09/29/2026
Most people assume a freestanding tub needs a big bathroom. This one sits in a room not much wider than the tub.
The video runs in the order the work really happens. The curtain rod comes down first and the burgundy wallpaper comes off in strips. Only then does the old tub with its tiled front go out. The far wall and the right wall get cement board and subway tile, while the left wall sits outside the splash zone and gets painted shiplap instead. The patterned floor goes down late in the job, so the rest of the work doesn’t beat it up.
That floor is cement tile, and it needs sealing before grout and again after. Skip the first coat and the grout stains it for good.
If you’ve got a long, narrow bathroom in New Jersey and someone told you a tub like this won’t fit, comment + and your town.