Replacing a bath with a shower: check the fit before choosing the tray

Decide what should become easier

Perhaps stepping over the bath edge has become awkward, the screen is difficult to clean or the bathroom needs a more generous showering space. Describe the actual difficulty to the installer. Replacing one fixture with another is only useful if the proposed entrance, controls and enclosure resolve it.

Think about reaching the controls before getting wet, opening the screen, drying off and any need for assistance. If accessibility is a central reason for the work, have the whole arrangement assessed for the intended user. A flush tray does not, by itself, make an accessible bathroom: approach space, opening, support and the rest of the room also matter.

Measure the recess and plan any gaps

Take a hypothetical recess measuring 170 cm and a proposed tray measuring 160 cm. The difference is 10 cm. That is a gap requiring a designed solution, not spare space that can be filled however seems convenient. The figures are a geometry example, not a regulatory minimum or a measurement of your bathroom.

The installer needs to check the actual walls, finished dimensions and construction available beneath the tray. Ask how the remaining area will be formed, supported, waterproofed and finished within the selected system. Also check what the chosen screen requires for fixing and adjustment; its nominal size does not settle the fit on an uneven wall.

Official source: Schlüter-Systems · Platos de ducha a nivel de suelo

Price the conversion from removal to finished edges

A tray-and-screen offer can leave much of the work undefined. Ask where the contractor expects to remove tiles, how the exposed wall and floor will be repaired and what happens if matching tiles are unavailable. Decide whether a deliberate change of finish would look better than a patchwork approximation.

Check that the price includes delivery, installation, applicable tax and the agreed completion checks. If the condition beneath the bath is unknown, request a clear method for handling discoveries and approving additional work. An unexplained allowance can be as consequential as an obvious exclusion.

Let the drainage determine what is feasible

A floor-level shower needs room for its drain, pipe route and the required construction beneath the finished surface. An extra-flat tray does not create that space. Have the professional measure the available depth and assess the connection before promising a particular threshold; changes to the floor construction may need further technical assessment.

The proposed outlet and drainage arrangement must suit the intended shower flow, with suitable access for maintenance. The installer should explain which Spanish requirements apply to the proposed work and existing installation, and specify the waterproofing at the tray or shower surface, wall junctions, penetrations and drain. There is no single slope or waterproofing recipe suitable for every product and bathroom.

Official source: CTE · Documento Básico HS Salubridad · Schlüter-Systems · KERDI, ficha técnica 8.1 · BOE · Reglamento electrotécnico para baja tensión (REBT)

Plan for the bathroom being unavailable

Agree the work sequence and the point at which the shower can be used. Installation time and the time required before products are ready for water exposure are different things. Hidden damage, missing materials and the selected systems can all change the programme. Ask for a timescale based on your bathroom rather than relying on a one-day promise.

• Confirm tray, screen, taps and finishing materials before removal begins.
• Ask when water will be interrupted and whether the remaining fittings will be usable.
• Agree protection for floors and shared access routes, together with waste arrangements.
• Record who will approve and price repairs discovered beneath the bath.
• Have any affected electrical arrangements checked; the screen does not define the bathroom's electrical zones.

Finish with a demonstration

Ask the installer to carry out and record the appropriate checks, including those needed before concealed work is covered. At handover, have the screen, controls and drain access demonstrated. Check that the opening works with the nearby basin and door, and that the finished arrangement matches what was agreed.

Keep the product references, care instructions and relevant installation information. Ask which cleaning products are suitable and what maintenance the seals and drain need. Record any unresolved defects with an agreed remedy. Seeing water run into the outlet is useful, but it is not a substitute for the specified professional checks of the installation.