Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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How To Remove An Old Sliding Shower Door

Don’t eat while you read this.

Seriously, don’t.

This is the story of removing the sliding shower doors in our bathroom. It was one of those can’t-do-this-soon-enough tasks that was at the top of our list.

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Not only did they enclose the tub in a way that a soft white fabric curtain wouldn’t, they had seen better days. So there were lines of rust around them…

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… and pretty impressive amounts of caulk that seemed to be holding them together.

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Plus their height was oddly low, so John hit his head (not once but twice) while climbing in. Fool him once, shame on the shower doors – fool him twice, shame on John. Here’s a good ol’ fashioned fully-clothed reenactment for you.

Bathroom Doors5

Apparently he likes those (exhibit A, exhibit B, exhibit C)

Anyway, the first scene to Get Those Dastardly Doors Down (the movie) involved swinging them out at the bottom so they could be lifted away from the track that held them in place at the top.

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The top frame actually lifted right off after we did that, and then it came down to removing a few screws on each of the side frames to free them from the wall.

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At least that’s what we thought. And then we remembered all that caulk. So we needed to score (and score and score) those wads of silicone to get those frames free.

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When they came off it kind of looked like they were coated with icing. Except substantially less appetizing.

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Here’s the gross part. WARNING. Stop eating. Or stop reading this entirely if you’re especially squeamish.

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*******

Second warning. Seriously, stop it with the pop tart. Put it down.

*****

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Last warning. There’s no button to un-see this.

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*

We then discovered this thick layer of scum that was living under the frame on the bottom of the tub, which wasn’t screwed in. So it just lifted off to reveal this tasty sight of 3D mildew and general nastiness. I used a flat razor to scrape the scum (check out my veiny hands – I think they bulge when I’m trying not to gag).

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Then the tub looked like this, which is nice and open from afar.

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Even the spots where the frame was screwed in were pretty small (so a dab of silicone caulk in each one sealed them off, and once we hung the shower curtain we knew they’d be obscured even more).

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But if you got a little closer, the issue was the caulk around the tub.

Bathroom Doors13

Many areas were missing caulk completely, and some had pink-ish mildew or even old rotted brown spots (don’t even know what caused those) but one thing was clear: we needed to strip off the old caulk and re-caulk the entire perimeter of the tub and even down the sides and along the base at the floor. So we used a combination of a box cutter and this little plastic tool that we grabbed at Home Depot for a few bucks (it has a razor in the middle of the V to help slice while it pulls the caulk away from the wall).

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That tool didn’t work along the bottom of the tub (couldn’t really grab the caulk there along the floor) so out came the box cutter again.

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About an hour later (took a while, but it was pretty satisfying work) we had this caulk collection going on.

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Then it was time to get some fresh stuff down. Be sure to use something silicone that’s meant for a tub/shower (we like the white colored stuff over clear caulk since it blends with the tub). Oh and we taped off the top edge so all we had to do was smooth it with our finger and then peel off the tape while it was still wet for a nice clean line against that dark tile.

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Much better, eh?

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Then after it all dried we hung our extra long shower curtain with a tension rod from Home Depot and it finally felt clean and airy. The to-the-ceiling-height always adds some nice “head-room” so it feels a lot less cramped to us (and it’s never dark in there since light passes through white fabric really easily).

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Our 95″ waffle weave curtain originally came from amazon (but we hear target.com occasionally sells them too). We got it years ago at our first house and it has held up nicely since it’s 100% cotton and can be tossed in the wash (we have an extra long white fabric liner from Bed Bath & Beyond that hangs on the inside of the tub to block spray). As for why it came with us, shower curtains don’t stay like regular curtains when a house sells down here – probably because they can be pretty decor-specific and are universal in size – so they work in your next house in a way that certain height curtains or certain width blinds wouldn’t.

One thing’s for sure: a little caulk and a new curtain can definitely made a big difference.

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As for the fate of this bathroom, there’s some tile damage around the toilet and sink as well as at the top corners of the shower and of course that wallpaper’s days are numbered, but we plan to live with the tile for a while and then eventually expand the bathroom’s footprint into the sink nook area so we have one big space instead of two smaller choppy ones (having one sink in the bathroom and one right outside of it instead of one big bathroom with a double sink just isn’t our preference). This post with a floor plan might help you visualize things.

