Bathroom Remodeling
We replace the tub, shower, vanity, tile, lighting and floor as one project on one schedule. Most bathrooms take two to six weeks on site.
- Timeline
- 2 to 6 weeks on site
Bathtub Replacement in Columbus, Ohio
A Tub You Want to Get Into.
Out with the stained, cracked or oversized tub. In with one sized for the room, plus a new surround, valve and fixtures.
4.9 from 53 Google reviews
Locally owned in Columbus
Bathtub replacement removes a worn, dated or leaking tub and installs a new one in its place, along with the surround tile, the valve and the fixtures that meet it.
Most of the tubs we take out are not broken. They are stained beyond cleaning, they are a color nobody has specified since the nineties, or they are an enormous jetted tub that takes twenty minutes to fill and gets used once a year. A tub is also the one fixture in a house where the failure you cannot see matters most: the seal between the tub flange and the wall is what keeps water out of the framing, and by the time you can see a problem, the subfloor has usually been wet for a while.
What Bathtub Replacement Includes
- Removal and disposal of the existing tub and surround
- Inspection of the subfloor and framing once the tub is out, with photos of anything we find
- Any framing or blocking needed to carry the new tub
- The new tub: alcove, freestanding, drop-in or walk-in
- New valve, supply lines, drain and overflow
- Waterproofing, then tile or a solid surround
- New tub filler and trim in your chosen finish
- Caulking, trim and a final walkthrough
Choosing the Right Tub
- Alcove. Drops into the existing three-wall opening. The most straightforward swap, the least disruption, and usually the least expensive.
- Freestanding. Sits away from the walls and makes a room read larger. Needs a floor-mounted or wall-mounted filler on its own plumbing run, and a floor checked for the load. This is the look most of our primary-suite clients are after.
- Drop-in. Sits inside a tiled or stone deck. Good for a room with the space for it, and the deck gives you somewhere to put things.
- Walk-in. A door and a built-in seat, chosen for accessibility. Worth weighing against a curbless shower conversion, which many people find easier to live with day to day because there is no waiting for the tub to fill and drain.
What Affects the Cost of a Bathtub Replacement
Your written quote is built around your room and the tub you choose. What moves the number:
- Tub type. An acrylic alcove tub and a stone-resin freestanding soaker are different products at different prices, and the freestanding one brings a separate filler and its own plumbing.
- Tile against a solid surround. Tile costs more in material and labor; a solid surround installs faster and has no grout to maintain.
- What is behind the old tub. Rotten subfloor, failed framing or a supply line that should have been replaced two decades ago all get repaired properly, and all get priced and approved before we carry on.
- Floor reinforcement. Occasionally needed for a heavy freestanding tub, and cheap while the floor is already open.
What We Find Behind Old Tubs
Once the tub is out, we photograph what is underneath before anything goes back. On a tub that has been quietly leaking at the flange, the common findings are a soft subfloor at the wall, corrosion on the drain assembly, and framing that has taken on water. None of that is a reason to panic and all of it is a reason to look. You get the photographs, a price for the repair and a decision to make before we proceed. It goes on the invoice as its own line, never absorbed silently into the original quote.
Remodel Now, Pay Over Time
Third-party lending partners offer competitive financing on most projects, so you can start the work now and keep your savings where they are. Ask about the options during your consultation.
Subject to credit approval and our third-party financing partners' guidelines. Not all consumers will qualify. Financing offerings vary by franchise location and may not be available in all areas. Ask your consultant for details.
Proof
Bathtub Replacement We Have Completed
A look at the work. Full remodels, tub-to-shower conversions, bathtub replacement and walk-in showers.
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Columbus bathroom remodel with a freestanding soaking tub, matte black floor-mounted filler and a frameless glass walk-in shower over wood-look plank flooring -
Freestanding slipper tub beneath a window on a botanical wallpaper accent wall, flanked by polished nickel sconces and framed art -
Walk-in shower in a Blacklick bathroom remodel, tiled in grey subway with a frameless glass door and polished nickel fixtures -
Primary bathroom looking down the room to a freestanding tub under a wallpapered window wall, over a white marble hexagon tile floor -
Blacklick bathroom remodel seen past the shower glass, with a white quartz-topped vanity, a freestanding tub and a bronze tile shower wall -
Westerville bathroom remodel with a frameless glass walk-in shower, marble-look wall tile, matte black fixtures and a white vanity with charcoal quartz
Reviews
What Columbus Homeowners Say
Rated 4.9 out of 5 across 53 Google reviews. Each quote below is an excerpt in the reviewer's own words, and the full text of every one is on the profile.
4.9
53 reviews
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“We worked with Bath Tune Up after a great experience with the Kitchen Tune Up team for another project. The finished bathroom turned out beautiful, especially the design that Sheri assisted us with.…”
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“We could not be more pleased with Bath Tune Up. Matt, Scott and the crew were meticulous in their work. The project came in on time, at a price we were happy with and came out better than we expected.…”
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“My bathroom renovation experience with Bath Tune-Up was excellent from start to finish. The team immediately understood my vision and guided me through the design process with so much knowledge and care.…”
FAQ
Questions We Hear Most
How much does bathtub replacement cost in Columbus?
