I plan to build a tub deck for a whirlpool tub this weekend. The tub is a Jacuzzi Duetta and measures 66″Lx42″Wx26″H. The deck will be enclosed on three sides. The tub will sit in a corner and a walk-in closet will be constructed to adjoin one end of the frame. In other words, one short end of the tub deck and one long end of the tub deckwill be abutted by exterior walls. The other short end of the tub deck will be abutted by a walk-in closet that will also be built as part of this project. I plan to install two access doors (one on the front deck skirt, and one that will be concealed inside the walk-in closet.
My plan is to use 2×6’s for framing and 3/4 ply for decking. I’ve already sistered the 2×8 16oc floor joists beneath for extra support. The flooring is currently 1.25″ (1/2 ply and 3/4 hardwood).
I’ve never installed a whirlpool before, so the framing and the rough-in are all new experiences for me. You guys have been good about offering helpful tips with first time projects. Is there anything about this project that will require careful attention?
Thanks in advance for any feedback,
Michael
New knowledge is priceless.
Used knowledge is even more valuable.
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Water is 8 lbs per gallon, I bet you have 500+ which=4000# over a 30 sq ft area or about 133#/sq ft load plus the tub. Think it over.
"Water is 8 lbs per gallon, I bet you have 500+ which=4000# over a 30 sq ft area or about 133#/sq ft load plus the tub."
My weight load won't be quite that severe, but I'm definately keeping it in mind. Thanks. New knowledge is priceless.
Used knowledge is even more valuable.
For the rough in, make sure the drain and overflow mechanism will not hit your floor joists. Normally they stick down below the bottom of the tub's feet, so you'll have to cut a hole through your subfloor to allow clearance for the overflow and drain.
Jacuzzi tubs come with a full sized template, so you can lay that on the subfloor and see where the cuts have to be made.
Electrical. You'll need GFCI outlets 4" minimum (I think?) off the floor, with the outlet being near the access hatch on the motor/pump side of the tub. Heater as well if it has a heater.
You already planned the access holes. Normally 12" by 18".
Finished deck height. Plan accordingly. You don't want the tub suspended by the rim. I always set the tubs in a bed of mortar. Jacuzzi allows that, or construction adhesive, or high density foam. I prefer mortar.
I build the deck level and at a height so that when the tub is set in place with the rim on the FINISHED deck, the tub's feet will be a bit off the floor. Half-inch to one inch or so.
I set the tub in place and use blue tape on the tub deck as well as the rim of the tub to mark the exact corner locations of the tub. If not already done, I reach under the tub and outline the footprint of the tub on the subfloor with a sharpie marker.
I then raise the tub up off the deck by 4-6" or so by placing blocks between the tub's rim and the deck. I then place my mortar bed inside the outline of the footprint made with the sharpie marker.
Gently pull the blocks and lower the tub into the mortar bed, aligning the tub's rim with the blue tape on the deck to get the tub in the proper location.
I stand in the tub so it will settle into the mortar, getting the tub's rim to come into contact with the deck. Don't "overcompress" or over flex the tub down into the mortar bed, or when you get out the bottom of the tub will lift out of the mortar bed by a bit.
That's about it.
Oh, when you first drop the tub through the finished deck, the end with the motor goes through first. The motor normally juts out a bit past the rim of the tub. If you do the non-motor end first, the motor may catch and hang up on the deck.
For water supply, I use full-throw (1/4 turn) port valves on the hot and cold supply. Handles accessible from the access panels.
Be careful with the tub's plumbing. The plumbing is not a handhold.
Mongo
Mongo,
The tub I've purchased is suitable for a rim mount or an undermount. Have you ever done an undermount with a whirlpool? My current plan is to do a rim mount and tile the deck. However, my wife is asking if it might be possible to do an undermount and surface the deck with whatever material we choose for the vanity countertop. In fact, the cutout from a slab would be just about what I'd need to cover the 42"- 48" vanity that we're considering. I realize the added weight would have to be factored into the reinforcement of the floor and deck structure.
