New bathroom what do I need to know?

[JOB6]

I have decided to rip out the old bathroom suite since it is really old and worn out from back in the 1960s.
I am going to buy a sink, toilet and bathtub which will have a shower attached to the mixer tap as I don't want an electric shower. I have seen some nice suites online, nothing fancy but a big improvement from what I have now and need to know what I need to buy for each item because I have never done this before and want to make sure I buy exactly what I need:

What items will I need for the toilet, sink, bathtub with shower.

I won't tile or paint the bathroom until the suite is installed as I think that should be done last and I would be grateful for any advice or information thank you.

 

[omega015]

Hard to say what you will need as it all depends what comes with whatever you buy and size of wastes etc... taps might come with flexible hoses or nothing etc... you might need some 15mm copper pipe and solder, torch etc.. or maybe you aren't comfortable with soldering so you will use plastic/pushfit. Your waste pipes might need moving or extending etc..

Only tips I can offer at this moment is don't use pushfit waste, and remember to fill the tub with water when siliconing etc... You might be out of your depth in some areas so don't be scared to either ask for help on here (photos help no end) or be prepared to call in a plumber do to the final fixes.

oh and be prepared to have no bathroom facilities for several days while your doing all the work etc.. so make provisions for bodily functions especially if you come to finish the toiler but find you need a part and the diy shops are closed so you have to wait till the next day to finish.

 

[muggles]

Hmmm what do you need to know? That's a broad question, but....

• A decent quality suite isn't cheap
• It's called a basin. Sinks go in kitchens
• It's worth spending more on a good quality reinforced bath, as they are stronger for standing in when showering, and hold their heat better when bathing. Anything called "Trojan xxxxxx Reinforced" from here will be good
• Cheap toilets can suffer from poor flush performance, although the known exception to this rule is the Wickes Portland, which is under £50 and flushes well. They can be a bit misshapen though, and the toilet seat is made from the thinnest plastic known to man
• Aqualisa make great showers backed up by great customer service. Their Visage Digital range are well worth a look. Mira make great showers backed up by rather poor customer service
• Don't buy unbranded/obscure brassware - you won't be able to get spares for it when you need to
• Dow Corning 785 is the best silicone
• It'll take you longer than you think!

Hope that helps!

 

[Burnerman]

Check your water pressure before choosing your taps! Have you a combi boiler, gravity feed or whatever?
John

 

[dilalio]

Perhaps most important of all...
Find out how to shut the water off and that any valves that control this are easily accessible and work as they should

 

[Nige F]

Hmmm what do you need to know? That's a broad question, but....

• 
  
• Cheap toilets can suffer from poor flush performance, although the known exception to this rule is the Wickes Portland, which is under £50 and flushes well. They can be a bit misshapen though, and the toilet seat is made from the thinnest plastic known to man

Hope that helps!

I second that - it'll clear #2s on short flush. Get a new seat for it and put it on a painted wall - not tiles where it will show up as crooked

 

[London Mike 49]

My tip is to buy a good make of taps etc so you can get spares, I bought Bristan taps and I am very pleased with them.

Mike

 

[JOB6]

Thank you I will do some further research on bathrooms and lastly in all my life I have been calling it a bathroom sink and am glad to know it is called a ‘basin’.
Also could you elaborate on checking the water pressure before buying taps as that woud be very useful to know. I have an electric boiler in a high rise flat which supplies all the flats with hot and cold water, the hot water is 24/7 no need to switch the boiler on but for heating I need to switch it on.

 

[dilalio]

Well, you'll need a pressure gauge to check that, but if your taps really gush out and it is hard to put your thumb over the spout to stop the flow without getting soaked - then you have reasonably high pressure.

 

[JOB6]

Thanks for the advice so far and I have a further question about the main water feed. In the bathroom cupboard where the pipes and valves are, there are two valves which control the hot water for the whole flat and another one which controls the cold water feed to the kitchen and bathroom cold water taps. I am assuming the cold water is coming from the mains and the hot water is from another source as I have an electric boiler where hot water is available 24/7 as all the units in the high storey flat get water from the same source.

Is it possible to have the hot water feed (pipe)connected to the same feed as the cold water, so only one valve would control the cold and hot water or is this impossible?

 

[JayJay1978]

High rise flat? (shudder) I think of all the trips to the van i'd need to make up and down that lift to get parts from my van.

 

[Steelmasons]

I have decided to rip out the old bathroom suite since it is really old and worn out from back in the 1960s.
I am going to buy a sink, toilet and bathtub which will have a shower attached to the mixer tap as I don't want an electric shower. I have seen some nice suites online, nothing fancy but a big improvement from what I have now and need to know what I need to buy for each item because I have never done this before and want to make sure I buy exactly what I need:

What items will I need for the toilet, sink, bathtub with shower.

I won't tile or paint the bathroom until the suite is installed as I think that should be done last and I would be grateful for any advice or information thank you.

I guess what you need to know is the phone number of a local plumber.
Or enrol yourself for a course in plumbing.
What a ridiculous question to ask..I can just imagine you cutting a live supply pipe.....you'll have one hand over the end of pipe whilst reaching for the lap top with the other trying to log onto DIYnot..

 

[JayJay1978]

I guess what you need to know is the phone number of a local plumber.
Or enrol yourself for a course in plumbing.
What a ridiculous question to ask..I can just imagine you cutting a live supply pipe.....you'll have one hand over the end of pipe whilst reaching for the lap top with the other trying to log onto DIYnot..

If you cant ask basic plumbing questions of a diy forum without being ridiclued where can you ask them?

 

[Steelmasons]

I guess all it takes to fit out a bathroom would be to join an internet forum..
It's just a shame the Internet wasn't around when I did my training as it would have saved me the agro of having to attend a 7 year city and guilds course in plumbing and heating..

 

[Steelmasons]

Is it possible to have the hot water feed (pipe)connected to the same feed as the cold water, so only one valve would control the cold and hot water or is this impossible?

I rest my case..