splashback behind wall hung basin

Introduction

A neat installation such as this often belies the amount of work required to make it so, as joinery, plastering & plumbing trades all combine to make sure that this basin is fitted correctly, and by ‘fitted correctly’ I mean:

  1. In the correct location (normally 80-90cm from the floor to the top of the basin).
  2. Adequately fixed to the wall (I.e. will not fall off the wall if leant on).
  3. Has neat supply pipework – ie hot & cold feeds are largely hidden but can be isolated for maintenance.
  4. Has neat waste pipework that runs away at an adequate fall to ensure proper drainage, whilst looking aesthetically pleasing.
Process
Assemble the basin

Attach the tap (& tap tails) as well as the waste and trap to the basin.

Decide where the basin is to be located

1st fix cloakroom basin

Once the location of the basin on the wall has been decided, the pipework that feeds the basin tap with hot & cold water and the pipework that carries away the waste water from the basin must be fitted into the wall so that it is hidden.

Mark positions of pipework & run pipework

Above you can see the hot & cold pipework has been clipped into place, as well as the larger waste pipework.

The positions where this pipework emerges from the wall is critical and is carefully planned!

Reinforce the wall as required

Extra wooden noggins have been added to the stud, and basin fixing bolts have been screwed into place – this way the basin will be well supported, and will never pull off the wall, even if someone stumbles and grabs it for support.

Check 1st fix work

1st fix cloakroom basin check

Once the basin is slid over the fixing bolts and tightened up you can see that the following is ok:

1. The basin sits on the bolts in its intended location (ie no measuring errors!)

2. The hot & cold feeds (hot on the left – always) allow the flexible tap connectors to be connected up (at 2nd fix after plastering etc) without kinking the tap tails, whilst keeping them largely out of sight for aesthetic reasons.

3. The chrome waste pipe from the trap flows nicely downhill into the waste pipe outlet in the wall (this trap is telescopic so allows for a small amount of adjustment.)

Success!

1st fix cloakroom basin prior to plastering

The pipework is then checked for leaks, capped off, and the stud wall is reboarded. Thats 1st fix done…..

Top tip

Prior to plastering, tape anything liable to be covered in plaster (particularly things with threads such as the fixing bolts).

PS In the picture above you can get a clear view of how I knew where to bring out the pipework & position the fixing bolts, as I marked the positions on the adjacent plasterboard whilst holding the basin temporarily in position.

Apply wall finishes

1st fix basin after plastering

The wall is then skimmed and painted when dry, leaving the tape in place throughout. Any irregularities in the plaster due to difficulties skimming around pipework / fixing bolts can be overcome later…

Fit the basin & connect up pipework

2nd fix wall hung basin

The basin is finally fitted into place at 2nd fix as this saves having to paint round the basin if it is fitted prior to painting. The hot & cold supplies are connected up with the aid of 2 x 90º compression isolating valves The waste pipe on show is chrome to match the bottle trap, so it is glued into the solvent weld socket in the wall with a waterproof expanding glue, and the joint is covered with a chrome collar. At this time, small imperfections in the plaster around the pipework are filled, sanded & repainted.

Add a tiled splashback

splashback behind wall hung basin

Finally, a small tiled splashback is fitted to protect the wall behind the basin from splashes. Thats it, thanks for reading – hopefully you can see that we take pride in doing our work well. Other articles that cover similar themes: http://ukbathroomguru.com/fitting-a-wall-hung-basin-on-a-stud-wall/ http://ukbathroomguru.com/adding-an-en-suite/ Chris

About us

We install quality bathrooms from start to finish, with all the bits in between taken care of. We provide advice and guidance during a free site survey, and we have a blog with lots of articles that cover frequently asked questions and show you examples of our recent work. We work to detailed, itemised estimates with fixed costs, so you can budget properly without fear of unexpected skyrocketing prices. Our focus is on doing a proper job for a fair price in a reasonable time – see here for more info or contact me for a quote.

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