Tub & Alcove Bathroom Remodel in Arvada
A complete rebuild of the tub alcove — new bathtub, white kit-kat tile surround with a two-tier niche shelf, warm terracotta-look floor, and a new vanity — for homeowners who wanted to keep a real tub.
Project Overview
Not every bathroom needs its tub torn out. This Arvada project started with a clear decision from the homeowners: the room was dated and worn, but the bathtub was staying — replaced with a new one, not converted to a shower. The old alcove tub had years of wear, the surround was past saving, and the floor no longer matched anything in the house. Our scope was a full rebuild of the wet area around a new alcove bathtub — the three-wall recess layout most hall bathrooms are built around — plus a new floor, vanity, mirror, and toilet so the room would finish as one piece instead of a patchwork.
The finish plan leaned on two materials that carry the whole design. On the surround walls, white kit-kat tile — skinny, stacked vertical fingers of mosaic — adds fine texture and a vertical rhythm that makes a small bathroom read taller and brighter. On the floor, a terracotta-look porcelain brings the warmth that all-white bathrooms usually lack, grounding the room without darkening it. If your project reaches beyond the tub area, our page on bathroom remodeling in Arvada covers full-scope renovations; this case study stays focused on what a tub-centered rebuild looks like when it is done carefully.
The result is a bathroom organized around a tub that actually gets used: a new alcove bathtub with polished chrome fixtures, a recessed niche with a two-tier tiled shelf for shampoo and soap, and finishes that coordinate with the home's existing white door casing and trim instead of fighting them.
Project Details
Location
Arvada, CO
Project Type
Tub & alcove bathroom remodel
Tub Layout
Three-wall alcove recess
Palette
White kit-kat + warm terracotta
Scope of Work
- Alcove bathtub replacement
- Plumbing rough-in updates & new valve
- White kit-kat tile tub surround
- Recessed niche with two-tier tiled shelf
- Terracotta-look porcelain floor tile
- New vanity, mirror & toilet
- Chrome tub filler, valve & showerhead
The Challenge
Alcove tubs depend on their recess. The tub is manufactured to a fixed footprint, and the three walls around it have to be square, plumb, and framed to that footprint — which the walls in an older Arvada home rarely are. Before any tile could go up, we had to open the walls, correct the framing, and update the plumbing rough-in for the new valve, spout, and showerhead. Skipping that stage is how new tubs end up rocking on their base and how surrounds end up full of wedge-shaped cuts.
The tile raised the difficulty further. Kit-kat mosaic is one of the least forgiving wall tiles to install: every finger is narrow and vertical, so any hump in the substrate or drift in the layout reads as a wobble you can spot from across the room. The pattern had to terminate cleanly at the niche, the corners, and the tub deck. And the palette had to stay balanced — bright white walls over a warm terracotta-look floor, coordinated with the room's existing door casing, so the finished bath feels intentional rather than assembled from parts.
Our Solution
A tub-out rebuild in three stages: rough-in, surround, finish-out
Tub-Out, Framing & Plumbing Rough-In
We removed the old tub and surround down to the studs and opened the plumbing wall. With the cavity exposed, we corrected the alcove framing so the new tub would sit level and fully supported, then ran the updated rough-in for the pressure-balanced valve, tub spout, and showerhead. The new alcove bathtub was set, leveled, and secured to the framing, then masked off — it stayed covered through the rest of the project, because a new tub only stays new if nothing gets dropped, dragged, or ground into it during tile work.
Kit-Kat Tile Surround & Niche Shelf
With the walls rebuilt and prepared to ANSI A108.01, we set the white kit-kat mosaic across all three walls of the surround, keeping the vertical fingers plumb and the joints consistent from the tub deck up. The recessed niche was built into the wall and finished with a two-tier tiled shelf, so shampoo and soap live inside the wall instead of on the tub rim or a hanging caddy.
Grouting a finger mosaic takes patience — the joint pattern is dense — so we worked it in sections and cleaned as we went, with the tub ledge protected the entire time. The payoff is a surround with an even, machine-straight joint grid that reads as texture rather than grid lines.
Terracotta-Look Floor & Finish-Out
The floor came next: a warm terracotta-look porcelain that gives the white room its contrast. We held movement accommodation at the floor perimeter and sealed every change of plane — where tile meets the tub base and where the floor meets the walls — with flexible sealant meeting ASTM C920 rather than grout, so those joints can move without cracking.
Then came the finish-out: a fluted wood vanity with a quartz top and round mirror, a new toilet with fresh supply lines, and polished chrome trim across the tub filler, valve, and rain showerhead. Every fixture was set against finished tile, which is the order that produces clean escutcheons and tight caulk lines.
