Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

| By | | 457 Comments

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.

Bathroom Doors1

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…

Bathroom Doors3

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

Bathroom Doors4

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.

Bathroom Doors6

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.

Bathroom Doors7

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.

Bathroom Doors8

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

Bathroom Doors9

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

*********

*******

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

*****

***

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

**

*

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).

Bathroom Doors10

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

Bathroom Doors11

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).

Bathroom Doors12

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).

Bathroom Doors14

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.

Bathroom Doors15

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

Bathroom Doors16

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.

Bathroom Doors17

Much better, eh?

Bathroom Doors18

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).

Bathroom Doors19

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.

Bathroom Doors21

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

  1. Liz says

    Ewwww. Thankfully I wasn’t eating. But, it looks a whole lot better! Right when the doors came off, it made me realize how blue your bathroom is! The white shower curtain makes the room look a lot better.

    I had those glass sliding doors in our tub/shower growing up and I definitly don’t miss them! They are kind of a pain to clean.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha! It’s so funny how some people are like “dude, I thought there would be a hairy animal in there” and others were like “ahhhhhh! where were your gloves?! That’s so sick!”

      xo
      s

  3. Gretchen@BoxyColonial says

    We have a nasty shower door that we’ve been meaning (umm, for a year now) to take down and replace with a curtain, so I’m happy to see that this went relatively smoothly (gross mildew aside!) for you guys! Blue hex tile rocks

    Reply

  4. Kelly C. says

    Yuck! LOL

    A nice coat of white paint on those walls and some white towels, etc. and that bathroom wouldn’t look bad at all! I kinda dig the blue.

    Reply

  5. Jenn says

    I knew the second I saw your first pic what this would be about. We did this last year when we moved into our house and I am not even kidding- ours was even grosser than yours! Seriously, my husband yelled for me to come see then as I walked in he said “nevermind- you don’t want to see this!” It was thick and black and I swear there was 20 years of filth saved up under those doors.

    We actually don’t have a tub but one of those little 3 inch lips meant for shower door inserts and we still hung curtains instead of the doors and it works really well.

    Don’t you feel instantly cleaner knowing that crap is gone!?

    Reply

  6. Meredith says

    Haha, when I read the warning I totally knew what was coming b/c we had the same disgusting scum buildup when we removed our sliding shower doors! I tried using a flat razor to scrape it off but the stuff was so ornery that it BROKE our razor, grr. Ended up using the back of a hammer to scrape it off, but we still have some yellow spots that look nasty. Our white waffle-weave shower curtain hides a multitude of sins, including that and our ugly cracked pink tile ;-) Can’t wait until we’ve saved up enough $ to rip it all out!!

    Reply

  7. Kristen says

    Thank you so much for this post!! We have been needing to replace our shower door FOREVER but we’ve kept thinking we may need to replace the shower because things have gotten so bad (read – I’ve seen that gunk you recommended shielding eyes from daily)… but I feel like we might be able to tackle some of it and see where we need to go from there after reading this. Thank you!! (and man I love love love that blue tile… is it going or staying eventually?)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I love it too, but it’s damaged around the sink and toilet, and when we want to expand the footprint of this bathroom into the sink nook area (which is currently carpeted, yikes!) we’ll probably need to retile the floor to make it seamless, but I’m totally going to save some blue hex for a shadow box or to make coasters or something.

      xo
      s

  8. Lauren says

    OMG. We took that exact same set of doors off our shower over the weekend. The frame was holding on for dear life with 1/2″ thick layer of caulk. We had to use a caulk softener to help loosen its death grip. We’re so glad those doors are gone!

    Reply

  9. Maggie says

    Ha I was expecting so much worse the way you built it up! I mean yes of course it’s gross but I just scrolled past it fast and didn’t look too closely ;)

    I love the hexagon shape of the floor tiles – beehive!

    Reply

  10. tanya says

    meh. not all THAT gross. you’ve dealt with at least one person’s/pet’s poop. POOP! anyway, the bathroom looks better.

    Reply

  11. LMN says

    I was sort of hoping that you’d say “it was so gross so then we decided to just rip the tub out, yay!” Can’t wait to see what y’all end up with, I’d never be patient enough to wait to see what was best long term….which is why I’m not remodeling a house. Turn-key for me! :-)

    Reply

  13. Dena says

    I have the same color and style (square in the tub, octagonal on the floor) in my 1989 house in the West end of Richmond. We took out two of those doors and had the same issues – scum, mold, disintegrating caulk- you name it. Never looked back. I found with the floor tile that the Clorox bleach pens cleaned up the grout nicely and we sealed it. That was 6 years ago; tile still looks great.

    Reply

  14. Tara says

    I guess I’m weird – I love shower doors (though not gross old ones like yours!) We always had them growing up – it was even something my parents looked for in a house when moving – and curtains drive me nuts, I hate it when the liner brushes against my leg. However, ours are newer and nicer and tall enough that my 6″ brother can climb in without banging his head. The one you removed looks comically short!

