At FaucetList.com it's our goal to make shopping for a faucet easy! We have over 40 years' experience in the plumbing industry and want to share our expert knowledge with you. This guide will explain how to turn your clawfoot tub into a shower. Whether you have an existing clawfoot tub faucet you want to convert for use as a tub shower combination or you simply have a brand new installation and need everything we can help. With a little bit of knowledge you can purchase exactly what you require to start enjoying your clawfoot tub shower today!
In Clawfoot Tub Faucet Buying Guide Part 1 we covered how to put together a basic clawfoot tub faucet and hardware package. The basic clawfoot tub hardware kit includes the Clawfoot Tub Faucet, Clawfoot Tub Drain, Clawfoot Tub Supply Lines, and the Supply Stops. With a package of clawfoot tub hardware set-up as explained by Part 1, you will have a fully functional clawfoot tub faucet. It will be completely operational and your tub will be ready to use! The package explained in part 1 works only if you want to use your clawfoot tub as a bathtub only, not a shower. If you want to create a clawfoot tub shower kit, keep reading!
We have four popular finishes of clawfoot tub hardware fixtures available: Oil Rubbed Bronze, Satin Nickel, Polished Brass, and Chrome. Once you decide your finish, you can start putting together your clawfoot tub shower package. If you need any other bathroom faucets and fixtures to match, don't worry, we have you covered. Look through our site and you will find many high quality, reasonably priced bathroom faucets and accessories.
If you want to use your freestanding clawfoot tub as a bathtub and shower combination you've come to the right place. This guide will help explain what you need to order to accomplish this goal. The example image below illustrates the desired result.
If your clawfoot tub is separate from your shower then you only need the package described in part 1. If you plan to use your clawfoot tub as a tub and shower combination you will need a few more items. If you want a clawfoot tub shower and clawfoot tub shower curtain this guide will explain what you need.
Remember, the items recommended for the Clawfoot Tub Shower Conversion Kit are required in addition to everything explained in the clawfoot tub faucet buying guide part 1. You will still need the Clawfoot tub faucet, drain, supply lines, and stops because that is how you get the actual water flowing. The supply lines inject the hot and cold water into the faucet to be mixed which allows for control over the water temperature. The drain is still required since you still need a way to get rid of the water. The stops should still be installed at the bottom of the supply lines for emergency shut-off.
The items needed to convert your clawfoot tub to a Clawfoot Tub Shower are actually quite simple. You can find most of these components in our Add-a-Shower Enclosure category.
Essentially you are trying to take the clawfoot tub faucet kit you created in part 1 and adding a Clawfoot Tub Shower Conversion Kit. Take a look at the two items below to help illustrate.
First, you can only add a shower to a Clawfoot Tub Faucet that has a Hand Shower. If you look at the picture below, you will see the reason. You need a Clawfoot tub fixture that has a diverter lever so you can switch between the tub and shower. When you first turn the water on, it will be coming out of the tub spout. To switch to the shower, you turn the diverter handle. Only Clawfoot tub faucets with a hand shower have the diverter handle making this switch easy. Additionally, a tub faucet that comes with a handheld shower will already have the proper hole at the back of the faucet which doubles as the hole for the shower riser tube. Look at the two pictures below. The first has a hand shower and the second does not.
Notice the large lever in the middle? That's the diverter lever. The flared tube at the front is the tub spout. In a typical situation this lever switches water between the clawfoot tub faucet spout and the hand held shower. Notice the vertical tube directly behind the diverter handle? That's the handheld shower cradle. You will see that the hand shower cradle is held in place by a coupling nut at the base. When the diverter lever is turned, water redirects up through the hand shower cradle and into the hose that feeds the hand shower. The faucet without the hand shower does not have a diverter handle nor does it have the extra hole near the back so it cannot be used as the base for a clawfoot tub shower kit.
Here's where things get a little bit tricky. In order to have a functioning handheld shower and also a functioning regular showerhead, you will need a second diverter. The first diverter lever (explained above) is for switching between tub and shower. In the case of a clawfoot tub shower you will actually have two shower sprays (handheld spray and standing showerhead spray). When you switch from tub to shower mode you need a way to differentiate between the handheld spray and the normal shower head. This is where the clawfoot faucet shower diverter comes into play. See the following two images one of which shows the diverter on its own while the other shows where in the system it is actually installed.
You screw the Clawfoot Shower Diverter into the body of the Clawfoot Tub Faucet and now you have the extra functionality needed to add the shower to your clawfoot tub. This diverter operates with a heavy duty push button. You can see it on the right hand side of the image above. The threaded end on the left side is used to screw in the hand shower hose.
