Old-style material gives bathroom new life

By ROWENA PLETT

Staff writer

One of the new features in Harvey and Betty Sanders’ renovated bathroom will be a tiled shower.

The old fiberglass shower that was installed when their house was built 31 years ago was discolored and had lost its shine. It’s been removed.

The new shower will include new fixtures and a wall niche for shampoos and soaps.

“The fiberglass shower went three-quarters up the wall, with sheetrock above it,” she said. “The tile walls will go all the way to the ceiling.”

The County Seat will install the tile, and Suffield Heating and Air will do the plumbing.

“We ran our own business, and we like to use local businesses whenever possible,” Betty said. “Brad and Jeannie do a great job.”

The couple are hiring a contractor out of the area to install a shower door. Most are busy right now, so they don’t know when the project will be completed.

The door will probably swing out, Betty said, providing a wider opening than the old shower.

The biggest benefit to the new shower will be a low 1½ -to 2-inch threshold, she said, making it easier to get in and out of it.

The tile walls, compared to six-inch-deep fiberglass, would provide more space inside the shower.

The bathroom also will get a new stool and new floor tile.

“It was time for an update,” Betty said