Going to help my son R&R his bath tub.
How much extra room do you need to get the tub from the vertical position--to get it thru the doorway---to the flat-ready to use position?

Both tubs are P.O.S.

Any advice on removal? Tearing up old subfloor? He plans to put ceramic tile down. I advised at least 3/4" subfloor. Should he add an extra layer and stager the joints?

Any advice---even from political leftists--will be greatly appreciated. Work will be in West Chester, PA of any sidewalk superintendents care to stop by. Hoppy brews will be available as an added inducement.

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

You need a special wrench to remove the cross-shaped nut that holds the drain. You may need to cut the side of the nut with a thin hacksaw blade if it resists removal, but damaging the tub isn't an issue in your case.

Go metal or ceramic if you can -- plastic tubs feel like jello.

Is he sure that he wants a tub? If I were doing a house with 2+ bathrooms, I'd have one "hot tub" with soaking capability and jets. The other bathroom would be a "wet room" with a stepless shower. Any water spilled on the floor or used to wash the floor would simply go down the drain rather than leaking out. Very popular in some countries abroad and makes good sense:

http://www.livinghouse.co.uk/acatalog/shower-sail.jpg

Generally speaking, a full install tub (front skirted and back and ends open) will not fit in or out of anything but a large bathroom.
You will not be able to tip the tub vertically in the tub surround area, but rather must have enough room to slide the old tub into the room where you will have space on the ends to tip.
This may well lead to removing either the throne or the sink/vanity....
I have actually gone through the wall into the next room as an easier solution....
Tearing up drywall and studs can be far less work than getting involved in replacing tile...

Does this tub already have a tile surround? It is possible to cut the tiles one or two rows up from the tub to facilitate getting it out.... Although I would recommend just stripping the walls to bare studs, as I have never liked a tile repair on something that small, much rather do a full replacement.

On the floor, I would check and see what the floor is made of already. If there is any rot, I would replace what I could get at. Same for joists... especially the one that runs along the long edge of the tub, very common for that one to rot. Add one there if there isn't one right under the edge... Overlay the subfloor with 3/4 ply and then a layer of wonderboard. Run the overlaid plywood 90 degrees from the subfloor, and glue and screw it...same for the wonderboard layer.

Post a couple pic's and you'll probably get more advice than you can shake a stick at...

Also, I highly recommend installing electric radiant.... not only will he and his family enjoy the heck out of it, but it is a nice selling point down the road if his decides to move.

Best of luck!!

__________________
On some nights I still believe that a car with the fuel gauge on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. - HST

1983 300SD - 305000
1984 Toyota Landcruiser - 190000
1994 GMC Jimmy - 203000

https://media.giphy.com/media/X3nnss8PAj5aU/giphy.gif

a one-piece tub & shower combo, most cannot be removed in a single piece unless you have a huge bathroom. They were installed during construction. If this is your case, get out the jigsaw a cut it up.

Similarly, a new one-piece is difficult/impossible to get into the room. Most opt for a two or three piece installation. I agree that a fibreglass tub can be a problem if not correctly installed. The floor needs to be built up to contact the bottom of the tub. If you don't the tub will feel spongy and the drumming from the water will be a PITA.

IRT to floor, for tile 3/4" subfloor is good but for best results, plywood instead of flakeboard and nail it every 4".

16" centers and 3/4" subfloor is about minimum. T&G is always better. I'd top any wood substrate with 1/4" hardi backer board in a bed of multi-purpose thinset (ANSI 118.4) and screw it down to stiffen it up. Use Schluter Reno U or other ramp shape to get rid of added height if it causes problems outside the bath area.

Tape all joints with 2" mesh tape and thinset.

If it was my house, I'd use a trowel applied WP membrane over walls and floors before setting tile. Something like 2 coats of Custom Bldg Products RedGard or Laticrete HydroBan. Waterproofs and also acts as an Isolation membrane. Both are easy to use and work well. Tile is adhered directly to the membrane surface.