So it should be fun to reconfigure this room down the line and retile/add a double sink/etc. But we like living with a space for a nice long time before doing dramatic reno (who knows, we might completely change our mind and go a different direction after thinking it through). In the meantime, I sort of love the blue hex tile, so we’re going steady for now. I’d insert some joke about how it sees me naked all the time, but my mom might text me about it (yes, she texts now, which is hilarious and awesome).

Comments

  2. Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says

    Wow…that is quite an impressive (?) layer of scum you had to scrape off there! *heebie jeebies* I think that is my biggest quirk about moving into a house that’s new to us but previously owned…thinking of all of the “remnants” left over from the owner.

    But you made it look quite good until you can really dig in and do what you want to it!

    Reply

  5. Wendy @ New Moms Talk says

    Forgive the randomness of this, but the hex tile made me think of a recent thrift store find…

    Hex nesting boxes with insects on top. They’re waiting in a box for some fancy (or simple) makeover. Three bzzz’s to my hub for finding them for 50 cents!

    Reply

  6. Christen says

    Yeesh… groddy! Looks so much fresher now, though!!

    Unrelated question… my husband and I are crib shopping, and I was wondering if you were still happy with the one you bought for Clara? Would you purchase it again now that you’ve lived with it for three years?

    Reply

  7. Jess @ Little House. Big Heart. says

    I’m seriously falling for vintage tile! I love the large-scale blue hex in your bathroom (although I can’t believe you’re not keeping that wallpaper! ;)

    And it’s just so strange to me that you leave the curtains behind! Down here the only thing you leave is the refrigerator!

    Reply

    • Lindsay says

      So funny how what’s left behind varies so much. Here (Los Angeles), curtains always seems to stay (though I seldom want them!). And, interestingly, refrigerators NEVER stay – they almost never even stay in an *apartment*!

    • alisha says

      I kinda love that large scale blue hex tile, too! If it was in turquoise I would swoon.

      Just changing out the caulking and switching out the shower door for an extra long curtain made such a difference in this room! It seems to have gone from “Address this room immediately” to “can live with this for a while” in one project flat.

      AND it IS funny how things left behind vary by area: when we moved in we were left with NO curtains or fridge, but they left the shower curtain (clear with cornflower blue and dusty mauve seashell design….oh la la)

    • Taylor says

      Here in Australia you take everything except the stove/oven and the blinds. I can’t imagine leaving the fridge or curtains behind… It’s so weird how it’s different everywhere you go…

  10. Megan says

    Love the white curtain! I will need that once we completely gut our bathroom. It’ll be gross, I’m sure. Our house is around 90 years old and some old plumbing is in our main floor bath. Scary! But we are taking everything down to the studs and buying brand new everything. AFTER two bedroom remodels and hopefully all before Halloween when my little man is expected to arrive.

    Reply

  11. Beth says

    I feel kind of dumb, but I never realized you could remove sliding doors that easily! This has rocked my little (sheltered) world. Thank you! Watch out guest bathroom, I’m coming for ya!

    Reply

    • Lisa E says

      That’s the first thing I’ve done in two homes, take the dreaded shower doors down. Hate them. Hard to keep those crevices clean not to mention, as we’ve seen here, what collects underneath as well!

  13. Melissa @ HOUSEography says

    Uh… I think I had a shirt with the same pattern as that wallpaper circa 1981. Yikes! Funny that removing the nasty shower doors was the first thing we did when we moved in. Our tub rim looked about the same. Fortunately our neighbors had a dumpster they let us use to dispose of them!

    Reply

  14. Laura Y says

    I love when I get to work and there is a new YHL post to start my day! Makes Monday morning a little easier. Thanks!!

    Reply

  15. Kelly says

    I absolutely HATE sliding shower doors. They are so unecessary and get disgusting. Thanks for this post! You made it look a little easy to remove them and have motivated me to tackle my mom’s bathroom (that I used for 10 years of my life, hence my personal hatred for them).

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      Word.

      The shower doors in our otherwise fantastic rental mean I’ve never once showered in the en-suite. Happy to truck it across the hall for some curtained ablutions!

  16. Sarah says

    I enjoy living on the edge, so I didn’t put down my granola bar for that jarring mildew image. While grotesque and stomach turning, there’s something oddly satisfying about it. Nothing beats showering in a fresh shower!

    Reply

  17. Olivia says

    Not gonna lie, VERY relieved to read that you’re kinda loving the Blue Hex Tile! I think it’s got some major potential :)

    Reply

  18. Steph says

    I removed a shower door too when I moved into my place. (Okay, I didn’t do it my uncle did. Same difference.) Thank god it didn’t require that much work. But the difference between door & curtain is amazing, I agree. I don’t understand why people put the doors on. They’re awkward. And hard to get into for most people.

