Doing my own bathroom

JP_

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I am starting to thing I'll have to do my own bathroom - struggling to get a plumber round (other than a couple that want to charge the earth).

Current situation:
Toilet drainage in place, plan to use existing basin and bath drainage routes (replacing pipes).
Plumbing done.
Room plastered & tile backer boarded.
Floor down.

So what is left is:

Fit the steel bath I've bought (got the legs & taps)
Tile wall
Put vinyl sheet floor down
Fit toilet and basin
Fit radiator (I'll get my heating guy back to do this, just need to leave enough floor with access, which might be tricky with vinyl.
Skirting board the plastered wall bit, put door on, make good around the door.

My main concern is the bath, as in getting it securely in place. There is a 5cm gap to fill, so thinking timber supports can cover the gap and ideally I can make it so I can tile to top of bath height, creating more shelf space.

I should be able to screw in all water with flexi hoses, although will need a 15-22 converter for the cold tap (the hot tap already has a 22mm fitting.

For tiling, I plan to get ready may adhesive to make my life a bit easier. Will get the best available. I've never tiled, and have no tools. Hoping to avoid cuts as much as possible by filling in will vertical mosaic strips.

I have a week off work booked for August, so need to make the most of this. Could try to get bath fitted before then so I am ready to tile in that week.

What do I need, need to know, do etc? All a bit scary, I've managed to avoid anything like this until now!
 
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Make your gap a tiled wall shelf at the end of the bath that sits above the level of the bath rather than trying to get it flush, then tile that before fitting the bath.

So like this:
Dominican-White-Wall-Bathroom-Tiles-250-x-500mm-Per-Box-Lifestyle-e1571776962234.jpg


Not this:
51146941_2047793961935246_7692298491699134464_n_2047793958601913.jpg


Ready mixed tile adhesive is not the best way to go, go for mixing your own.

I daresay others will be along wth their two pennies worth.
 
That does look better, although 5cm not much of a shelf on its own. Probably enough for a bottle of bubble bath or a candle.

That photo reminds me - bath panels. I like the idea of a tiled panel, but worried about the cost if the tap needs replacing.
 
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That does look better, although 5cm not much of a shelf on its own. Probably enough for a bottle of bubble bath or a candle.

That photo reminds me - bath panels. I like the idea of a tiled panel, but worried about the cost if the tap needs replacing.

Ideally the tiled panel would have screws to enable the removal of it.
 
I'm doing my own bathroom as well and almost finished. Here's what I did if it helps...

If you do a tiled panel you can make an access panel. I used 12.5cm square ties for my bathroom and created a separate detachable part which was two tile widths, at the tap end.

I made up my own bath panel frame out of timber- straightforward with lengths of timber and right angle brackets. Cheaper than the premade ones and to be honest seemed a bit easier. I then used 6mm hardiebacker (as I had some leftover anyway), and my access panel section is held in place using those magnetic door catches, screwing the magnet part onto the back of the hardiebacker. There are loads of other ways of doing it but this is how I did mine.

Re your radiator issue I had the same situation. Before laying my LVT I had a plumber fit our towel rail, adjusting the projection to take into account the eventual +8mm I was going to end up with after tiling, if that makes sense. I then took the towel rail back off with the pipes now in the correct place. Flooring done, tiled, grouted and then can be put back on. With the bracket screw holes, when tiling I used small hole saw to cut a hole in the tile so that this wouldn't be covered up and I could fit the brackets in the exactly the same place. The width of the bracket was a fair bit wider than the hole saw I used so just gives you a bit of leeway rather than trying to line up a small screw hole.

I'd also look into using epoxy grout- it will work out more expensive (I've spent just over £100 on grout for quite a small en suite) but worth it IMO. I use Fugalite bio and its not too difficult to use. I buy a load of small cellulose sponges that they sell in toolstation relatively cheaply for the cleanup part.
 
Came to look at dad's bathroom, mainly as wet room going underneath and need to fit a fan below the floor, it was a cast iron bath, been in since house built 1954, and it was just sitting on bricks, clearly designed to have legs, but never been fitted since new, and never had a problem.
 
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Yeah, I think we often overthink these jobs.
As it happens, plumber is coming on Monday to fit the bath!
Then I just need to learn to tile on the job, and should be OK to fit the other bits.
 

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