Numerous wall boards are available. 1/2" hardi (diff to screw), cement boards (wonderboard or Durock), DenSheild products (vinly coated gyp bd), and good ol green board. All work. Most require a vapor barrier lapped down to the tub flange or WP over the top to keep water out. DenSheild you can caulk/tape joints becasue of the vinyl face.

__________________
Terry Allison
N. Calif. & Boca Chica, Panama

09' E320 Bluetec 77k (USA)
09' Hyundai Santa Fe Diesel 48k (S.A.)

Joints should always be "staggered" when doing re-models. First a joint, then a brew, then a....

If it's an old cast iron tub in an older home (pre-1970) then you might as well plan on gutting the room. The tubs were installed and plumbed before the walls were enclosed.

__________________
“Whatever story you're telling, it will be more interesting if, at the end you add, "and then everything burst into flames.”
― Brian P. Cleary, You Oughta Know By Now

My general practice is to coat all wood in the vicinity of the tub and toilet with epoxy before finishing the floor so any future water leaks will have less of a tendency to rot the floor and joists.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

If it's a cast iron tub, reinforce the floor, fix the plumbing, hire a quality worker to refinish it, and keep it. Much better than any fiberglas crap that you typically buy today.

The other alternative it to break it up with a sledgehammer to remove it, but unless it's in bad shape, that sort of stinks.

If I get the drift of your question. For more or less conventional tubs I suspect the room will have to be about six feet long to stand a tub up and lay it down. Normally if the room is shorter you can utilize the door opening if the orientation to the room is right as tubs are usually five feet long. A lot of plastic tubs are common today.

Personally I do not like them even though the heat transfer is slower.

My last tub removal/installation was easy. I cut a hole in the exterior wall, slit the old one out, reframed for the new tub and slid it in. I was getting ready to have new siding on the house anyway, and already had the old siding off...waiting on the crew to show up the next day to install the new. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

__________________
1987 560SL
85,000 miles

There ya go! Slide the old tubs out into the yard, a quick fill of potting soil and voila! Instant planters! Much more exciting if the tubs are on upper floors.

__________________
“Whatever story you're telling, it will be more interesting if, at the end you add, "and then everything burst into flames.”
― Brian P. Cleary, You Oughta Know By Now

Or if your bathroom outside wall is solid brick 9" thick

Great way to combine projects and simplify at the same time.

In the original post, I stated that both the old and new tubs are P.O.S. I thought everyone knew that was for "Porcelain Over Steel. So no cast iron to worry about.
Current tub surround is plastic as is coming out before removing the tub, Future tub surround will be ceramic tile; same for future floor. Toilet and Vanity will be removed during the tub process both for more space, and to replace all the subfloor. Old tub and subfloor had some flex---evidently there is no joist where the apron or skirt of the tub sits, and the subfloor just cantilevered past one joist and was rotted away.
What is the best way to support the replacement tub? He says some tubs come with a foam base, and others require cement.

Thanks for all the advice so far.

This is the only bath room in the house--there is a powder room, but no other bath/shower. That means it all has to happen in a single day. We already did the new shower plumbing---the diverter valve was old, and began to leak, and there were no replacement parts available. He plans to remove the surround, and the existing sheet goods on the floor before I come up to help him.
Would you remove the existing subfloor, or just go over top and add shims in the tub area ( where there is no subfloor) to match the height?

__________________
1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

Call BS on the "single day." Rushing to install things will cause problems later or injuries.

Either:
(1) Make setting up an outside shower head behind the house part of the renovations. This will come in handy later for washing muddy dogs, washing up after hiking/riding/working in the garden. My family had one at our beach house and it was wonderful -- I used it even in winter, since you'd be surrounded by a bubble of warm steam 15 sec after turning the thing on, and there was no inside shower, only a tub.
(2) Erect a temporary outdoor shower. All you need is a hose snaking out through a basement window to the mixer tap on the utility sink.

And use a porta potti for a couple of days.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13