View Full Version : Bathroom Renovation Project
Dirty Doogie
3rd January 2008, 11:42 AM
Hey Juan, it is beginning to look good in there. I'm just wondering how you went with the tile edges on top of the hob - another trick to finish the edge is to use supafine grout to make a corner bead.
juan
3rd January 2008, 10:31 PM
Hi Doog,
Have still not done the hob tiling but have decided dead set that I will just butt the tiles and not bevel them or use edge strip. Cannot decide where to start the floor tiling. I had thought of using the centre line of the bathroom floor(and hob) as a start point. but that will mean a bit of odd cutting around the door jamb where the tiles will be most noticeable. It would make tiling the hob (i am going to use floor tiles on it) easier if I centred them and I would get almost a full tile on either side of the room. If I try to use the centre of the door as the start line them I get some odd sizes at the shower set down and near the walls.
I have put the decision on hold until I finish the walls so as not to overload my brain. I can wait until after I screed the floor to make the decision anyway.
Got sidetracked today and did not do much tiling but getting there slowly.
63881
63882
Pusser
3rd January 2008, 11:54 PM
It is looking really good. Thanks Jaun for taking the time to keep us posted. The problems and comments by the forum members has been most interesting and instructive. Thanks again - great thread.
juan
4th January 2008, 09:10 AM
Thanks Pusser.
The help I have received on this forum has been invaluable to me and if the discussions on various problems I have along the way helps others then the thread will be justified.
I have learned that no matter how well you think you have planned, bathroom renovations are a real worry. My estimate of time to complete the job given the scope of the work was totally unrealistic. My budget surprisingly is better than expected to date(touch wood) - as I had made allowances for anticipated issues on tasks already performed that fortunately I managed to solve cheaply. For example I had allowed $400 for a new door and possible replacement of the door jamb which was knocked about and out of plumb. I managed to clean up the door ok and rehang it on the other side for the cost of 2 hinges, some paint stripper, sand paper and primer (total $45). No doubt something will come out of left field and skittle me if I ever get into the home straight as that is Murphy's Law but in the mean time I shall keep plodding along.
Some of the problems that are worrying me and yet to be solved are:
1 Floor tiling layout to fit in with the bath hob if I am to keep the joins aligned. Perhaps I should not worry about lining up the joins on the hob and floor?
2 Finding a wall hung vanity unit which is 1200mm wide, reasonable narrow depth (do not want it fouling the shower angle door), china top possible with a jutting bowl, non-white preferable wood grain look veneer cabinet ( need some more colour to avoid hospital look)
3 Deciding on lighting. I have the IXL tastic installed just outside the proposed shower door and have allowed for 2 vertical flouros on either side of the mirror above vanity. Need to either put in a chandelier type fitting above bath or maybe a couple of downlights. Have not pursued this area yet and had thought of a couple of CFL downlights above bath and in front of vanity in the centre line of the room?
4 Screeding the floor. This one is a real worry.
5 Underfloor heating to install in the screed.
6 Getting a frameless shower screen at a reasonable price that looks classy and is good quality without blowing the budget.
Dirty Doogie
4th January 2008, 01:21 PM
HI Juan,
Its those little decisions like lights, shower screens, where tiles line up, getting the right vanity that usually drive me crazy - oh and things like matching taps, towel rails, color of grout. In fact pretty much everything about getting a good looking bathroom is annoying LOL.
As for floor tiling - keep your full tiles for just inside the door, cut tiles at the room entrance looks crappy IMO.
Unless your floor tiles are the same size as your wall tiles - the wall and floor groutlines arent ever going to line up properly. In your situation I think I would tend to put the cut floor tiles under the vanity wall where they would hardly be noticed. Are you still doing diagonal tiles??
Have you considered the idea of a full tile (300 x 300 or something like that) border with the remainder infill done as smaller mosiac type tiles? Mosiacs are much easier to get fall with.
The vanity will needs lots of shopping around but I have seen some 1200 long in a dark timber finish (Can't remember if it was real timber though). I never plan a bathroom until I know what is available these days.
The frameless shower screen as depicted in your original plan - I'd be surprised if you get out of that purchase for under $2000. Fully frameless uses 10 mm glass and wall brackets and hinged door - it looks very classy. There will also be a bit of chrome bar over the door for stability.
However after much shopping around I have discovered that Stegbar make a SEMI FRAMELESS screen in 6mm glass (which come in around 50% of the price of fully frameless 10 mm) These screens have a metal channel running down the walls and across the top. It still has hinged doors and clear glass edges around the door.