    Also, that wallpaper kind of gives me a headache. I can’t imagine how you guys feel having to look at it every day. Especially all bleary eyed in the morning.

    Reply

  19. Megan @ Rappsody in Rooms says

    Yay! I am glad you said you like the hex tile for now because I really like it too! I can’t wait to see what the room looks like with the wallpaper down because now I really like the room. Good choice on taking down that door. Yuck! You were brave!

    Reply

  20. Tish says

    I’m so glad to hear that you like that blue hex tile, too! I understand that you’ll probably need to change it at some point, but it’s so interesting, I think it’s fun that you get to live with it for a while. :)

    And thank you for the lesson on removing the shower doors!

    Reply

  21. KathyG says

    So better! It’s hard to believe those shower doors were ever cool. It’s not like people are just taller now! And they were always gross those tracts are nasty.

    Reply

  22. Auntie Allyn says

    I remember how those DIY bathtub slider doors were all the rage in the 70’s, but I never really liked them either. I’ve always thought a fabulous shower curtain was a great way to dress up a bathroom (and I agree with you on your ceiling-height curtain). The fresh caulk must make the room feel so much cleaner!

    Reply

  23. HeatherB says

    THANK YOU!! I don’t have the doors, but can totally relate to the caulk re-do! It needs to be done in both bathrooms at our new house, and it seems easy, but for some reason I’ve been feeling intimidated by it. Afraid I’d remove and be unable to replace and have a non-functioning shower? Afriad it would be a bigger task than I envisioned, I’d get in over my head and panic about how to fix? I don’t know…feel kind of stupid about it, but it has scared me.

    After looking over your post, the fear is (mostly) gone, so I think I’m going to go get that v-shaped razor dohickey and get to work!

    Reply

  24. Carolyn says

    Ha…I have that *exact* blue tile in my bathroom. It looks a little unhappy paired with that wallpaper, though. :( Good riddance to it, and then I’m really looking forward to seeing what you guys do with this space!

    Reply

  25. Lorraine says

    Funny how when you removed those nasty doors – the blue tile doesn’t seem so bad. It might be modern lines – hexagon on the floor and stacked tiles in the shower. Definitely more livable while you continue making changes. I love that you guys aren’t afraid to make temporary changes so that you can enjoy a space while you work on it, as opposed to doing it all at once. Keep it up!

    Reply

  26. Stacy Piper says

    Looking at that tile/wallpaper combo in that bathroom makes my eyes hurt! There is so much to do in this new house I feel like a child impatiently waiting for Christmas morning to see how you guy’s new vision is going to come together in this house! The new tweaks are already looking 10,000% better! Keep going team Petersiks!

    P.S. I was definitely eating my egg whites and turkey bacon while reading this…I like to live dangerously!

    Reply

  27. Jane in NV says

    John, Where are your gloves??? :(

    I am also loving the hex blue tiles, but the wallpaper has got to go! :)

    Reply

  28. Kara says

    While I was reading this I was like, “wow, I can smell the mustiness from here!” And then I realized I was smelling a quilt I just brought over from my grandparents’ house that literally smells musty and is sitting right beside me. So that was a nice multi-sensory effect.

    Reply

  29. Melanie says

    I’ve read that when you let caulk dry on a bathtub, it’s smart to fill the tub with water to keep weight in it and let it seep and settle into all the little crevices. Maybe in an effort to avoid any “leaks” if it’s filled with water at a later date and it never settled and dried when it was originally done.

    Is that a myth? Maybe some types of caulk are different than others…?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I’ve never heard that one! Anyone else? The water in the tub doesn’t ever hit the part that’s caulked (that’s above the lip so it would be spilling over if it did) so I’m not sure if that would work…

      xo
      s

    • Stephanie @ The Simplebees says

      I’ve heard this too.. that the weight of a bath/person in the tub could make the caulk around the top of the top separate around the top and then when you shower it could leak into the gaps.

    • Lily says

      Yup, I’ve heard this too. I’ll admit it’s a little weird to caulk with your legs in a tub of water but so worth it for preventing future cracking in the caulk (and having to re-do it prematurely.)

      I do recommend filling the tub with warm water, but only because it’s more comfortable to have your legs and feet in while you work.

