Bathroom refurb

[NickB_99]

hi

About to embark on a bathroom refurb.

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• NickB_99
• 21 Mar 2018

I’d like the bath to be turned through 90 degs and up against the wall under the window.
A neighbour has suggested by turning the bath the floor should be reinforced?
It will be a new suite and a standard acrylic one, not cast iron or anything.

The floor joists currently run across at right angles to the bath. I’m not able to check their size in the bathroom due to the tiled floor.
House is about 1960s build, floorboards rather than chipboard sheets and block walls upstairs rather than stud walks etc. Seems pretty well put together.
The walls against the bath are external.
Advice appreciated if reinforcing is usual in this sort of refurb, before I start getting quotes.
Thanks.

 

[Safety First]

Prob stating the obvious, but can you find out orientation of joists from any adjacent room?

 

[TicTac]

It's the floorboards that need reinforcing, not the floor, and it should already have been done under the bath where it is. You just need a piece of 2x3 laid across the joists, underneath the legs, and that spreads the load.

 

[NickB_99]

Thanks for replies.

Prob stating the obvious, but can you find out orientation of joists from any adjacent room?

I can take the side of the bath off, and floor boards run parallel with the bath, so joists run across. Is this what you meant?

It's the floorboards that need reinforcing, not the floor, and it should already have been done under the bath where it is. You just need a piece of 2x3 laid across the joists, underneath the legs, and that spreads the load.

With the bath side off I can see a bit underneath, floorboards have not been reinforced under the bath.
With the bath in the new configuration under the window, the joists will then run parallel.

 

[TicTac]

Sorry, the joist direction is immaterial; the trick is to spread the loading of the bath over a wider area, hence putting in a lump of wood under the feet.

 

[NickB_99]

Sorry, the joist direction is immaterial; the trick is to spread the loading of the bath over a wider area, hence putting in a lump of wood under the feet.

So you think no need to put an extra joist in or cross brace the existing etc?
Would certainly make life easier.

 

[TicTac]

Never done it myself. Point loading under the feet on floorboards can give a slight deflection when the baths filled. As long as you can put in something stronger to spread the load, then that's all you're after.