The reason I mention Stegbar is that they are (as far as I know) the only mob to use a low profile metal channel that isnt chunky or obtrusive like a lot of the aluminium channel a lot of places try and sell for a 6mm semiframeless. It might be worth going into a stegbar show room and having a look.
Chandeliers ?? HMM dunno about that LOL. I think some downlight type would give a nicer light
Screeding - sorry your on your own heh heh!
Doog
juan
4th January 2008, 08:33 PM
Hi Doog,
I have already bought the floor tiles which are 200mm square. I will be using them on the hob as well. Have dispensed with the idea of tiling on the diagonal mainly due to the tiling on the hob will be on the square. Beaumonts suggested use 3mm gap on the hob same as the floor and line up the joins. If I thought it would look ok I would centre the tiles on the hob with 1.5mm joins and then offset the joins on the floor to suit the door opening and the wall and use the 3mm joins. Yes I agree not much will be seen under the WC and the Vanity and that is the place for the odd cuts. I intend to start the tiles from the brass angle to be placed across the door but think it would look better if the tiles were centred on the door opening so that the cut tiles around the jambs are the same on both sides of the opening. I have to consider the set down for the shower as well so that I do not get a small slice of tile at the brass angle or that may look odd as well. So many damn decisions on tiling. I delay every decision I can to prevent my brain overloading but getting very near to having to make a decision as walls will be finished as far as I can go soon.
I will look at the Stegbar screens but I know they like to have the all tiling finished nice and level before they measure up so that decision has been given a lower priority. Same with the lighting I can delay decision on that for a while but agree the downlights seem better idea but thought I would wait until all the bits and pieces are in then decide the lighting.
I am waiting on Seima to reopen after the break in Adelaide as I know they have some interesting 1200mm vanity tops in vitreous china. Maybe if I could get one at a reasonable price I would build or get built a wall hung cabinet in the style and colour I want. Again the plumbing will accept any unit and there is no rush on that decision either.
juan
7th January 2008, 07:32 PM
I have started laying out the tiles for the floor and hob to see how I can do it the with the least pain.
6415464155
My plan is to start the full tile at the 50mm x 50mm brass angle which I wll set in the screed across the door opening and half way under the door. I can neatly fit 4 tiles in between the door jambs. As it works out I will then get a full tile all the way down the long side of the room on the door side. The room turns out to be perfectly square on that side (have not checked the other side but it looks like it will be good also. The negative is that when I reach the hob I will have a tile cut 60mm long at the hob wall. Does this sound ok or should I centre the tiles and have a 130mm cut tile at the door and the hob??
I think I will line up the joins on the hob and the floor meaning 3mm gaps on the hob and a cut tile about 140mm wide on the hob on the dunny side of the room and a full tile on the door side. I do not think this diffence will be too noticeable as I am sure the women will load up the hob top ends with shampoo and the like. The front face of the hob on the toilet side will be hidden in the large part by the toilet.
I think tomorrow I may tile the top of the hob and the top row of the hob front. It would then be possible to finish the wall tiling around the hob and install the bath prior to screeding the floor. As stated previously I think I can get away with just butting the tiles on the leading edge of the hob rather than bevelling them or using edging strip.
Any comments on the proposed layout would be appreciated.
Cheers
Dirty Doogie
8th January 2008, 11:55 AM
Geez you are lucky Juan LOL.
Sometimes you just have to have a cut tile somewhere and I dont think that the cut down the far end looks too bad. A mid to dark shade of grout and you won't notice any cuts.
Hmm I dont know about the dark tile color though but anyway ....
Just a quick point about your toilet - Is it one of the type that can be concreted down or bedded down?? Depending on the slope of your scree you will probably find that the front edge and or side of the pan needs to be packed up.
Generally it looks better if the pan has a minimum of silicone around it and I like to lay out my tiles and mark where the tiles under the pan are going to be and level the scree across these tiles.
Looking good so far
Doog
juan
8th January 2008, 12:45 PM
Hi Doog,
I agree the floor tile colour is a little darker than I originally had in mind but the women chose. They first chose a plain chocolate brown tile which was much darker and would have shown every water mark. Luckily they compromised on a lighter shade with a mottled pattern which should be better in hiding water marks and be less severe overall on the eyes. It is a very bright bathroom having an east facing window and I think it will be ok.
The toilet system is a Coroma Opal close coupled suite that will be bedded in mortar or whatever. I will take your advice and markout exactly where it will go and level the screed under those tiles. I was lucky with the water inlet for the toilet as it is exactly in the right place. I had thought it was too low until I did some level checking.