    • Emily R says

      Not a myth – very good practice. A full tub is very heavy and bound to flex a good amount. So you caulk when the tub is full and at it’s lowest point in relation to the walls. Then when it’s empty the caulk can contract. It does that better than expanding.

    • Lesley says

      Yes – we always do that, especially in our 108 year old house, anything that can cause the weight of the tub to make a sag in that caulk line can cause cracking over time. It’s the same (technically opposite) concept as leaving space for swelling on wood floors.

    • Meghan, UK says

      Yep, that’s what all the instructions say on caulk over here! Filling the bath pre-caulking means that there’s no additional movement when the caulk is dry and you re-fill in future. It means you’re safe when showering too!

    • Linda G says

      I have heard of that. It’s not about the water reaching the caulk, it’s about the caulk filling the entire gap created by having weight in the tub. Think of how much a balloon stretches when you fill it with water. In theory, your tub is the balloon.

    • heather says

      I’ve heard this too. I’ve never had to re-caulk a tub, but I’ve definitely heard the fill it up and then caulk so the caulk can contract versus expand and crack. This includes even if you only primarily use it for showers because the weight of people in it still makes the tub flex, can cause cracks, and then water from the shower will seep into those cracks. Plus, who doesn’t want to take a bath every now and again?! Don’t forget the added weight of those dual shower days.

    • Jaimee says

      Mind. Blown. I am really wishing I had known this a few weeks ago BEFORE I re-calked my formerly flesh toned bathtub now glazed sparkling white tub!

    • mary says

      It may matter less in the US, where many tubs are cast iron and probably don’t flex at all, ever.

    • Melanie says

      Wow – okay glad it is good to do! Happy to help, Sherry! I guess I used the wrong word when I said “leak” but basically what I was trying to say was pretty much what everyone else commented about. Haha.

      Hooray for knowledge sharing!

  30. Anne says

    That wasn’t so bad! I’d feel very accomplished cleaning it, too. Yesterday I saw an episode of “House Hunters” where the lady worked in biology and HATED shower doors. She wouldn’t even go in a bathroom with a shower door, knowing the nastiness lurking there.

    Reply

  31. Lindsey says

    You could totally work with that tile. It looks crazy dated with everything else going on, but I can see it with all fresh white fixtures and walls and some bright pops of color. Red/orange maybe… Very West Elm!

    Reply

  32. Jane Sweigart says

    Just got done ready the article in HGTV magazine on you guys! So great to see your continued success-congrats!!!

    Reply

  33. Carolyn says

    Forgot I actually have a tile-related question… I’m about to re-caulk some of the tile in my shower and the gap between the bottom tile on the wall and the floor tile is close to an inch. Should I just fill the whole space with caulk (it’s what the previous owners did), or can anyone point me toward a better solution? (Very beginner DIY-er here.)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hmm, I would take photos and bring them to a place like The Tile Shop if you have one near you. They’re so helpful (for free) and will hopefully tell you exactly what the best way to deal with that inch of space would be.

      xo
      s

    • Claudie says

      Take a look at the instructions on the caulk you want to use and see if it will work with that size gap, but if it doesn’t, you might need a backer rod. Hope that helps!

    • Gretchen says

      I just re-caulked my tub and sink area. As Claudie says there is a product called backer rod that can be used to fill larger gaps before you caulk. You simply stuff the foamy flexible rod in the gap, and caulk over/on top of it. It worked well for me. I was a little worried in process, but it looks good now. And BTW I was also removing shower doors when I re-caulked. I definitely had some super gross crud under ours too. The improvement in the look of the bathroom is unbelievable. I can’t believe I waited as long as I did to make that improvement.
      Gretchen

  34. Liz E. says

    I must have a strong stomach because I made it through the pictures with my 10AM snack in tact :) Although I’m sure seeing that in person might be a different story!

    And may I just say…that wallpaper…who thinks of these things?! So excited to see what comes next!

    Reply

  35. Martha says

    I had to do the same thing with 2 bathrooms in our house! Its awful… who decided that those awful glass doors were a good idea in the 80s?

    Reply

  36. Meredith says

    So glad you guys have conquered this now! I’m looking at houses and prefer a curtain to a shower door, and have been wondering how hard that is to change. Now it seems doable. :) Thanks as always!

