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Opinions on having a door fitted in an existing bath.

(33 Posts)
Retired65 Fri 19-Sept-25 15:25:05

Has anyone used a compamy called udoor.co.uk for the fitting of a door in an existing bath? My husband prefers baths so won't have the existing bath replaced by a walk-in-shower. The shower, which I use, is over the bath. Having recently had a hip replacement I am not allowed to step into the bath to use it. The advert for a udoor looks good and seems to have good reviews on 'Trustpilot', Has anyone on Gransnet had one fitted?

NotSpaghetti Fri 19-Sept-25 15:38:51

No, but read reviews about how cold and miserable it is waiting for them to drain.

I'd look at lifts probably instead.

NotSpaghetti Fri 19-Sept-25 16:07:29

I admit the door is smarter.
Maybe fill your bath to the height he likes the water and see how long it takes to drain?

Maybe you can have a wall mounted heater of some sort whilst it happens?
Ours drains slowly it seems to me.

NotSpaghetti Fri 19-Sept-25 16:15:15

If this is just a temporary issue for you, what about a bath-board type or swivel seat thingy just to get in and out?

Retired65 Fri 19-Sept-25 18:23:56

Thanks for the comments. Getting in the bath is a problem at the moment. I am not sure how long this will last. As I age, it is going to be a problem getting into the bath.

Mt61 Fri 19-Sept-25 22:27:17

What about a bath lift? You can get the bath all ready & away you go.
With those doors you have to remember to drain before opening, believe me when I say I have flooded a few bathrooms in my time, forgetting to empty the bath first.

NotSpaghetti Sat 20-Sept-25 00:32:40

I didn't think you could open the door with water in?

BTW I have just had my hip done and think I could soon get over the edge with a bath board with a swivel.
If you can sit up in bed ith your legs out I would think it was do-able ...and for less than £50 I think it's worth a go.

Aveline Sat 20-Sept-25 07:02:08

As we get older it's not likely that climbing into a bath to have a shower is going to get easier. I had a bath board after my first knee replacement but really hated it. DH accepted the inevitable and we replaced the bath with a shower. Now we are both glad that we did.

David49 Sat 20-Sept-25 07:36:40

I converted from bath to shower about 5 yrs ago it’s much better as you get less agile, a walk-in shower is so much easier.

NotSpaghetti Sat 20-Sept-25 10:44:16

Aveline did you use it to sit on and wash/shower or to just get into the "bowl" of the bath to have an ordinary stand-up shower?

I was really thinking of just being able to get over the edge.

Aveline Sat 20-Sept-25 15:05:09

I used to sit in it and painfully, awkwardly trying to swung my legs over the side of the bath. The I'd use the showerhead to wash off the soapy lather. All v difficult as I couldn't bend much. We soon saw how ridiculous the situation was and a nice company came and took the bath out and fitted a walk in shower with a fixed glass panel. All we have to do is walk round it. It's really mean your DH insisting on keeping a bath. Apart from anything else he'll not be getting any younger and fitter either!

Aveline Sat 20-Sept-25 15:05:30

Sit on the bath board

NotSpaghetti Sat 20-Sept-25 18:22:49

So if you just used it to get into the bath to stand that might actually be easier.
Just an idea.

Astitchintime Sat 20-Sept-25 18:35:16

David49

I converted from bath to shower about 5 yrs ago it’s much better as you get less agile, a walk-in shower is so much easier.

This
And so much safer……….not heard of anyone drowning after slipping in a shower but attended to quite a few who died in their baths after slipping and losing consciousness.

NittWitt Sat 20-Sept-25 20:57:58

I'd hope that older people would get a shower fitted with grab rails.
I have a bath but when travelling and having to use showers, I'm amazed how few of them have anything that's meant to hold onto.
I like to lift one foot at a time to wash them in a shower, which usually feels precarious.
Anyone of any age could overbalance, slip or feel faint and it seems careless to me not to provide at least one stable grab bar in the shower.

Aveline Sun 21-Sept-25 07:00:42

Notspaghetti no. Using a bath board is certainly not easier. The lifting and twisting is painful and awkward.

LaCrepescule Sun 21-Sept-25 07:52:27

You need a shower and so will he before long. Why are his desires more important than yours? Isn’t he being just a little bit selfish?
I replaced my bath with a gorgeous walk-in shower recently - not because I was having difficulty getting into the bath but because I never took baths. But I can see that as I age it’s sensible thing to do.

GrannySomerset Wed 24-Sept-25 13:10:26

My late DH hated showering (obviously some youthful horror story) so when getting in and out of the bath became risky we had a bath lift put in the en suite bathroom which meant bathing could be warm, safe and easy. As his Parkinson’s progressed the job fell to me and although time consuming was not too stressful. We turned the whole business into a joke and it just became part of life, another thing for me to do but not a problem.

PamelaJ1 Wed 24-Sept-25 16:05:30

We’ve just had a walk in bath fitted for my mother and I tried it out last week. It’s easy to navigate, quick to fill and drain. It can also be used as a shower as it has a glass panel at the side.
Of course the weather is still warmish but with heating on in the winter I can’t envisage her getting too cold as the water drains.
She will be able to start drying her top half whilst still sitting in the warm water.
The only downside I found is that the water starts off cold! The hot water cylinder is a long way from the bath so I’ve told her she needs to run the water a little before she gets inu so it’s warm to begin with.
If you are interested I could send you a photo.

welbeck Wed 24-Sept-25 16:51:03

I think converting the whole bathroom I to a wet room is safest.
Then you can have a easily accessible shower with sturdy seat and grab rails and non slip tiles underfoot.
Also makes it easier if when needing assistance from a n other

NotSpaghetti Fri 10-Oct-25 06:02:05

Just wondering what you decided to do?

multicolourswapshop Fri 10-Oct-25 07:38:02

I’ve a walk in bath and I love it, it fills very quickly and drains very quickly, as I couldn’t get into my old bath due to a stroke I put my old bath in the garden and filled it with flowers it looks fabulous. Good luck with putting a glass door in your bath

Retired65 Fri 10-Oct-25 09:16:02

I am still dithering. I attend to get some quotes for extending our en-suite into the front roof space & putting a walk in shower there. It will depend on cost.

FranP Fri 10-Oct-25 14:08:34

My mother had a shower put in, and hated it, so she had a walk in bath, a tall one with a seat, but it could only fill about 2 inches before having to shut the door, so a bit of a pfaff sitting waiting for it to fill, and throwing her robe over the side when it reached her knees, because it was too cold to sit and wait without, even with the wall heater on.
Eventually she paid out for a normal bath and a swing seat with lift up legs that swung out over her adjacent loo, so she could use the frame there to help her into it.

4allweknow Fri 10-Oct-25 14:15:01

Used baths with a door years ago in Japan. Very small, like sitting on a seat (which you are) in a box. Didn't take much water. Did have to remember to empty before getting out which only took a couple of minutes.