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I have a Jacuzzi-brand tub with an integrated multi-piece surround that came with our house when we bought it. Probably installed in the 90s if not earlier, but I don't really know.

This bathroom is getting a full gut minus the tub, and my contractor asked me if I was interested in removing the top panel of this surround so that I could have the full height of the room when taking a shower. While more room is great, we both agreed that he needed to better understand how the panels of this tub were connected such that if the top panel were removed, the whole structure wouldn't loose rigidity and become floppy - or any other unforeseen change in the rest of the tub structure that would make it less functional. Because once that panel comes off, I don't expect it can go back on.

Below I have a picture of the tub, with the vertical panels making up the surround marked. We assume that under each panel is a flange from the lower panel that is nailed to the studs, and the flange height is high enough such that were water to make it into a seam, it would then drain back out via gravity. There is clearly a frame built off the studs immediately surrounding the the front edges, and if you look into the openings around it does appear that there's a flange going up behind the panels.

fiberglass Jacuzzi bathtub surround

I was hoping to find some sort of reference to this type of tub online, but after scouring google images I'm getting either (a) tubs that are too new or (b) tubs that were made of multiple vertical-oriented panels, one per wall, rather than the horizontally-stacked that we're dealing with.

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  • Since it's Jacuzzi brand, I'd suggest contacting them with any identifying info you can find about the model/style. Ask them if they have a copy (PDF) of the installation instructions to find out if it was recommended that any adhesives be used in installation or if it was to be a purely nailed/screwed install. It's likely (though not guaranteed, of course) that it was installed according to the instructions.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Sep 24, 2021 at 18:21

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how the panels of this tub were connected such that if the top panel were removed, the whole structure wouldn't loose rigidity and become floppy

The top of each section should be secured to the studs with screws. An easy way to test if this is the case is to run a magnet along the seam and see if it is pulled toward screws at regular intervals.

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    Thanks, my contractor's biggest concern is the use of adhesive in addition to screws back when this would have been installed. We don't mean caulk along the seams, but adhesive hidden where the flanges are.
    – will_mse
    Commented Sep 24, 2021 at 14:10
  • If he removes the accessible caulk, and the screw through the face on the bottom of the top section (inside your purple box) he might be able to flex the corner in enough to determine if adhesive was used. It really should be the same as the overlap flange common at the top of the tub though, where I wouldn’t expect to find adhesive beyond silicone caulk.
    – Tim B
    Commented Sep 25, 2021 at 14:35
  • If they did use adhesive or caulk, it wasn't needed. The panels nest and overlap like shingles so water will never penetrate them. They should lift off each other.
    – Steve Wellens
    Commented Oct 24, 2021 at 4:50

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