Bathtub replacement in Tampa, FL.
A tub goes in before the walls are finished around it. That means taking one out is rarely as tidy as it sounds. And before you replace it at all, there are two cheaper answers worth ruling out honestly.
Call or text (813) 819-6778.
Priced by written scope, never by the hour.
Reglaze, liner or replace. The honest comparison.
Two of these three cost a fraction of a full replacement. Each one is genuinely right in certain conditions. We do reglazing as well, so we gain nothing by steering you. Here they are side by side. Rule them out yourself instead of taking our word for it.
| Reglazing | An acrylic liner | Full replacement | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What happens | The existing tub is repaired, prepared and re-coated in place | A molded acrylic shell is fitted over the existing tub | The old tub comes out and a new one goes in |
| Right when | The tub is structurally sound and only the finish is worn or stained | The tub is sound, you want a new surface fast and low disruption | The tub is cracked, moving, the wrong size, or the wall behind it is wet |
| Time | Usually a day plus curing | Often 1 or 2 days | Longer, and the wall behind gets opened and looked at |
| What it hides | Nothing structural, but it will not fix a cracked tub | Whatever is behind and under the old tub stays there, sealed in | Nothing. What is under the tub is exposed and dealt with |
| Lasts | 10 to 15 years done properly, and it can be redone | Depends entirely on the seal at the edges | The life of the tub |
| We would say | Do this if the tub is fine and only the finish is not. We do it as well | Reasonable, as long as nothing under the tub is wet | The right answer when the tub or the wall has failed |
Removal decides more of the price than the tub does.
You can pick a tub in an afternoon. What the job costs is what has to come apart. That means getting the old one out and the new one in. It also means whatever the old one has been hiding.
How the old tub comes out
On many older Florida builds the tub was set first. The door frame, or a section of wall, went in around it. Sometimes part of that has to come out with the tub. That belongs in the scope before it happens, not in a phone call from the job.
What is under and behind it
This is the most common place in a bathroom to find a soft subfloor or rotten framing. It is priced when it is visible, item by item.
The tub you choose
A standard alcove tub drops into the space that exists. A freestanding tub usually needs its supply and waste in different places. That is plumbing, done by a licensed general contractor we work with. It often means floor work too.
The surround
Tile to the ceiling, tile to the tub line, or a solid surround. Those are three different jobs with the same tub in them.
What gets fixed before the new tub goes in.
The old tub comes out and the room tells you the truth. Here is what we look for, and the standard each repair has to meet.
What is under the old one
A leaking tub soaks the subfloor for years before anyone sees it. Soft wood gets cut back to sound framing and rebuilt. That is not an upgrade you are being sold. It is the reason the new tub sits level and stays level.
The floor has to stop moving
New floor tile around a new tub only lasts if the floor underneath holds still. The trade sets that limit as a deflection of L/360. Natural stone asks for twice the stiffness, at L/720. We check the joist span before you pick a tile.
The wall gets waterproofed, not just tiled
Tile and grout are not waterproof. On a tub with a shower over it, the wet wall gets a waterproofing layer before any tile goes back. That layer is what keeps water out of the framing you just paid to rebuild.
What is included, and where it ends.
A written scope is only worth something if it says where it stops. These are the boundaries we put in writing before anyone starts.
How long the bathroom is out of use.
This is normally a shorter job than a full shower rebuild. There is less waterproofing and less tile. It still has one fixed point. If the surround is tiled, the grout has to cure before the tub is used. The dates are in the scope.
When we tell you not to do it
Every company on your list will say yes to this job. These are the times we say no to a new tub, and why. It costs us the odd project, and it saves you a lot more than that.
The tub is sound and only looks tired
A reglaze or a liner costs a fraction of a replacement. Either is the right answer when the tub itself is not damaged. We do reglazing too, so we will price you both. Then we tell you which one your tub needs. Bathtub reglazing and repair.
You want a freestanding tub in a small bathroom
They need clearance on every side to be cleaned and used. They usually need the plumbing moved too. In a compact bathroom the result is often a beautiful tub you cannot walk around.
Nobody in the house has used a bath in years
If the tub is storage for shampoo bottles, replacing it is spending money on the wrong problem. A tub to shower conversion may be the job you want.
Lifetime warranty on our workmanship.
If the work we did fails, we come back and fix it. That holds for as long as you own the home. Not one year. Not five. As long as you live there.
A warranty is only worth what its exclusions say. Ours are above, in the same size type as the promise. Ask any other company for theirs in writing. Then check how long the tile is covered.
Questions we actually get asked
Should I reglaze it, line it, or replace it?
If the tub is sound and only the surface is worn, reglazing is the cheapest real answer. It can be redone later, and we do that job too, so ask us to price both. A liner works when the tub is sound and you want a new surface fast. Replace it when the tub is cracked, moving underfoot, or the wrong size. Replace it too when the wall behind it is wet, because the other two options seal that problem in.
Can you replace a tub without damaging the tile around it?
Sometimes, and we will try. Often the tile at the tub line has to come off. That is what it takes to get the old unit out and seal the new one. The scope says which of the two we are planning for, and what happens if we are wrong.
How long before the new tub can be used?
The tub itself can usually be used sooner than a shower. If the surround is tiled, the grout still has to cure first. The date is written in the scope.
Do you take the old tub away?
Yes. Removal and disposal are in the scope. A cast iron tub sometimes has to be broken up to leave the room. If that is the plan, the scope says so.
Is a cast iron tub worth keeping?
Often, yes. They hold heat far better than acrylic, and a sound one will outlive the house. Say the enamel is worn but the tub is solid. Then reglazing an original cast iron tub usually beats replacing it with a modern acrylic one.
The other bathroom services
Where we work
Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Manatee and Sarasota counties. If your town is not on this list, call and ask: the answer is often yes.
A walkthrough, then a written scope with one closed price.
Never hourly, never a verbal figure, and our workmanship carries a lifetime warranty. Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Manatee and Sarasota counties.