I have a bathroom with fancy pink tile from 1925. I recently removed the tub fixture because part of it was leaking and I am hoping to install an upgraded fixture while preserving the tile. The valve body that I removed was sort of like this one, with 8" between the centers of the hot and cold valves. There was also a lot of plumber's putty around the valves. I cleaned all of that out. Here are the photos of what I'm left with now.My "dream" would be to install this tub faucet and shower combination, but I do not know if it would work. Here's a link to the installation instructions, which --if I'm understanding them correctly -- show that the distance between the centers of the hot and cold valves for this fixture must be within 6 15/16" (6 3/16", plus or minus 3/4"). I did a cardboard mock-up of the outside diameter of 1/2" threaded brass fittings (haven't bought those yet), and with the existing holes in the tile/metal lathe/concrete, the closest that I could get the center of my "fittings" was 7 3/32" apart. So, if I actually want to get that fixture, I'd have to bring those holes closer together.I'm concerned about how I could go about enlarging the holes without shaking any concrete keys loose, and I'm also concerned about what enlarging the holes would do to the structural integrity.Here are my questions:Do you think that this would be doable?If so, I'd probably need to subsequently make the holes smaller by filling them in towards their outermost side (farthest right for the right side, and left for the side side), correct?If so, what would be the best thing to use?If I was planning on moving the holes in order to accommodate the narrower fixture, I'd also go ahead and fill in that middle hole. For reference, each hole is about 2" deep.Would I need to somehow reinforce the concrete anyway, due to the rusted metal? I'm already sort of planning to add a bit of a frame to the back to clamp the pipes to, but I thought I'd tackle this aspect first.With regard to the tile, my hope would be to switch out a few of the pieces from the wall that that already have (smaller) holes and use those behind the new fixture. I'd replace the missing tiles from the wall with decorative tiles. It would also give me an opportunity to remove the "pink" tiles (pics in album!) behind the towel bar and replace those with decorative tiles.One more thing regarding the tile: I was worried about installing a shower and having water get behind the tile. I said something to my family about "tile not being waterproof" and they looked at me like I'd lost my mind. Should I be concerned about water getting behind the tile (in places other than around the fixture)?By the way, the house in in Richmond, VA.Thank you for any help! via /r/DIY http://ift.tt/2G39y6Z
