The AmeriGlide Bath Conversion Kits are the newest additions to our line of bath safety products, and they're a boon to both homeowners and professional care environments who need an affordable solution to making a bathroom accessible for mobility-impaired bathers, including wheelchair users. Our installers use these kits to quickly and easily convert your existing bath tub or shower into an ADA compliant safety bath. The kits allow customers to save hundreds and even thousands of dollars as an alternative to a walk-in tub or a full bathroom remodeling job. However, if you've reviewed the options available, you may be wondering which option is best for your needs. This guide will help you make the best decision on which kit to purchase!
First, ask yourself this question: Is your existing bath tub too hard to get into, or do you have a shower with a curb step that's too high for you to step over?
If you're having trouble getting into the bath tub, then you have two options.
The first option is the AmeriGlide Bathtub Roll-In Conversion Kit. This kit is installed by cutting an opening between 24 to 32 inches wide (you choose the size opening you need) in your existing bath tub's wall and replacing it with a non-skid roll-in surface to convert the bath tub into a shower. This surface features a gentle downward slope on both sides of the former tub wall, and this benefits the user in two ways. First, the slope of the roll-in surface meets ADA bathroom standards for rise and run, providing a 2-inch elevation differential over a 7-inch wide surface. This ensures that the surface isn't too steep for a user to slowly step or shuffle over, and also makes it easy for wheelchair users to safely roll over the shower's access lip. Second, the downward slope on the inside of the tub keeps water from running out of the shower area and creating a fall hazard or damaging your bathroom's sub-flooring. As an additional benefit, this conversion kit will also increase your available floor space in the shower by about 30% over the space provided by the area when it was used as a bathtub. Bear in mind, though, that this option only allows your former bathtub to be used as a shower - you won't be able to take a lay-down tub bath here after the conversion kit is installed.
The second option is the AmeriGlide Bathtub Walk-In Conversion Kit. This option, when installed, provides you with an opening that is 24 inches wide and a tub lip about 4 inches high. A non-slip insert is placed in the gap that is a pebble granite color; this is done specifically to give the step-in area different look that makes it easier for people with vision impairments to see the tub lip clearly. The step-in platform is also very sturdy and stable, allowing you to easily keep your footing on the step-in lip as you enter and exit the tub. Once you are inside the tub, you can close the opening by inserting a stainless steel door. Two pegs are mounted on either side of the tub's opening, and corresponding holes are placed int he stainless steel door. All the user needs to do is to hang the door on the pegs and let it drop, at which point magnetic inserts in the tub lip secure themselves to the steel door. For additional security against leaks, you can press the steel door into the tub wall, and the automobile-grade rubber seal around the bottom of the door insert will create a water tight seal and prevent moisture from escaping. during your bath. This option is perfect for users who can still step over a low tub lip and want the option of taking a lay-down tub bath or a shower.
Finally, if the shower curb is too high for you, then we recommend the AmeriGlide Shower Roll-In Conversion Kit.
This conversion kit is installed by removing the shower curb, or threshold, and replacing it with a non-skid, smooth entry threshold similar to the one used for the Bathtub Roll-In Conversion Kit. Like that conversion kit, this threshold meets ADA bathroom requirements for rise and run, keeping the slope of the entry threshold low to make it easy to enter and exit either on foot or with a wheelchair. If you require additional grab bars or a waterproof shower wheelchair for use with your newly converted shower, we offer these products as optional add-ons for the AmeriGlide Shower Roll-In Conversion Kit when you check out.
We hope you've found this guide to our ADA handicap bathroom conversion kits helpful in your search for an accessibility bathing solution. If you have further questions about these products, we encourage you to call our walk in tub experts today.