    Reply

    • mary says

      Doors are still the most popular option (see the bathroom remodels on HGTV) but they’re frameless glass panels.

      I prefer a curtain because I’m not squeegeeing a door daily or living with hard water stains, but I also like a lot of light in the shower so I use a ‘view curtain’.

    • Robin @ our semi organic life says

      Yes my dad is redoing our old childhood bathroom. He’s installing frameless glass panel sliding doors on the bath this week. He said after doing beautiful tile work in the shower he doesn’t want to cover it up with a curtain!

  15. Chelsea @ Riding Escalators says

    Nice! That was one of the first things we did in our house too – only our shower doors had swans sandblasted in them… gorgeous, right? :) Ours was just as gross, if not grosser underneath – with a ton of rust. UGH.

    We found that even after we lifted that bottom piece off, the spot where the track was is just a little less shiny than the rest of the tub, and it has some rust stains that I CAN.NOT.GET.OFF. Did you have any of that? If so – any recommendation on how to get rid of those stains? I swear I have tried EVERYTHING!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Alas, ours still doesn’t look perfect, but at least after scrubbing the heck out of it we’re convinced it won’t come off on our leg if we brush against it or anything. I have heard that magic erasers can strip things down a bit more (also I’ve heard pummice stones can too) but I’m afraid of scratching ours so I haven’t gone there yet. Anyone have tips for Chelsea?

      xo
      s

    • Debbie says

      We used pumice stone to get rid of some stubborn toilet ring stains, with no damage to the toilet. So I think it could be worth a shot with the tub.
      The entire time you scrub with it you’re entirely sure you’re going to ruin the surface, but it all turned out fine in the end!!

    • Jessica says

      I second the pumice stone! Worked great for getting rid of very stubborn hard water build-up in the toilets. It didn’t scratch the toilet up either. Bought the stone at a hardware store – Lowe’s I think – for just a few bucks. Worth a try on the bathtub!

    • Alex the Airhostess says

      Try a cleaner called Bon Ami, it’s made of crushed limestone and was really good for removing the gunk built up under my removed shower door.

      For the rust stains (also works for dark spots in sanded down wood floors before refinishing them) try getting plasticine/high end modeling plastic-y clay, make a ring around the stain, smash it down to create a good seal and poor in a bleach/water mix to let it sit on top of the rust stain for a bit. Hope it works for you!

  18. Katel says

    Oh man, my husband had to do that with our shower, too! Avocado tub, mint surround, and an aluminum frame with an (icky) vinyl folding door! We’re still in the process of scraping and re-caulking our bathrooms, and he has told me that there is absolutely no way on earth I would want to help him with those jobs… Ick!

    Reply

  22. Melly says

    I know it’s too late for this bathroom but, a little tip for future caulk removal . . . heating the caulk with a hair dryer as you scrape makes it easier to remove. I saw that on a Youtube video recently.

    Reply

  23. Becky M says

    How long did you have to wait for the caulk to dry before you could use the shower again? We have to caulk, but only have one shower…

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It’ll say on the tube of caulk (and it varies by maker/formula) but I think most are around 5 hours? We usually give it 24 just to be safe (so use the shower in the morning, then work on the shower, and then don’t use it again until the next morning).

      xo
      s

  25. amy says

    Yesterday I was watching an episode of House Hunters and one of the buyers on it had a “fear of shower doors.” Maybe I understand that “fear” more after this. :)

    Reply

  26. Alex says

    Gross!!
    I will never understand the shower-door-over-shower-curtain vote. So gross, so hard to clean, so unwieldy! Glad you let that one go the way of the dodo.

    Also, I clicked on your Exhibits A & B hoping for the fully clothed, John in bed clicking his remote shot. That’s my favorite reenactment to date. :) He really has a knack for them; maybe book #2 is a coffee table book of John’s DIY Reenactments? :) :)

    Reply

  27. Mary Beth says

    Good grief, why haven’t I ever thought to hang the shower curtain higher??
    So funny how something so simple doesn’t come to mind until someone else thinks of it. LOL

    Great idea though – searching online now for an extra long shower curtain!
    And the caulking around our tub is so sloppy (previous owners) and seeing how simple it was so fix, I’m tackling it as soon as the kids are down for their naps!

    : )
    MB

    Reply

  30. Karen says

    I will admit to being completely distracted by that blue hex tile throughout this whole post. I’m in love with it. Of course, the fact that we’re about to do our bathroom floor in a gray hex tile (and that it took me eons to find even a 2″ hex, let alone whatever awesome, massive size that is) probably has something to do with it. Glad you’re keeping it for a bit!

    Reply

  31. Jen says

    Big difference already! Just strip that tacky wallpaper (Downy will do it, y’all) and paint a fresh white to match the curtain and this could be one of your last priorities for the house.

