Boxing in pipework, then tiling over, while maintaing access

[Beamish]

I've just about finished re-fitting my bathroom, but need to box in the soil pipe running from floor to ceiling, and the waste and water pipes running horizontally from bath to toilet.

But, as the bathroom is being completely tiled I want to tile over the boxing, but at the same time I want to maintain access for the future.

Does anyone have any good tips to achieve this ?

My only thought so far is this..... I'm thinking of using as few screws as possible to attach the boxing to the battens, then drilling holes through the tiles at the screw locations, then use white mastic to cover the screw holes, so if I need access I can just remove the mastic from the screw holes and remove the boxing with tiles intact.

Or should I consider some method of using hidden hinges and magnetic closers ?

 

[TexMex]

A trick I've used in the past is keyhole slots in the battons. I made my own but you may be able to find them in a DIY shed.

drill some keyhole slots in some brass strips (one small hole one big, file inbetween).
Drill some smaller holes in the strips to allow them to be screwed to the battons.
Cut battons to length ensuring they are about 1/4" short of the vertical height.
Drill large holes through the battons (same size as the overall length of the keyhole slots)
Mount the brass strips over the holes (narrow side up)
Mount the battons on the walls (through the narrow part of the slots and don't over tighten)
Build boxing (making sure that it is about 1/4" short on the vertical length)
Mount boxing to battons.
Ensure you can remove the whole assembly. (lift, ease one edge away then the other).
Screw some beading to the top to hide the gap.
Tile the box (but not over the beading).

When you need access in future you just unscrew the beading, and lift the whole lot off.

 

[Beamish]

Excellent suggestion.... Thanks TexMex, that will certainly work for the vertical boxing around the soil pipe... I'll do that.

I'm still unsure about the horizontal boxing though.... The basin and toilet are a problem (not unlike any others though).... the boxing alone will have to be in 4/5 sections because of the number of pipes.

 

[TexMex]

For horizontal boxes I have done the following.

Get some channel section iron.
Drill clean through one side wall and out of the other.
Open up one of these holes with a larger drill (to allow for a screwdriver head)
Mount the channel to the wall (open side up). (I prefer to mount it on a batton).
lay a thin batton loosely inside the channel.
Offer up top panel of boxxing and screw it to the loose batton.
Mount another batton to the wall to support the bottom face of the boxxing in the normal fashion.
Screw bottom face of boxxing to this batton.
remove the screws you've just put in.
Take bottom batton back off the wall and glue and screw to the boxxing
(taking care to find the previous screw holes).
Replace screws in the walls that supported batton leaving them protruding about an inch.
Cut heads off of screws and file tops to round off.
Boxxing is now lowered onto top support and lower edge pushed over the screws.

To remove for access, ease the bottom forwards, then lift.

 

[tinamac]

A trick I've used in the past is keyhole slots in the battons. I made my own but you may be able to find them in a DIY shed.

drill some keyhole slots in some brass strips (one small hole one big, file inbetween).
Drill some smaller holes in the strips to allow them to be screwed to the battons.
Cut battons to length ensuring they are about 1/4" short of the vertical height.
Drill large holes through the battons (same size as the overall length of the keyhole slots)
Mount the brass strips over the holes (narrow side up)
Mount the battons on the walls (through the narrow part of the slots and don't over tighten)
Build boxing (making sure that it is about 1/4" short on the vertical length)
Mount boxing to battons.
Ensure you can remove the whole assembly. (lift, ease one edge away then the other).
Screw some beading to the top to hide the gap.
Tile the box (but not over the beading).

When you need access in future you just unscrew the beading, and lift the whole lot off.

This sounds like a great idea, but can you explain the "1/4" short on vertical length" and how is the boxing mounted to these slotted battons?

do you have any pictures of the box that goes onto the battons?

I am boxing in a concealed cistern with back to wall pan, so will use the slotting idea to situate the front panel (behind the loo) onto a frame, so I can get the panel off for when I need access (not the whole box). Although, that would mean I would have to remove silicon between the pan and the panel if I did want to move it ( - can't think of a better idea)

I intend to use 18mm marine ply and paint it (cause I have some left over from other jobs).
With a tiled marine ply top to access the ball cock (not sure what that bit will be like yet

Any suggestions, or obvious reasons for concern with my idea would be appreciated!

 

[foxhole]

You don't usually need access to pipework, just box and tile, the toilet cistern lid can be tiled and before fitting apply a then bead of silicon to edge , cover the silicon with a thin strip of polythene [cling film ideal]place top onto this seal , when set remove cover and peel off film leaving a clean silicon seal between surfaces but only adhered to one.

 

[tinamac]

You don't usually need access to pipework, just box and tile, the toilet cistern lid can be tiled and before fitting apply a then bead of silicon to edge , cover the silicon with a thin strip of polythene [cling film ideal]place top onto this seal , when set remove cover and peel off film leaving a clean silicon seal between surfaces but only adhered to one.

The silicon and cling film idea is a good idea that I will use for the top.

However, I don't want to have to take the whole box apart the next time I replace a part in the cistern so I really need to have the front panel (behind the loo) removable.
I just can't visualise the boxing in suggestion using the keyhole method - I understand the keyhole and fitting the battons with the keyhole metal strips to the walls but the "1/4" short on the vertical length and fitting the box to the battons" isn't clear?
Any further description or picture for a noddy?
thanks guys