Is this a feasable idea? New knowledge is priceless.
Used knowledge is even more valuable.
Undermount is not a problem.
Just get the tub level when you set it. Makes things a whole lot easier down the road.
Downside to an undermount is if you ever wanted to pull and replace the tub. It's a lot easier to R&R with a drop in.
Here's what I did for access on a wood paneled tub apron. The entire front apron frame and panel assembly, which is a stile and rail construction with three inset panels, is removable from the front of the tub. In addition, each panel is individually removable from the frame.
No fasteners or latches, it's all lift, tilt out the bottom, drop it down, and remove type of stuff.
If tiling, you can use magnets or some other means to hold the tiled access panel in place and caulk them in, then slice through the caulk and pull the panel.
Or use a removable inset shelf set into the apron. Or a simple door. Or access through a side wall or closet...which is what I think you were going to do, right?
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"If tiling, you can use magnets or some other means to hold the tiled access panel in place and caulk them in, then slice through the caulk and pull the panel. Or use a removable inset shelf set into the apron. Or a simple door. Or access through a side wall or closet...which is what I think you were going to do, right?"
Yes, I plan to provide a front access panel AND an additional access panel through the closet wall. This is necessary due to the pump and motor configuration.
I really like the way you constructed that front panel. Excellent! New knowledge is priceless.
Used knowledge is even more valuable.
Very nice.
What's up with the step? Step up to the throne?[email protected]
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It's sort of a two-fer step up.
A raised area just outside the shower that acts as the curb for the shower, plus a drying off area after stepping out of the shower.
And a raised step for helping to get in and out of the tub.
While the whole bath has hydronic radiant floor heat under the brazilian cherry flooring, the raised tiled area has an electric radiant mat embedded in it.
Mongo
Wow!
This is not the from your ongoing thread is it? Kerdi/niche?
Did you mitre the tile at the tread/riser junction?
Lot's of nice work there.
I'm sure it took forever ;)[email protected]
Yup, the same project. I must have taken 400 pictures of that as I went along.
Didn't take terribly long. Hah!
Cabinets were about 3 days, one to cut, one to assemble, one to install. Another day to cut and dovetail the drawer boxes and cut the stiles, rails, and panels for the doors and drawer fronts. Yet another to glue them up.
The shower and tiling did take me a bit, mostly from stopping to take a lot of pics, and from having to cut all that tile. I spent most of one day alone just cutting all the tile.
About 6 days total on the shower. One day to frame the niche, run some plumbing and electrical and get to cement board. A day to Kerdi. A day to cut tile. Two days to tile the walls and ceiling and another day to do the floor preslope, Kerdi the floor and tile the floor.
Teak took a few days due to the three coats of finish. There's a teak tub deck, teak sink countertop, and a teak windowsill.
A day doing crown, base and making the mirror frame.
Painting kills me. I HATE to paint. Actually, I hate the thought of painting. Once I get lost in it it's okay, but the idea of painting kills my head.
The outside corners on the tiled step up outside the shower in the previous pic were indeed mitered. Good eye you have to spot that. Used gray thinset to set the tiles, and set the miters tight with just a bit of thinset in the miters. I then used a variety of black and gray permanent markers to color the thinset the color of the tile. Even looking at the outside corners close up, it looks like a solid corner, like a solid block of "tile".
Here's a shot of some of the cabinetry. A lot of work, but I like the results.
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Mongo
it looks like a solid corner, like a solid block of "tile".
That's what caught my eye.
I followed your thread loosely for a while I thought...........maybe i fell off it 'cause I don't recall these beautiful shots.
real nice work. Thise pics are going on my hard drive.
Eric[email protected]
Exceptional craftsmanship. Some of the photos on this forum illustrate phenomonal talent, and that's definately one of them.New knowledge is priceless.
Used knowledge is even more valuable.
Thanks Michael. I appreciate the kind words.Mongo
Mongo,
Just about every photo I've ever seen of a whirlpool tub had a tiled deck. It wasn't until I saw your work that I gave any real thought to doing something other than tile with the tub deck or the floor in my master bath.
Now I'm starting to wonder what might be a suitable wood product for a matching floor/tub-deck surface. I know it would have to be something very moisture resistant. I personally find wood to be a more stylish trim than stone when it's done right.
Which wood products are best suited for bath areas? Can you recommend anything that's DIY friendly?
:) New knowledge is priceless.
Used knowledge is even more valuable.
A tub deck really isn't going to get a lot of wear and tear. And a wood deck should get a few coats of poly on all sides, top and bottom to keep it stabilized.I've only used teak and lacewood on a tub deck.I have used teak, walnut, cherry, maple, purpleheart and lacewood as countertops.If the countertop is to a purdy (lightly used) one, then it can get a film finish, as the film finish is not likely to get dinged in soft use (bathroom or side countertop in kitchen).If the countertop is to get a lot of use, then I don't want a film finish, I prefer a renewable mineral oil finish and I prefer to put it on teak, as teak can handle daily slamming in a kitchen, it can handle knives, it can handle water, etc etc.So for your bathroom? I'd recommend a film finish. Use pretty much whatever wood you want, but you want a fairly stable wood, as your tub deck could be 4'-5' in width across the grain. So you need a wood that will have less movement than more movement, and you need to allow for that same movement, however much or little it may be.I love wood. It's a different look, and it's not high maintenance.Mongo
I'm assuming this wood is installed in planks. If that's correct, how do you seal between the boards? It seems like expansion and contraction would make water penetration inevitable.
One more question: How do you typically attach the wood? I wouldn't think you would want any type of exposed fastener on that kind of finish detailing.New knowledge is priceless.
Used knowledge is even more valuable.
Planks are glued up (titebond or epoxy plus biscuits or a spline).
To anchor? Attached from below in a few spots to anchor, normally on the front edge. The rest with a few dollops of silicone which has a bit of give to it. Or think like a table top, fasteners in oversized holes so the wood can move horizontally, but not up/down.
I'm on the road for a few days, I may have some pics to post I'll check when I get home.
Mongo
Thanks for the additional info. Some more pics would be great. You know what they say..."a thousand words".New knowledge is priceless.
Used knowledge is even more valuable.
Buy a very good tub filler, don't go cheap. The cheaper fillers will be much noisier than the nicer brands. Grohe, Hans Grohe, etc. will work very well.
The best way for appearance and function I've seen for whirlpool is to us a face frame with doors on hinges. If you use something like blum concealed hinges on the top of the door, gravity will keep the door closed and you'll have 100% access at all times. This picture shows the set up I'm talking about. Magnets work fine but why fuss with those when the hinges work better and easier.
Also,
before you start framing the surround, you need to know what you are doing for a tub filler. Will the filler mount on the tub deck or the surround deck, etc. and make sure whatever brand you are using will work for what you want, i.e. arches high enough and extends far enough into the tub. The last one I used was a Grohe Geneva, very nice, available in all type of finishes and has the matching lav faucets and shower valve, trim, body sprays, etc.
http://www.groheamerica.com/t/25_4705.html
Forgot the attachment. The picture is washed out a bit, the cherry was dark enough that you could not see the cabinet doors, so I lighted it up a bit to see the definition.
Thanks for the info on the matching fixtures. My wife has been looking for something like that.New knowledge is priceless.
Used knowledge is even more valuable.
According to Jacuzzi, my tub supposedly has an "Exclusive Tru-Level™ self-leveling base system". The pre-attached base also provides the mount for the pump and motor assembly. I've never installed a whirlpool tub before, but I know it's customary to set them in a mortar bed. Can I skip that part since this tub has its own base?
New knowledge is priceless.
Used knowledge is even more valuable.
With that name, I think it may have adjustable feet.
Here's a few random bath idea's for you.
Very cool. The round columns add a bit of Grecian style to the roman tub. Nice touch....and nice work.New knowledge is priceless.
Used knowledge is even more valuable.
I'd check out the installation manual for that model.
If you don't have a paper copy the pdf versions are normally available on their website.
Mongo