How to renovate your bathroom
The biggest challenge in bathroom renovation is to balance aesthetics and functionality in one of the smallest, but the most demanding for decoration, rooms in a flat or a house. Changing the bathroom may look like a simple thing, but there are few technical and aesthetic factors which limit the planning and therefore have to be looked at.
decorating bathrooms
Before the renovation begins, new appearance should be planned in advance. It can be drawn on a piece of paper, or using a computer, taking into consideration the existing measurements and position of bathroom furniture and plumbing fixtures.
Think about all the good and bad things that already exist and create the new bathroom that would suit you best. Consulting the construction men is a good idea in order to define workable possibilities in the simplest and fastest way. After a complete renovation, a possibility of having completely new plumbing fixtures, heating devices, sockets and plugs, lights, bathroom furniture and dimensions in general, should be really used. Together with a plumber, owners should define new furniture arrangement, water supply and sewage fixtures. When the solution is achieved, and both aesthetical and technical possibilities are agreed upon, plumbing fixtures should be bought and installed. A plumber should receive the necessary technical documentation so that he can install the fixtures easily, quickly and accurately.
The choice of sanitary fixtures is big.
Bathtubs - classical or hydro massage: Dimensions for classical bathtubs are approximately from 150x70cm to 200x80cm and depending on the model they can be built-in (enclosed) or with legs and incrustation which can be removed if needed. Hydro massage tubs are produced in various forms, from basic types with water sprinklers to mini spa centres. If you choose a hydro massage tub, electrical, water and sewage fixtures should be installed according to technical documentation.
Shower tub and shower cabin: dimensions for shower tubs are from 70x70cm to 160x100cm and they can be semi-circular or angle shower. They can also be built-in or with incrustation, or a complete shower tub can be bought with the cabin. The height of the shower tub is different depending on the fact is the shower installed under the floor, in line with the floor or 15-20 cm above the floor. Also, there is a possibility to coat the space intended for showering with ceramic tiles, with a certain descent towards the side channel. In that case, hydro insulation needs to be done by experts. If you choose a shower tub, there is a possibility to install a built-in colon instead of a regular tap, or a colon with sprinklers. Shower cabins can be made of plastic or of tempered glass, with decoration or transparent. Nowadays, people are again using curtains for shower tubs because they are of better quality.
Toilet seats: there are several types of toilet seats:
- Regular toilet seats with low or high tanks
- Mono block toilets
- Console toilet with a system of a built-in tank
Lately, built-in tanks are used more and they are standard because of the quality of production, appearance and space saving. Manufacturers give longer guaranties, all the key parts are replaceable without the wall breaking and there is a big selection of flush buttons. There is a need to check whether you need a toilet seat with floor or wall leg and also to leave at least 30cm of frees space around the seat. If a bidet is installed, it should be of the same type as the toilet seat and it should be placed next to it.
Wash basins: wash basins are separated into several categories:
- The basic type is a console, standard sink (under which a leg can be placed which shields the siphon)
- A model which is built in the furniture or in the board made of concrete and coated with ceramics
- A partly built-in sink placed into the furniture
- Super-built-in sink, which stands on the furniture
Depending on the type of the wash basin (and bath tub), a corresponding tap and siphon will be installed. There are single handle and double handle taps and they can be installed into the wash basin, above it (in the wall) and they can be built in the wall.
bathroom design
Boilers: if there is no system hot water in the pipes in your city, there is a need for the boiler of a certain size. Standard boilers with tanks, which are placed on the wall, can be made as vertical and horizontal. Also, it is possible to install a boiler with flowing water, which is better than the standard one because it is smaller and it has got unlimited amount of hot water, while it needs an adequate electrical supply.
Heating: together with plumbing and sewage fixtures, heating installations are made. The most practical solution for a bathroom is a wall drier which heats the room and at the same time dries the towels. There is an option to put under floor heating which is more complicated for installation but makes a bathroom more comfortable.
Except for the montage of floor heating under the cement cladding, there is an option of electrical floor heating, where the heating net is set on the existing cladding and on which the tiles are assembled. In this case electric consumption is not big. The only difference between a wall drier and floor heating is the price. If only bathroom is worked on, it is better to montage underfloor heating.