    Reply

  37. LauraC says

    We were really glad to change out our glass shower for a nice white tub. So much easier to clean! We didn’t have as good of luck as you with the waffle curtain. I got a regular length one for the tub, but the first time I washed it, it shrank 4-5 inches, and unevenly at that. Lived with it for 6 months or so until I found a perfect, striped one that I still love. I’m afraid to wash it, for fear of it shrinking too, but we throw the inner liner in the wash periodically, and all seems well.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh no! So weird that it shrunk! Did you rehang it and take a steamy shower? Sometimes after a shower ours will relax again and get longer after it gets a little “tight” in the wash.

      xo
      s

    • LauraC says

      No, it might have relaxed a bit, but it wasn’t ever very even. It’s ok. I looked and looked for a cotton/polyester blend waffle, because I know that doesn’t shrink as much, but could only ever find 100% cotton. But it’s ok, because the striped one I found brings all the colors together (white, aqua, dark brown) and it’s perfect.

    • Kathy says

      Exactly what I was thinking. I’m not even that much of a clean freak, but bacterial/staff infections are no joke. As a home DIYer myself, I think that work gloves are a good idea in this age of MRSA etc.– and they protect your hands from cuts and scrapes and toxic products. :)

  39. cc says

    Shower doors are possibly my number one pet peeve in a home– I have always had to take them down even in the apartments I had back in my single days (no kidding– neither maintenance nor the building manager ever once argued about it, either). Aesthetics aside, the tracks get damaged too easily (so that the door stops sliding), and they are impossible to clean. My guess is that anyone who has ever taken down a shower door knew exactly where you were going when you said to stop eating, and those who have them in their homes now will freak and run to do the same!

    Reply

  41. LoquaciousLaura says

    Just wanted to thank you guys for your tip on painter’s tape with caulk! I was finishing a re-do / re-tile project in our front bathroom this weekend and remembered the tip just before I put the final caulk line all around the bathroom. We did penny hex tile in white with retro black spots in the floor, to go with the lemon-yellow retro tile on most of the walls. Anyway, the bottom was black trim, and so the tape created a HOT-lookin’ crisp line against the white caulk. I’m so glad!

    Also, I kind of love the hex tile. Look on retrorenovation.com, there may be a resource for finding hex tile in the same exact color, if you want …

    Reply

  42. Kim says

    We have a horrible DIY’d stand up shower, about the same size as a tub in terms of floorspace. The last owners not only created this ‘masterpiece’, but also put in gross glass shower doors. I can’t wait to rip them out, and the only thing that has stopped me so far is the curtain situation. The shower enclosure doesn’t go to the ceiling, so I’m thinking I’d need two separate rods – one on the inside to hang a regular length shower liner, and one on the outside to hang a long length shower curtain. I’m thinking it will look ok, as the only people who will know about the two rods are the two people using the shower. Your post has given me some motivation to get’er done!!

    Reply

  43. Jessica says

    Those doors were horrible, the curtain looks way better. One question though, is there a light in the shower? It seems like it would be so dark in there when you shower with the curtain hung that high.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      There’s not, but thankfully light passes through white fabric super easily (picture a white curtain on a window and how it doesn’t block any sun from coming in as long as there’s not a blackout liner).

      xo
      s

  44. Justin says

    I love the blue hex tile. I would re-enamel the tub and tile in white (at least temporarily) and then change the walls. Have you considered that option? We have a few companies that do it here and it is usually $350 for a tub and tile. I have done it to a few of my properties. It comes out great, and is so much easier than demoing the tile/installing a new tub/installing new tile etc.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We have thought about reglazing (we had our tub reglazed in our first house) but we wonder if it’s worth spending $350 or more when we have plans to redo the bathroom more exhaustively down the line (some of the tub tile and floor tiles are cracked in certain places along with us wanting to knock down a wall and extend the bathroom into the sink nook, which would mean we need to redo the floor tile eventually). Of course we could change our tune as we go, so we’ll have to see where we end up!

      xo
      s

  46. kim says

    After all your warnings I was bracing myself for a dead animal or something along that gross-ness. When you anticipate a rotting carcass, suddenly the mildewy scum didn’t seem so bad :)

    Reply

  48. Angel says

    Sorry about your head John! I totally feel ya. I am short, but when I had to live somewhere with shower doors like that instead of a curtain for a couple months, I looked like I did roller derby. I seriously banged my shin on that *&$*% door EVERY TIME I took a shower. Every. Time.

    Reply

  49. Kate says

    This was a great, informative post. Thank you! Sliding glass doors are so scary–it’s really cool to see how easy they are to remove! (Well, easy for DIY pros like you guys, anyway!)

    Reply

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