a carpenter’s level.
- Tighten the shims to the connection of the basket drain and wrap around it with Teflon tape.
- Next, install a faucet to the wrapped plumbing.
- After that, seal the bathtub with caulk, making sure that it is not shaky. Leave it for a day to completely dry before you turn on the taps.
- Once it is dry, open the main supply of water to check if there are any leaks. Let the water flow for a while to make sure that there are completely no leaks.
- Your bathtub is now ready for use. However, it is advisable to leave the bathtub to set for at least 48 hours to ensure that all the caulk is completely dried.
Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eanicol/373775365/