Have sorted and mixed all the boxes of floor tiles as per instruction and selected about 20 tiles with heaps of overspray on one side that I can use for the hob top leading edge. I will have a box plus of floor tiles left over so worst case senario is I redo the front edge and fit an edge strip one day it they look to crappy or get damaged.
I did a layout of the shower screen and vanity area and will comfortably get away with a 500mm deep vanity unit cabinet which is a relief as I can now chose the wall hung unit I like rather than a narrow cabinet semi recessed one which are a bit like rocking horse manure.
Well I suppose I should go and tile the top of the hob as it will not do itself.
Cheers
juan
8th January 2008, 05:46 PM
Well 2 hours to fix about 16 tiles, I would never make living as a tiler. What a pain to line up the tiles on the top and face of the hob so as to get a possible acceptable external corner on the front of the hob. Hopefully it will get easier from here.
64268
Dirty Doogie
8th January 2008, 06:01 PM
Yeh it can sure take time - imagine if you didn"t have another bathroom lol
juan
17th January 2008, 08:50 PM
Well I have got my levels calculated for the screed. I drilled a few holes in the slab, plugged them and used plasterboard screws as guides when I am screeding and to fine tune the levels (I hope). I can pull them out as I go or leave them there for that matter.
Have laid out my heating cables roughly and run the system for a few minutes to check it is working. Will tidy it up a bit tomorrow.
65017
Looks ok so far. Got the whole kit for around $177(including shipping and insurance) from this guy on eBay http://www.vodoley91.com/?nav=products
Great to deal with no matter how many stupid questions you ask he always get back to you asap.
Maybe on the weekend I might mix up some mud and screed it. Everyone bar one keeps telling me plastering sand is ok for the screed. I will make a few more enquiries on that one tomorrow.
Dirty Doogie
17th January 2008, 09:54 PM
plastering sand ? I've always used clean washed river sand for screes and ramping. plastering sand is really fine but should do the trick also.
juan
18th January 2008, 09:01 PM
I took much advice on what sand to use and 9/10 said plastering sand or concrete sand were both ok. Technical rep for Brighton Cement said they do not recommend plastering sand as it has a little to much clay in it and may crack . He recommended concrete sand. Thats what I used. Purchased .25 ton of the stuff and 4 bags of Brighton cement and it worked out perfect almost for about 5.5m2 of floor area at about 35mm ave depth.
Also purchased a litre of Kemcrete which I used to prime the floor before screeding and added to the water in the screed mix as a bonding agent.
65068
Mixed the screed as dry as was possible to work it and found the guide screws in the floor for the levels were fantastic. Have left them there and they will hold the screed to the slab (ha ha) if my work is shoddy.
Tomorrow I should be able to give her a final rub down with a brick to knock of any high spots but I think it is ok as it is. Will chuck a sheet of plastic over it tomorrow but for now it is trying to rain and humidity is high so should not dry out to quick.
Actually the task was very straight forward and went well - I had been worried for some time about doing this myself. I will leave it for a few days then tile it.
65069
Dirty Doogie
18th January 2008, 09:23 PM
Sounds like it went petty straight forward. What sort of sand is "concrete sand" ?
In the pic the scree surface looks very wet - was water coming to the surface? This can cause problems with the additive.
juan
18th January 2008, 11:13 PM
I think it is washed river sand. I spoke to 5 sand and metal suppliers and they all said this is what they supply the tilers for screeding.
Mixed it in 4 small batches and a little moisture came to the surface in one batch as I had to work it quite a bit to get the levels. Moisture dissappeared very quickly. Photo was taken 5 mins after last batch was laid. I think the primer acts as a sealer as well and holds the moisture in the screed longer.
Hope she will be ok.
juan
25th January 2008, 09:22 PM
The floor tiling is moving slowly towards that spot where the close coupled toilet suite (Caroma Opal) will reside.
What is the recommended method of tiling and installing the WC. Should I just tile the whole floor and forget the dunny for now or should I leave a couple of tiles off under the toilet to let her grip the floor and be more stable? Tiles are a bit smooth and was worried that the bog under the pan may not hold too well??
Any advice welcome
cheers
Dirty Doogie
25th January 2008, 11:25 PM
Does the pan have any holes for screw down fixing ?? it is usually the screws that hold pans down - and a mortar bedding in the top line jobs.
Generally you layout and space the tiles, numbering them with a nikko or paint pen - position the toilet exactly and mark on the tiles the outer edge of the pan and also push the pen into the screw holes - anything so you get a mark where the screws go through.
Then if you have a grout in only pan (rare) or wish to use grout as well as screws -
lift the pan away and make a paper template of the base wall thicknesses and mortar voids. Cut the template out and position on marked floor tiles - then mark the void spaces onto the tiles.
