Project managed building work is more likely to be delivered on time and on budget. This case study how a complete bathroom can be installed in under 2 weeks by ukbathroomguru.com.

old bathroom in need of refurbishment

Wednesday

The existing bathroom is emptied of all existing belongings and the existing suite is removed.

tiles on blown render

water ingress behind tiles

In this instance, the walls around the shower area were found to be ‘blown’ due to a small leak from the shower valve. This means that although the tiles were stuck to the plaster behind them, and this plaster was stuck to the render behind it, unfortunately the render was no longer stuck to the brickwork behind, as can be seen on the picture above.

In order to avoid this problem when 1st installing the shower, I recommend using a bar shower valve fixing kit, which enables the shower valve to be attached to the wall (and not just the plumbing fixings) therefore reducing strain on the fittings and making the installation more solid (thus making leaks less likely.)

removing blown render prior to tiling

The existing blown render had to be removed ‘back to brick’ prior to reboarding and subsequent tiling & plastering / painting.

These costs were outlined to the customer up front at the initial estimate stage as a potential necessity. Please see here for more information.

wall after bonding

wall before bonding

Walls were then bonded up with bonding plaster in locations where removing the existing tiles had damaged the walls beneath. This is done to provide a flat surface onto which a tiled finish or skim coat of plaster (in this instance) can be applied.

In this picture you can also see that the old toilet has temporarily been refitted (on a night) to allow the homeowners to use the facilities during the period of renovation.

Thursday

reboarding bathroom walls with Wedi board

The shower pipework is then recessed into the wall prior to reboarding.

1st fix electrical work is carried out which involves running cables to the intended locations of new ceiling and wall lights (and a new extractor fan in this instance to reduce bathroom humidity.)

In this picture you can see one wall has been partly reboarded with Wedi tile backer boards to ensure a waterproof showering area with excellent insulation qualities. Please see here for information on the various tile backer board choices.

replacing bathroom windows to reduce heat loss

Two new UPVC double glazed units are fitted to keep the bathroom warm and the remaining external walls are boarded out. Waterproof tape is applied to all the board joints to make the area around the shower completely waterproof to limit potential future problems associated with water ingress behind the tiles.

A new window cill is supplied & fitted.

Prior to fitting the new bath into position, the hot & cold pipework is run and the existing wastes pipes are replaced with new ones that run outside into the soil stack.

Friday

bath installation with reboarded walls

The bath is then fitted into place (and the waste attached) and a primary silicon seal is applied around its perimeter to provide a watertight seal between the bath and the walls prior to tiling.

The bath is filled with water prior to sealing (otherwise when the added weight of the water + the occupants in the bath is applied, the bath can sink and break the silicon seal – leading to water ingress).Adding a baton to the wall to support the underside of the bath rim helps to limit this movement as well, and this can be seen in the previous picture.

adding tile trims 1     adding tile trims 2

Tile trims are then glued to the wall (horizontally & vertically as required) to separate the tiled areas from the plastered areas – These can then be plastered up to, leaving the areas that are to be tiled unplastered.

This is an alternative approach to plastering the whole wall and then tiling over part of it, and it has a couple of benefits:

Quicker

Tiling plastering can be done simultaneously, rather than waiting a minimum of 4 weeks for fresh plaster to dry out prior to tiling.

Better tile adhesion

Tile backer boards can carry tiles of up to 60Kg/m2 rather than 20kg/m2 for tiles onto plaster, meaning that you can fit a greater range of tiles, including larger, thicker, heavier tiles (such as natural stone.)

Waterproof

These particular tile backer boards are completely waterproof (plaster isn’t) so are better suited for tiling onto in a wet area such as a shower or bath.

Saturday

plastering a bathroom

The ceiling and areas of wall not being tiled are then plastered. These will be painted once they have dried out sufficiently.

Monday

The wastes pipes from the bath and basin are then run into the soil pipe via strap on bosses. This is often required when old waste pipes have become blocked due to inadequate fall.

Holes are sealed up with expanding foam to prevent heat loss and then cemented and repainted.

adding a new radiator in a bathroom

Pipework is also adjusted to add a new radiator to the bathroom that will ensure the previously cold room will be warm enough.

In this instance the pipework is run and the radiator valves are fitted to the ends of the pipes and turned off. This allows the system to be re-filled and checked for leaks prior to putting the floorboards back down. This also has the added benefit of allowing us to remove the radiator to paint behind it for a more professional finish.

Tuesday

boxing in waste pipes in a bathroom

First fix pipework (hot & cold water supplies) are then extended from under the bath to feed the new toilet & basin and this pipework is then boxed in with a timber framework and some remaining Wedi boards that will be skimmed & painted. Skirting is also applied at this time with screws, which are then hidden with woodfiller to give a strong, seamless finish (i.e. boards are not merely glued on.)

The now dry plaster is now painted with a super leytec matt emulsion paint that can be applied without dilution – this saves a few coats with a regular watered down emulsion (necessary to seal fresh plaster).

Wednesday

wall tiling around a bath

Tiling around the bath begins.

Thursday

Fitting sheet vinyl in a bathroom

Hardboard is nailed down to the floorboards and a high quality vinyl floor is fitted, which is soft and warm underfoot. Please see here for other flooring options.

Floor protection is put down to protect the floor prior to completion of the work.

The walls are painted with a finish coat (green in the picture above has been ‘cut in’)

Basin installation with boxed in pipework

Tiling is finished off, and the basin is installed by hooking up the hot & cold pipework and also the waste.

Friday

High quality bathroom installation Leeds

The basin splashback is now tiled, grouted and sealed.

The radiator & towel radiator are now  attached to the wall (as with the basin this is done after the walls have been painted so that they do not have to be painted around / through.)

The toilet is also fitted (again, this was done after the floor surface was fitted & the walls painted to give the best finish possible.)

All other paintwork is touched up as required, and the airing cupboard shelving is reinstated for storage.

Wall units and shelving are fitted.

Finishing a shower installation in Leeds

The tiled area around the bath is grouted and sealed, and the shower & bath screen are fitted.

Summary

This bathroom installation started on a Wednesday and finished the next Friday, though the bath panel and a wall unit were damaged when delivered so had to be refitted one morning the next week.

The work schedule was very tightly organised by a project manager (me) ensuring the work was done in the correct order to give the best finish in the shortest time.

It involved many tradesmen that the homeowner would have found difficult to source individually, and then organise into a tight  schedule: On this job we had a joiner, tiler, plumber, plasterer, electrician, vinyl floor fitter and a couple of labourers & painters – All project managed by a single source to make the process as smooth as possible.

Thanks for reading, give me a call if you would like a nice new bathroom in under 2 weeks.

Chris