D.I.Y. TIPS (Bathroom)
1. I want new bathroom, and I'm not scared to do it myself.
You should know this before starting the work.
- - Size of your bathroom (and try to not over-pack it with appliances and cupboards, or you will be squeezing between them to take a bath or use the loo until you reinstall it again);
- - Position of water supply and drain for your appliances and do the need for adjustment present;
- - After tiling the floor or installing real wood floor the height of it might be different from previous (it will be raised for the thickness of the wood or tiles including underlay or tile adhesive), so some adjustments will be needed, at least for the WC drains (flexible connections could fix this but not in all cases), and also the bottom of bathroom door, existing cupboards (if you intend to leave them alone) might need trimming;
- - Improvement of ventilation (if old bathroom did not have fan-extractor, better to install one, consider with the shutters to keep warm during cold weather, and if it had, then think if it needs replacement);
- - Partition walls should be modified for fitting some appliances to them (wash-basin, shower, water filled radiators, wall mounted cabinet, heavy mirror - marine ply wood needs to be installed first). Also walls around bath or shower, where the water will be spilled on the walls during usual use, need special waterproof sheets (i.e. Hardibacker);
- - Floors may need to be strengthened for heavy appliance, like bath (even if it's not cast iron, bath, filled with water, is very heavy). May be even resurfaced, replaced (for installing bath, shower, wet room, tiling) and waterproofed with special materials.
Next you need to think about space around appliances for easy use: 600 mm (2') for door opening, 600 mm (2') for WC and same for bidet, 700 mm (2' 4") for the bath, shower and wash-basin respectively.
Firstly all electrical and plumbing works should be prepared (as builders say - first fix, or wiring and piping) before other works started. Only after that you could start works on the walls and floor. Such as: install ply wood instead of plasterboard behind future wash-basin and WC cistern, fit waterproof boards instead of plasterboard around bath or shower, not forgetting to make the holes in it for the pipes, if needed.
Before you fit them remove all unevenness and leftover of the nails, screws, parts of old plasterboard etc. Fix the boards in the same way, as plasterboards, driving screws every 200-300 mm (8-12"), making sure the edge of the board is on the middle line of the stud, and you are driving the screws between that line and the edge of the stud. Use screws in the middle of the board too, using guideline, drawn in the board, showing the middle of the stud behind it. The edges of the boards should meet in the centre line of the stud and screws should be driven through them close to their brims.
TOOLS AND MATERIALS REQUIRED (in addition to basic set):
WC installation/replacement:
Tools:
Small spirit level, water pump pliers x2.
Materials:
Toilet pan connector or flexible pan connector, push-fit flexible tap connector (15 mm x 1/2") - it might be straight or elbow, depending on the circumstances, silicone sealant with sealant gun.
Wash-basin installation/replacement (wall mounted, with or without pedestal):
Tools:
Small spirit level, basin wrench, flexible tap connectors x2 (15 mm x 1/2").
Materials:
Basin trap (type dependent on the space and circumstances - bottle trap, through trap, P or S trap - last two often used inside the floor standing unit if there is a space), leak sealer, jointing compound, silicone sealant with the gun.
Bath installation/replacement:
Tools:
Small and long spirit levels, basin wrench, wood hand saw or jig saw with wood blade.
Materials:
Bath trap (in most cases - shallow), flexible pipe connectors (22 mm x 3/4") x2, leak sealer, jointing compound, silicone sealant with the gun, wood for the frame (20x35mm, 30x45mm or something similar), wood screws for frame construction and fixing it to the walls.
Shower tray installation/replacement:
Tools:
Small spirit level, water pump pliers x2, hand or jig saw, trowel.
Materials:
Shower trap, leak sealer, jointing compound, silicone sealant with the gun, some wood if needed, mortar (depending on the circumstances).