It depends on the tub and the surround you choose. Every replacement covers removing the old tub, the new tub, the surround, the valve and the fixtures. A standard alcove tub with a solid surround costs the least. A freestanding soaking tub with a floor-mounted filler and a tiled wall behind it costs more, because the filler needs its own plumbing run and the floor may need reinforcing. Your designer measures the room at a free consultation and leaves you with a written quote.
How long does it take to replace a bathtub?
One to two weeks on site. The tub itself comes out and goes in within the first two or three days. The rest of the time is the surround: waterproofing, tile or panel installation, grout curing and fixture trim. A solid surround finishes faster than tile. Ordering the tub and any tile comes before all of that and typically takes two to four weeks.
Can you replace a tub without tearing out the tile?
Almost never. The tub flange is buried behind the wall board, and the bottom course of tile laps over it, so getting the tub out means taking off at least that bottom section. Matching tile for a bathroom old enough to need a new tub is rarely still in production. Plan on the surround being replaced along with the tub.
What are my options for the new tub?
Four common ones. An alcove tub drops into the existing three-wall opening and is the most straightforward swap. A freestanding tub sits away from the walls and makes a room look bigger, but needs a floor-mounted or wall-mounted filler and a floor that can carry it when full. A drop-in tub sits inside a tiled deck. A walk-in tub has a door and a seat and is chosen for accessibility. Your designer talks through which suits your room and how you actually use it.
Is my floor strong enough for a freestanding soaking tub?
Usually, but it is checked rather than assumed. A cast iron or stone-resin soaking tub full of water plus a person can exceed 1,000 pounds concentrated over a small footprint. On a standard joisted floor that is often fine, and sometimes it means adding blocking or sistering a joist, which is cheap while the floor is open. Acrylic tubs weigh a fraction of that. We check the span and the joist direction at the consultation.
Do you replace the valve and fixtures too?
Yes, as standard. The valve is behind the wall, and the wall is open exactly once. Reusing a twenty-year-old valve to save a few hundred dollars means opening a finished tiled wall the first time it drips, which costs many times the saving. New tub, new valve, new trim, new drain and overflow.
Should I replace the tub or convert to a shower?
Ask yourself how often the tub was used in the last year. If the answer is regularly, or there are small children in the house, or it is the only tub in the home, replace it. If the answer is almost never and you step over it every morning to reach the shower, a conversion gives you back the floor space and removes the step. A conversion usually costs more than a straight tub replacement, because the drain has to move, but the deciding question is how you use the room rather than the price.
Can you reglaze or reline my existing tub instead?
We do not reglaze or reline tubs. Here is the reasoning. Reglazing puts a coating over the existing surface, and coatings eventually chip or peel under daily use, which cannot be repaired invisibly. A liner fits over the tub and traps whatever is underneath it, including any water that gets between the two. Both leave the original valve and the original waterproofing in place, and those are usually the parts that need replacing.
Service Area
Where We Work in Central Ohio
We cover Columbus and the surrounding suburbs. This franchise is responsible for the cities below, plus 67 ZIP codes listed at the bottom of this page.
- Columbus
- Dublin
- Westerville
- Powell
- New Albany
- Lewis Center
- Amlin
Check your ZIP code
43001, 43002, 43004, 43013, 43015, 43016, 43017, 43018, 43021, 43026, 43031, 43032, 43033, 43035, 43036, 43040, 43054, 43061, 43062, 43064, 43065, 43066, 43068, 43074, 43077, 43081, 43082, 43085, 43109, 43110, 43119, 43123, 43125, 43126, 43136, 43137, 43147, 43201, 43202, 43203, 43204, 43205, 43206, 43207, 43209, 43210, 43211, 43212, 43213, 43214, 43215, 43216, 43217, 43219, 43220, 43221, 43222, 43223, 43224, 43227, 43228, 43229, 43230, 43231, 43232, 43235, 43240
Other Options
Considering the Other Options?
Here are the other three routes. Your designer works out which one suits the room, then prices the alternatives so you can compare them side by side.
Shower Conversions
The tub comes out and a walk-in shower goes in the same footprint. It is the job we get called about most, and you get the floor space back.
- Timeline
- 1 to 2 weeks on site
Shower Installation
We build the shower from the waterproofing up, then set the glass, valve and drain before we leave. Tile or solid surround, your choice.
- Timeline
- 2 to 5 days on site
Start With a Free In-Home Consultation
A designer comes to you, measures the room, talks through your options and what each one costs, and leaves you with a written quote. It takes about an hour and it costs nothing.
- One visit, and you keep the written quote
- No deposit, and no obligation to book the work
- Financing options covered while we’re there
Request Your Consultation
Tell us how to reach you and we’ll call to schedule a time that works.