    As great as colored paint can be, white in that bathroom would allow you to swap out accessories and colored towels on a whim.

    Reply

  32. Sarah | The Accidental Okie says

    This post makes me feel so good! I need to clean my showers, like for serious, but thankfully they’re not at the razor-blade stage of soap scum. My cleaning self-esteem is officially raised.

    But seriously love putting the shower curtain so high. It makes the space. I’m sure you’ll seriously make the space someday soon, but for now an oh-so stylish bandaid.

    Reply

  33. Alyson says

    I need to do this to my tub…badly. That little tool looks quite nifty! Hope I can find it as well. I’ve been putting it off bc I didn’t know about dry time and since you guys are the experts….How long does it take the caulk to dry? I can’t be going days without a shower ;)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It’ll tell you on the tube, but sometimes it’s as quick as 5 hours. We usually leave ours for 24 hours if we can (so we’ll both shower, work on the tub, and then not shower until the next day).

      xo
      s

  34. Carol says

    Love the floor & tile. Like wallpaper but that should be on borrowed time.Continued blessings in your new home!

    Reply

  36. Carol says

    Nice job! Love the floor & tile. Like wallpaper but that should be on borrowed time.Continued blessings in your new home!

    Reply

  37. Lisa says

    The first few photos gave me flashbacks of when I used to clean the bathroom in my student house at university. Mega yuck!

    The photos of the clean, white freshly applied caulk makes me feel so much better!

    Reply

  39. Krista C says

    This is perfect! I will be taking down the sliding shower doors in my mom’s condo this weekend. We’re planning on a lot of updates over time, but those shower doors are all nasty. Based on your pictures, I’m not looking forward to the scum I might find… ick. Thanks guys… I can’t wait to see you take down all that wallpaper – I have a bunch to remove as well!

    Reply

  40. Amy says

    Your move into this new house is particularly thrilling to me because you have to address so many of the things I’ve got to fix in my own house. I have a very similar bathroom situation – the bathroom overall is actually about 10 times more disgusting, but after tackling the horrible mildewy ceiling my next target is the horrible mildewy shower with sliding glass doors. Since it’s a shower insert and not a bathtub-shower combo, I’ll have to reinstall the doors after taking everything apart and cleaning/recaulking (bummer), but my biggest problem has just been getting started. I didn’t know how to get rid of all of that built-up gunk, or remove the caulk without damaging the plastic and the drywall, etc etc. I think I’m going to try to take care of the shower this weekend, and I am bookmarking your post and shall be referring to it regularly.

    Thank you!!

    Reply

    • Gen K. says

      We just moved into a 1970’s house (with shower doors – 1 set removed, 1 to go). Anyways, our master shower is tiled with all white tiles and had rust spots. My dad recommended a product called Whink. It’s in a brown bottle. Haven’t used it yet, but he usually knows his stuff. It’s worth trying. Hope it helps!

  42. Joan says

    We removed the sliding shower doors in our boys’ bathroom before we even moved in our house. It took me about a year to finally get around to removing the frame though and what a pain! There was adhesive holding it on the walls and tub, as well as the screws and I really built up my muscles prying it off the wall. When I finally got the bottom part of the frame off, it looked exactly like yours. I was convinced it was the adhesive, but now I’m thinking it probably was gross scum because the walls didn’t look like that. I’m glad it didn’t realize it at the time!

    Reply

  44. Claudie says

    One of the first things I did right after we bought this house was recaulk the bathtub (and gave the whole bathroom a thorough cleaning of course). I did have to take a shower before that and it was a little weird having to use “shower shoes” again. I felt like I was back in college!

    I think it’s great that such relatively small changes can make such a big impact and I can’t wait to see what it looks like without the wallpaper!

    Reply

  45. Debbie says

    Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this! Hubby & I have been butting heads on whether or not to remove our shower door. (He is for keeping it, I’m all for ditching it!!)

    This photographic proof of the potential nastiness lurking beneath is exactly what I needed to push him over to my side!

    Reply

  46. ann says

    sweet. I have been dying to get the shower door off my boys bathroom, but didn’t know what to do about the holes left behind! Here I come, shower door!!! I am a little worried about what might be living under a door that has been in place for 29 years……

    Reply

  48. lisa says

    I can’t stand those type shower doors and the inability to truly clean them is one of many reasons – gross! Yay for taking out another sliding shower door! It’s amazing what replacing the grout does for the appearance.

    Did you consider going with the curved shower rod?

    Reply

  49. LeAnna says

    I am so happy you posted this!! This year we have been updating our house, in small affordable ways, and literally this past weekend i said to the hubs “we need to replace that gross shower door and remove all that mildewy caulk around it”. And wham! Monday morning you post how to remove the door!! Our shower is step in, so we will have to put another door on not a curtain, but I can’t wait to pull that door out. I guarantee I will gag when I see the mildew.

    Reply

Stuff We Love

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *