StevenC

I've completely gutted my bathroom which is 61" x 8' and now I'm getting ready to set the tub back in position for new plumbing. If I center the tub between the front (side with shower head) and back wall there is about 3/4" gap on both sides.
My question is how far away from the front and back wall do I need to be and how far away from the side wall does it need to be? The tub looks just like a fiberglass tub (no claw feet) but is made of cast iron.

majakdragon

The tub "should have" flanges around the edges that get secured to the wall. You may need to shim out the wall(s) to get a tight fit.

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StevenC

I don't think is has anything like that. When I pulled it out it was just sitting there. I was wondering if the 3/4" on each end was to accommodate for some sort of board like cement board but they probably didn't have that when it was installed 1940. Should the tub be a tight fit around all 3 walls? Should the cement board be flush to the top of the tub rim as it comes down? I'm not sure what the proper way is to installing one of theses.
Thanks

majakdragon

Steven, most the tubs I have installed were in new homes and the studs were all that were there. We attached the flanges on the tub edges to the studs. I admit that many were fiberglass or plastic, but see no difference in cast iron tubs. The only problem I wondered about was bringing the wall material down to the tub edge. With the flange under it, the material would have a "lump" in it. If I were doing the total install, I would remove some material on the back and make it fit flush all the way down. Then a seal could be applied.

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handyguys

yeah, the last cast iron tub I installed had a flange, a lip, whatever you call it. The wall is shimmed out so your tile backer board can go over the lip and down to the top of the tub.

If you don't have a lip then shim out the wall to the edge of the tub deck then backer board down to the tub deck.

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StevenC

Thanks for the responses guys. I agree that I'll have to shim out the wall to make the cement board come down the wall and flush with the lip (flush because the lip around the tub is beveled in, therefore it doesn't go straight up) then tile over the lip in order for the tile to run almost into the tub so that water will stay on the inside and then grout the bottom joint, this shouldn't create a "lump". I hope that makes sense. When done correctly, does tile and grout seal better than a surround and caulking? I need to use cement board and not greenboard correct?