Because we are changing the functionality by adding a shower to your Clawfoot tub faucet you will need a different style of cradle for the handheld shower. You cannot use the normal handheld shower because the hole it installs in is now taken by the diverter and the shower riser pole (which we will get to in a minute). The handheld shower bracket designed to mount to the shower pole has a 90-degree bend and a round hole at the base to slip over the shower riser pole.
Once you have your new shower diverter button along with the new handheld shower cradle, you are ready to add the Clawfoot Tub Shower Curtain Rod and Shower Riser. This piece is what lets you convert your clawfoot tub faucet into a fully functional shower. It allows you divert the water up to a showerhead and hang a shower curtain around the clawfoot bath tub.
The shower riser is basically a hooked shape pipe. At the top of the hook is a threaded end which allows you to install your showerhead of choice. The shower riser comes up from the clawfoot tub faucet and fits through the oval rectangular shower curtain rod. It has a wall support as well as a ceiling support to anchor it in place. The shower curtain enclosure rod surrounds the tub and allows you to hang a shower curtain. Everything is available finished to match!
Now all that's left to turn your clawfoot tub faucet into a shower is to select the showerhead. This piece of the Clawfoot Tub Shower Conversion Kit is really up to you. There are no rules about which showerhead will fit the shower riser's threaded end. All standard 1/2" showerheads will fit. You can browse our high quality showerheads and select the perfect style. We offer many varieties of rain showerheads and high-pressure showerheads so there's sure to be one for you. We have oil rubbed bronze, polished brass, satin nickel, and chrome showerheads to perfectly compliment your new clawfoot tub package with shower conversion kit.
When putting together a Clawfoot Tub Faucet with Shower Diverter Hardware Package you should first remember what you learned in Part 1 of the Clawfoot Tub Faucet Buying Guide. In addition to the Claw Foot Tub Faucet, you will also need the Supply Lines, Supply Stops, and Drain. These elements handle the supply and removal of water.
Once you have the water supply elements of the clawfoot hardware package together, you must pick your tub faucet. If you wish to add a full functioning shower, you will need to purchase a Claw foot Tub Faucet with Hand Shower. You need a clawfoot tub filler with a diverter handle if you wish to put together the complete shower conversion kit package.
After selecting your faucet, you will then need to purchase the clawfoot tub shower kit diverter button, pole-mount hand shower cradle, clawfoot tub shower rod curtain enclosure with shower riser, and a showerhead. You can check out our pre-built clawfoot tub showers which are designed to make ordering easy.
It seems like a lot to create a clawfoot tub shower but the reward is worth it. Enjoy your clawfoot tub to its fullest and order your shower conversion kit today!
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Co-founder, FaucetList.com, Plumbing Industry Experience: 25+ years
Nick Kuzmin has been working with or around plumbing products for over 25 years. This lifetime of experience has given him a large amount of useful and practical knowledge on almost all plumbing related topics which he freely writes about and shares online. Nick co-founded FaucetList.com with his father Jim in 2011.
We have a clawfoot tub with faucet and shower with curtain rod that was in the home when we moved in. We would like to get rid of the curtain rod and shower and replace it with either just the tub or a tub with a handheld shower handle. We can’t figure out the brand of the showerhead and we are not sure if we can make this change or if we have to order a whole new faucet.
Hi Ann, thanks for your comment but unfortunately this is a question you will need to direct to your plumber. You will want to verify the size of the pipe connections and make sure you get a clawfoot tub shower conversion kit that will fit what you have. This is not something that will always be standard so it’s a good idea to check with the plumber first. Good luck with your project!
Love this guide. Question— my clawfoot has freestanding supply lines with the English telephone handheld so which Clawfoot tub shower conversion kit would be right for me? Thanks
Hi Dave, I understand the problem and I’m not totally sure this will work, but Kingston does make something that maybe would help. They describe this item as a “ceiling support” and I know it can be cut to size. I just don’t 100% know if it will fit on the riser included with the CCK2665 you have. Take a look here: https://www.kingstonbrass.com/product/kingston-brass-ccs485t/ It might be a good idea to give Kingston a call at 877-252-7277 and see if they have any ideas or if they think my suggestion could work. Thanks for your comment and good luck with your project!