Project Gallery
From open framing to the finished tub alcove — the full arc of this Arvada rebuild
Technical Standards
A tub surround lives in water — the standards behind it are what keep it tight
- ANSI A108.01 substrate preparation & general requirements
- ANSI A108.02 installation & workmanship standards
- TCNA movement-joint requirement — movement accommodation in every tile installation
- ASTM C920 elastomeric sealant at changes of plane & the tub perimeter
- Caulk, not grout, where tile meets the tub and at wall corners
- White kit-kat finger mosaic — three-wall tub surround
- Terracotta-look porcelain floor tile — warm contrast underfoot
- New alcove bathtub with chrome tub filler, valve & rain showerhead
- Recessed niche with two-tier tiled shelf
- Fluted wood vanity with quartz top & round mirror
- New toilet with fresh supply line & shutoff
The Results
The finished bathroom does exactly what the homeowners asked for: it keeps a real tub at the center of the room and makes everything around it feel new. The kit-kat surround gives the alcove texture without visual noise, the two-tier niche keeps the tub deck clear, and the terracotta-look floor warms up a room that all-white finishes would have left feeling clinical.
Just as important is what you cannot see. The alcove framing is square, the tub is fully supported, the joints that need to flex are sealed with ASTM C920 caulk, and the field that needs to stay rigid is grouted. That division of labor between grout and sealant is what keeps a tub surround watertight through years of daily baths — long after the photos are taken.
What Arvada Clients Say
Marina K.
Arvada
“We almost gave up on keeping a tub because everyone kept suggesting a shower conversion. This team rebuilt the alcove, set the new bathtub, and the kit-kat tile came out straighter than I imagined skinny tile could be. The niche shelf is my favorite detail — everything finally has a place.”
Derek H.
Arvada
“Careful work from demo to the last bead of caulk. They kept the new tub protected the whole time, the terracotta floor completely changed the feel of the room, and they left the site clean every day. The bathroom feels twice as bright as it did before.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about alcove tub remodels, bathtub replacement, and tub surround tile
It depends on how your household bathes and how long you plan to stay in the home. A tub is practical for bathing kids and pets, and many buyers expect at least one tub in a house. A walk-in shower is easier to step into and can feel roomier in the same footprint. We build both, so we walk you through the trade-offs for your specific bathroom rather than push one answer.
An alcove tub sits in a three-wall recess with only its front apron exposed — the most common tub layout in American hall bathrooms. The standard footprint is 60 inches long by 30 to 32 inches wide, with soaking depths that vary by model. Because the recess is framed to a fixed size, we always confirm the actual wall-to-wall measurement before ordering a replacement tub.
A bathtub replacement with a full tile surround and a new floor typically runs about two to three weeks. Demolition and plumbing rough-in come first, then substrate preparation, tile setting, and grouting, each with cure times that should not be rushed. Adding a vanity, toilet, and finish trim, as we did on this Arvada project, extends the finish-out by a few more days.
Yes, if the tub itself is sound. We protect the tub, remove the old surround down to the studs, rebuild the substrate, and tile over it. That said, if the tub is worn, chipped, or poorly supported, replacing it while the walls are already open costs far less than removing tile later to get it out. We help you weigh that decision honestly before demolition starts.
Kit-kat mosaic does have more grout lines than large-format tile, which is why grout selection matters. We use high-performance grout that resists staining and water absorption, so routine care is a wipe-down with a non-abrasive cleaner. The vertical joints also shed water downward instead of holding it, which helps the surround dry out between baths and showers.
The tub and the tiled wall move independently — a tub flexes slightly as it fills with water and people, while the wall stays put. TCNA guidance calls for a flexible sealant, not rigid grout, at changes of plane and where tile meets dissimilar materials. We use sealant meeting ASTM C920 at the tub perimeter and wall corners so those joints flex instead of cracking out.
Yes. TCNA states that movement accommodation is required in every tile installation, regardless of size, because tile is a rigid surface layer over a structure that expands, contracts, and deflects. In a bathroom this size, that usually means soft joints at the floor perimeter, concealed under baseboards, plus flexible sealant where the floor meets the tub base and the cabinetry.
We work to ANSI A108.01 for substrate preparation and general requirements and ANSI A108.02 for installation workmanship. Those standards matter even more with skinny mosaics like kit-kat tile, because narrow vertical pieces telegraph every hump or hollow behind them. Flat, plumb, properly prepared backer walls are what make a finished surround look straight from every angle in the room.
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Where to Browse Tile
Looking for kit-kat mosaic, terracotta-look floor tile, or tub surround options? Browse these retailers:
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Planning an Alcove Tub Remodel or Bathtub Replacement in Arvada?
We rebuild tub alcoves, replace bathtubs, and tile surrounds throughout Arvada and the Denver metro area — measured carefully, built to standard, and finished cleanly.