Bathroom refurbishment - several questions

[lymmranger]

Hi guys,Fantastic forum - I have lurked as a guest for ages but now I would like some help please.

When we bought our house it had a shower enclosure, next to the bath. The (resin) tray had a crack in it and I have finally got around to changing it.

Hellsteeth what a job! - they built the bathroom around it so I have carefully dismantled the (daryl) shower door (will be re-used) and the stud walls and finally yesterday removed the old tray (dam heavy aint they!)

...found out why it cracked - it was only on a (very) wonky 12mm ply base (in 3 pieces!!!!)
So now the rebuilding can commence, but first some questions!

1/ I need a 1200 x 800 tray recommendations please - they seem to vary from £50 - to over £300 and I only want to do this once! (cost is not necessarily an issue old tray was 11cm deep can i use a lower profile - weight!)
2/ will 18mm ply be sturdy enough as a base?

3/ Are all thermostatic mixer units a standard pipe layout (fittings in/out)

4/ I intend to use aquapanel /tile in the shower but for the rest of the bathroom (currently panelled) will 12mm ply be ok?

5/ is there such a thing as a flexible waste fitting? - the waste pipe is under the bath and alignment may be an issue (I am NOT taking the bathy out if I can help it!)

6/ can someone confirm that sand/cement is the best bedding material? - I suppose my choice of tray will answer this???

7/ finally back to the platform - existing one runs on top of old floorboards but paralell to joists should i rebuild on a sheet of ply first or is this acceptable (may as well change it if advised)
phew what a post! sorry about all the questions and thank you in advance for your help

 

[Agile]

Too many questions for a quick answer. Some of the tiling topics might get other ideas in the tiling forum but some on here do a lot of tiling.

The base will depend of the type of tray you buy. If you want a solid ( cold ) one to last another 50 years you can use a ceramic one!

The usual difficulty is how to connect the waste under the tray! There are flexible convoluted wastes.

Some people use a few push fit elbows to make something they think will move as they lower the tray. A few do it through the ceiling below when thats exposed. Many installers end up with a totally inaccessible waste!

The best ones have a large upstand and a removable front access hatch.

A solution I prefer is to build your own solid timber frame and lay reinforced concrete on top an then tile that. It can be made to exactly fit the space and is the cheapest solution particularly for larger sizes. But do use non slip tiles.

You will get a lot of replies so think through what you are told before making your decision.

Shower units have different dimensions for supplies. I would say ensure they stay accessible and are not tiled over!

I do boiler repairs and only do bathroom work for myself and very close friends.

Tony

 

[lymmranger]

Thanks for the info so far

....hopefully more to come from the other posters!

 

[bathstyle]

1, These are pretty good:-

http://www.just-trays.co.uk/intro.html

2, Yes, add noggins between joists and at edges of Ply. Not rigid enough to tile onto though.

3, No way

4, Ply is a poor substrate for tiling, Moisture resistant P/board is better.

5, I avoid these flexy wastes if I can help it, the waste fitting should be lined up below the tray 'waste hole' and then dropped onto it and the top screwed on, go for a top access shower waste.

6, Many manufacturers recommend this but are wrong IMO, a flexible cement based rapidsetting adhesive works better.

7, Que??

 

[lymmranger]

Thanks "bathstyle"

If I use one of those trays I wouldn`t need a raised platform!
How durable are they? seems odd that most resin trays require a stable platform yet these rely on 4 or 5 legs.
If I understand this type of tray correctly I would just need a stable floor with this type - say a sheet of ply (12mm?) screwed onto the fllorboards?
...and no messing about with "bedding down" either - seems too good to be true!
...sorry to keep posting questions

- oh will use plaster board for rest of room - easier to work with anyway!!!

 

[kevplumb]

...sorry to keep posting questions

post away fella thats what the forum is for

 

[lymmranger]

sort of shameless bump here

...ready to purchase the new tray now

still unsure about what to buy

are the trays with the adjustable legs OK (if installed correctly)
which manufacturers are good and which to avoid
should it still be a resin tray
can you get them with a non slip surface

day off today and money burning a hole in my pocket guys

 

[bloxy]

are the trays with the adjustable legs OK (if installed correctly)
which manufacturers are good

I did my bathroom refit last year so tray and enclosure has been in 12 months and looks like new still. I used http://www.designertrays.co.uk/. It had some pretty solid legs which went straight on to the floor (18mm WBP ply) and the feet were set into blobs of silicone to prevent any movement. The acrylic plinth clips around the tray and was siliconed in place as well. The legs gave sufficient height to fit the shower trap. Read up on fitting in the tiling forum to ensure it is permanently sealed. If you have floor boards I would lay a sub base of 18mm WBP ply screwed down onto the boards to increase stability.

Yes you can get flexible waste pipe if you have difficult routing.

Lots of good information in the tiling forum about what to use for you rwalls. Don't use ply for walls plasterboard is cheaper and will do the job fine if using it in wet areas use standard plaster board and tank it.

 

[lymmranger]

thank you for the info

I must say I discounted the trays with legs intially, but it would appear I was wrong.

This type of tray would make the job alot easier so I will look into one

next desision is the thermostatic mixer - may as well change it cos it looks shabby and is of unknown age

...then I can finally get rebuilding