2. What you need to know to remove old wash-basin?
Turn both cold and hot water supply off. Have a look under the basin, are there isolation valves on the pipes, supplying water to the taps. If yes, then you need flat screwdriver to turn the slot into perpendicular position (or 90°) to the valve body. If there are no isolation valves under the basin, then the stop valve (or stop cock) should be found. In case of cold and hot water storages stop valves could be located: on the bottom of cold water storage and on the pipe, coming out from the top of hot water storage (cylinder), close to the cylinder. If You have no storages, then find the stop valve (stop cock) not far from the entrance inside your property or sometimes in the kitchen or in utility room.
Now open the taps on the basin and wait for the water to stop. Disconnect flexible connectors or copper stubs, using water pump plyers or some other pipe wrench, which you have (sometimes it's easier to undo the top nut on the isolation valve). Unscrew the plastic nut, connecting the trap to the waste pipe. Locate the screws, fixing basin to the wall (under basin, it could be deep enough, but nevertheless it should be accessible). Lift the basin and take it away. Now undo the screws fixing pedestal to the floor and take it away.
Note: You might want to reuse old taps (or mixer), but it's always better to replace them too. They are old and will need attention very soon, and probably you'll need to replace them any way in the nearest future. Therefore, as we told you before, better to do it now, installing new basin.
3. Installation of new wash-basin.
Assess whether you need to re-route the pipework. If pipes did not have isolation valves, it is time to fit them. Have a look in the box where your new taps (or mixer) has been delivered/purchased. It could be nothing but taps (or mixer) but sometimes you could find there pieces of copper pipe, those are converters from the tap to the 15 mm pipes supplying water. Instead of this manufacturer might include flexible hoses with steel wire on the top of rubber. Separate taps usually will need flexible tap connectors (15 mm x 1/2"), some of them are combined with isolation valves. You can easily purchase them in any plumbing or building merchants, or you might try Homebase, B&Q etc.
Note: When installing isolation valves make sure you did it properly. On the valve body you'll find an arrow, showing the direction of water flow. That arrow should be directed to the tap/mixer, not backwards, otherwise you might not stop the water flow in case of emergency etc.
In case of mixer you'll need to use tails (rigid copper or flexible), supplied with the mixer. Even when tails included are rigid, no worries, purchase a couple of flexible and connect the tails to the taps or mixer. For the connection to the pipes you'll need probably to install short stubs from copper or plastic pipe from isolation valves. Do not forget to use metal or plastic pipe inserts for plastic pipe on both ends.
Fit taps/mixer on the basin, then fit waste components, as shown and written in manufacturer's instruction. Use small amount of leak sealer between the parts of waste assembly and basin. It'll save you time and nerves after completed installation and start of use, as this assembly often leaks when it's assembled with the dry surfaces.
When everything prepared put pedestal on its future place and basin on the pedestal and flash with the wall. Do not connect or fix anything yet. Just make sure the preparations were made properly and basin is levelled horizontally, using spirit level. Now mark on the wall position of the holes in the back side of the basin and the holes in the pedestal on the floor. Take away the basin and pedestal, pre-drill the holes in the marked positions in the ply wood on the wall and on the floor with the drill bit thinner, than the fixing screws. If the floor tiled, then use special bit for the tiles and in this case diameter should be sufficient for the plugs, which will be used with the screws.
Put pedestal on it's place again, then basin. Better to ask somebody for the help. He/she will hold basin and pedestal roughly in position, and you will make all connections. Firstly connect flexible connectors with the pipes. Then screw basin to the wall (not tight them till the end). Connect waste at the same time, making necessary adjustments. Tighten the screws to the wall and fix pedestal to the floor. Apply sanitary sealant to the top and side line between basin and the wall and to the line between pedestal and the floor.
In any case, should you have a questions for which you could not find explanations here, probably they aren't so simple. Therefore, to prevent bigger problems contact us: just click "Contact" button in the menu, where you can fill in a form and send it to us, and we'll do our best to help you.