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Shower: Featured Article
The editors of This Old House pick our favorite affordable luxuries, handy helpers, and problem solvers from the 2009 Kitchen and Bath Show… more
Q: I live in a 1941 two-story brick town house with plaster walls and
ceilings. The galvanized water pipes that feed the back-to-back upstairs
bathrooms have finally started to spring pinhole leaks. I'd like to
replace all the pipe with copper, in part to eliminate the chronic
problems with rusty water. But the supply lines are in the outside wall
or the wall shared with the attached house. All these walls are
partially tiled; the floors and shower stall are also covered in tile
set on a mortar base. All the tile is in great shape. Is there any way
to replace the old pipe without gutting the bathrooms?
— Bill, Baltimore, MD
Before using a pipe wrench or slip-joint pliers on a tub faucet or showerhead, wrap the fixture with a washcloth to prevent the tool's teeth from permanently scratching the finish.
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