I bought a new kit from Kingston Brass (this one: https://www.kingstonbrass.com/product/kingston-brass-cck2665/) and failed to realize that the wall support for the riser is only a couple inches long. I guess the idea is this system is meant to be installed with the faucet directly in the wall rather than the tub, which I find kind of strange, but I don’t see how else this support piece can possibly be long enough to reach the riser from the wall. I can’t install the faucet directly in the wall given the pre-existing plumbing and shape of the tub lip, so this support piece won’t work for me. My question is, do you carry this sort of piece, can it be cut to custom length, will it be compatible with my kit, or do you have any other ideas for how I can MacGyver a solution here without having to return the entire kit?
Hi Julie, you would have to contact the manufacturer of the faucet you have and see if they have a solution for adding a hand shower. You would definitely also need some way to divert the water from tub to shower so perhaps the manufacturer of your faucet can point you in the right direction. Thanks!
I have a tub faucet and the shower (5/8) extension is capped off. I do not want a full shower but would like to add the hand shower. Is it possible to buy this alone? Thanks.
Hi Nathan, unfortunately our guide only applies to clawfoot tub faucets that have a handheld shower. The diverter piece we recommend only works when you have the handheld shower as there is an open port on the side.
If you were to remove the handheld shower entirely it may be you could use the built in clawfoot tub faucet diverter, normally used to switch from tub spout to handheld shower, to instead direct the water up to the shower riser.
Depending on the actual fixtures themselves, this may or may not be possible. This is kind of out of scope of our guide and you should talk to your plumber for additional information.
Thanks!
Hi Milton, that’s a great idea. Unfortunately we don’t have specific information to share regarding this as in the end it’s somewhat up to your preference how you position the tub in relation to the shower curtain ring.
Generally speaking the shower curtain ring should be a bit larger than your tub. The shower curtain will then drape down into the tub. Keep in mind, most clawfoot tub shower curtain rings can be cut to size to fit the space. We don’t actually see a lot of variation in the sizes of shower curtain rings made by the manufacturers themselves. This is because they can be cut to fit the job.
Thanks!
I have a club foot tub with lines coming in from floor to a faucet and hand held sprayer how do I get rid of hand held and add a shower riser like said has diverter and hand sprayer but comes out side of diverter
Additional info to add would be how to select the proper sized curtain ring for your tub measurements. What dims to measure for tub (inner tub versus outside of rim, versus where the foot of the tub starts it’s rise, etc.), and what sized rings would work for those measurements.
Thanks!
Hi Judith, unfortunately with the way Kingston Brass clawfoot tub/shower systems are designed, it may not be possible to remove the hand shower. That’s something I recommend you talk to your plumber about. Removing the hand shower would change the installation described in this article, and may/may not be possible based on your existing set up. Thanks!
Everything you have here is VERY helpful and exactly what I was looking for , EXCEPT that I would like to get rid of the hand held shower and only have the overhead shower and the bathe nozzle. Is there a way to do THAT?
Hi Lisa, I do not know of a way to add a diverter off the water lines before they hit the faucet. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but there is no fixture I know of that would allow you to do that. I think a better idea would simply be to buy a new clawfoot tub faucet with a hand shower port so you could use the shower diverter made by Kingston Brass the way it is designed. Thanks!
I have the original faucet for my tub and of course it doesn’t have the shower port. Is there a way to add the shower diverter to the water lines before they hit the faucet and extend the shower kit from there?
I searched the Internet for two days shopping and trying to figure out how to convert our clawfoot tub into a working shower. Thankfully I stumbled upon this site which supplied me with all the information I needed to accomplish this. I think I know where I’m purchasing my tub/shower conversion kit.
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FaucetList.com
March 09, 2023
Hi Beth, thanks for your comment! I think it would be a good idea for you to have a plumber come out and take a look at your existing set up. Clawfoot tub fixtures sometimes use non-standard fittings, especially if they are older. I’m not sure I 100% understand your question, but if you are looking to get rid of the ability to take stand up showers in the clawfoot tub (ie remove the curtain rod and riser) you might want to consider these clawfoot tub faucet packages on our site: https://faucetlist.com/collections/clawfoot-tub-faucet-kit
You will need to determine if your current faucet is a deck or wall mount. Then you will need to determine the distance between the 2 holes from center to center. If you have a standard hole spread, you may simply be able to order a new faucet, and a new set of supply lines. Then you remove all your existing hardware and replace it with the new hardware. Ordering a new clawfoot tub faucet and supply lines would allow you to not have to think about whether all the fittings will go together. All you would need to look at is the hole spread. Please keep in mind, that while this is going to be true in 90% of situations, if you have a tub that is 100 years old or something, it may have non-standardized holes, in which case you really need a professional to come take a look. Good luck with your project and hope this helped!