There is a nice feeling of standing bare foot on warm tiles, there is never water on the floor, it is dried faster and there is no wall drier so that more free surface is left. When the furniture arrangement is set, it is important to define a correct disposition of electrical installations. It is very important to sort the lightning, especially above the mirror. Set the place for central, as well as ambience, lightning, for sockets and other things. If there is no natural ventilation, set the place for a blower fan. When you choose ceramics, it is important to agree upon the details, such as the direction of the tiles, width, colour of the fugue mass, the choice of edge fillet, etc.
Renovation phases:
Phase 1. Preliminary works. Dismantling of the old sanitary fixtures and furniture, plumbing and sewage installations and old ceramic tiles is done at the first phase. Breaking of existing walls takes place if the bathroom dimensions are changed. After taking out of the debris and cleaning, the bathroom is ready for renovation according to a previous plan.
Phase 2. Plan of installation works. Making of new plumbing, sewage, electro, heating and ventilate installations. If the walls were demolished before the installation works, it is time to form new walls and close all the installation channels.
Phase 3. Hydro insulation of the bathroom. This phase can be done in a quick and simple way. It is done after installation works and wall levelling.
Phase 4. Ceramic works. In this phase it is very important to well prepare the foundation. Today ceramic workers encounter many problems. The biggest ones are uneven cladding and badly mortared walls. A good ceramic worker can handle these problems, but the material consumption is bigger than usual and the workers have problems with investors.
modern bathroom
Floor. Before assembling the ceramic tiles, it would be good to check the cladding. If it turns out that the cladding is crooked, wavy or declined, it should be fixed. With a slightly crooked cladding, there might be possibility to scrape the cladding, but if the problem is bigger, it is easier to use a self-dissolving mass for floor, which evens and prepares the surfaces for the next phase.
Walls. The work is done in a similar ways as with floor, except for the fact that self-dissolving mass cannot be used for the walls. Mortaring should be done with as less mistakes as possible. It is important whether the walls are abeam. If there is a deviation of 0.5cm on the surface of several metres, ceramic workers might have problems. This problem should be avoided in advance during the mortaring, when the checking of abeam should be done.
Ceramics should be chosen before the mortaring. Depending on the type of ceramics, the assembling is different. If the walls are intended for mosaic, attention should be paid at mortaring phase. Mosaic is usually slightly thinner than ceramics and it can be placed on a net or on the foil. It is also very important to carefully choose an experienced craftsman.
Wall ceramics should not necessarily be just the one intended only for walls. Floor tiles can easily be set on the walls, however a vice versa procedure is not possible. The floors should not be covered in wall tiles, because they are thinner, of lower quality and can easily crack. Mosaics can also be placed on the floors, but again in a careful and previously discussed way. Some manufacturers make ceramic mosaics for floors, while a glass mosaic should be placed on the floor only after expert advising. 
bathroom decorating ideas
There exist a laser cut ceramic and non-laser cut ceramic. With non-laser cut ceramics, fugue mass is 2-5mm thick depending on the quality of the ceramics. Take care that all ceramics are of the same calibre, dimension, and from the same series, in order to avoid dimension and colour deviation. With laser cut ceramics, the thickness of the fugue mass depends on the quality of the ceramics, its format and the surface preparation.
Press technique can be done on walls, which means that tiles are set one next to the other and in the end the fugue mass is put between the small slits, so that the water does not go through the walls. The thickness of the fugue mass is from 0.6-2mm. The floors should not be covered in this type of fugue mass, because the floors “breathe”. And if the bathroom is big, dilatation should be done in order to avoid cracks. When choosing the fugue mass, attention should be paid to choose the one which prevents mildew. The montage of the ceramics can last between several days and several weeks, depending on your choices.
Phase 5. Painting. After montage of the ceramics, the ceiling and sometimes walls are painted in a chosen colour.
Phase 6. Montage of the sanitary fixtures, furniture, lightning, heating devices and accessories. This is a final phase in which the bathroom gets its final looks. The space between the sanitary fixtures and walls, as well as all the angles, should be covered in sanitary silicone sealant. The montage is done by the same people who worked on the installations. Depending on the type of ceramic tiles, there is different treatment and cleaning of the ceramics.
Phase 7. Final cleaning.
This has been a short guide through the bathroom renovation. A good thing is that experts can be found in any bathroom equipment salon and they can be asked for help at any time so that you find what you have been searching for.
