Adding Elegance To Your Tub With Bathtub Surrounds

Also known as a tub wall or a wall kit, a bathtub surround is a type of faux wall that is installed from the upper edge of the tub to the ceiling. It encloses the tub from three sides and leaves one side open from which you can enter and exit the tub.

Redecorating your Bathroom with Bathtub Surrounds

Available in a wide assortment of materials and styles, bathtub surrounds allow you to customize your bathtub surroundings to suit your taste and to match your overall bathroom décor. They offer you a convenient and economical solution to covering up old and outdated or damaged surrounding walls.

Bathtub surround wall panels can be made of a variety of materials including fiberglass, imitation marble, thermally formed acrylic and durable laminated plastic and are available in two-panel, three-panel, four-panel and five-panel versions. These panels come in a wide range of colors and could be plain and glossy or they could have a textured look or a tile-like appearance.

How to install Bath Tub Surrounds

Unless you are a die-hard DIY-er and are adept at using the various tools required; your bathtub surround is best fitted by an experienced professional. Proper installation is absolutely critical so as to provide the requisite water-proofing and prevent the panel from coming loose.

For all of you who’d like to Do-It-Yourself but didn’t know how, here are the basics of installing a bathtub surround in your bathroom:

    • Bathroom surround panels can be installed over any flat wall surface including drywall, tile or plaster
    • The walls have to first be prepared by removing all the fixtures that had previously been installed including showers, taps and soap dishes.
    • If the surface off the wall is jagged or cracked, it needs to be repaired and made solid and flat
    • Before fitting the panels, cut out holes of the appropriate size and in the proper location to match the size and location on the wall of the removed fixtures
    • Fix the panels up temporarily against the wall to ensure that the panels are properly aligned and that the holes for the fixtures are in the proper places
    • Once you’ve got the perfect placement, attach the bathtub surround permanently with the use of the appropriate adhesive. Careful with how much adhesive you use; you need to use enough but not too much.
      Now leave the panels be for at least 24 hours so the adhesive has a chance to take hold.
    • Panels that come with a peel-and-stick tape take the guesswork out of the equation and are more convenient to use provided you get them in the material and style that you are looking for
    • Because they come in a variety of materials and styles, every bathtub surround will come with its own specific instructions for installation. Referring to these guidelines and following them will ensure that your bathtub surround is
       properly installed without any irrevocable goof-ups
    • Replace all your fittings after 24 hours and you are ready to revel in the luxury of your newly revamped bathtub

Fabulous looking and easy to maintain, bathroom surrounds are a simple and convenient way of upgrading your bath without having to spend a fortune on redecorating.