You now have the option of either
1) fixing pan first and cutting tiles around it (hard option if you dont know how to grind away tiles) ..
or 2) fix tiles down after pre drilling an oversize hole for screws (make sure you measure the angle that the screws are set and drill a hole in tile wide enough) and chipping away tile for waste pipe. If you are going to mortar down as well - or only - you cut out the sections of tiles where the pan voids are located and fix tiles.
Simple huh?
Do you remember I suggested you set the tiles under the pan level ? or maybe 2 mm max fall? You'll find out why quite soon LOL.
Tip : if you are screwing down pan do not put drill bit into hole in pan to drill. make position on scree and drill without tile in position. Screwing down will puncture your waterproofing membrane. When fixing pan down - fill pilot hole with polyurethane sealnt - push in plastic expanding masonry grip - spread extruded polyurethane across base of hole in tile - then fix pan down.
juan
26th January 2008, 09:25 AM
Thanks Doog,
I have taken care to get the floor level where the pan will sit so that should not be an issue.
Found the technical sheet on the unit and it appears to indicate there are 2 fixing options -
1. Bedding in 3:1 sand cement mix to a depth of 60mm OR
2. Screw fixing using a Caroma Screw fixing kit and acetic cured silicone sealant
I will get the plumber back to fit the toilet and connect the water and waste outlet. Was just wondering if I should tile the floor under it first. Option 2 the screw fixing sounds like the go and I could take your advice and mark out and pre drill the fixing holes in the tiles before laying them.
Both the waste pipe position and water supply inlet are correctly located so that is one less thing to worry about.
Dirty Doogie
26th January 2008, 10:05 AM
Yeh put the tiles down first - unless you think you can do the cuts to fit around the pan. drill the hole for screws in tiles before laying. Even with the greatest care tiles can still crack when you try and drill them.
Daren
26th January 2008, 10:21 AM
tiles take ages to drill too.
I was given a tip of using a grinder to jus take a little nip out of the tile where you intend to drill - front and back. then drill the remainder.
also remember that the holes for the toilet bowl are on an angle.
jags
26th January 2008, 11:03 AM
hi juan
use a template of the toilet base and tile under the toilets base to say 2cm in so that when you lay the concrete to seat the toilet it can bond to the scread and not the tiles i will try and get a pic of what the tiler did for me .
Regards rob
juan
26th January 2008, 11:06 AM
Thanks Daren / Doog will give it a try. I have a special drill bit for drilling glass and tiles but have not tried it out yet. Got a heap of holes to drill in the wall tiles for the mirror, vanity lights and mounting the vanity on the wall etc.
LotteBum
26th January 2008, 08:45 PM
I swear by using a bit of masking tape where you want to drill - it stops the drill bit from slipping around.
Daren
27th January 2008, 04:18 PM
I swear by using a bit of masking tape where you want to drill - it stops the drill bit from slipping around.
nice
juan
7th February 2008, 09:25 PM
Question?
The bathroom walls and floor have been waterproofed. Joints sealed with silicone, reinforcing tape in the membrane etc.
I am now at the stage of grouting the walls and the floor and wonder can I use grout at the join where the floor tiles meet the wall tiles and wall to hob or should I use silicone again to seal these joins.
My vanity is being delivered next monday so I should have the toilet and vanity in by midweek. Just ordered the shower screen and that will take 4 weeks to be installed.
Pusser
7th February 2008, 11:08 PM
You can use grout but it will crack and leak. You need silicon.
juan
8th February 2008, 09:01 AM
You can use grout but it will crack and leak. You need silicon.Thanks Pusser I will take your advice and steer clear of grout at the critical joins between walls, floor and hob.
<o></o>
Cheers :D:D:D
Pusser
8th February 2008, 05:10 PM
Thanks Pusser I will take your advice and steer clear of grout at the critical joins between walls, floor and hob.
ps
just noted your motto is that you never make mistakes so could not resist referirng to what Wikepedia has to say about silicon;
<O></O>
Cheers :D:D:D
If you read it all then you will know I make mistakes - especially in tpying. Good luck with your bathroom.
juan
9th February 2008, 08:50 PM
Getting near to fitting the shower head fitting to the wall outlet and notice that the threaded nipple is about 5-8 degrees from 90 degrees at the angle to the face of the tiles. The plumber obviously fitted it slightly askew but I can blame no one but myself as I set it in before the plasterer did his bit.
Wonder if I should take off the tile, dig out some render a bit and twist the pipe and nipple square, OR just hope the shower head fitting will accommodate the slight out of square and still fit flush to the tiles???
cheers
bricks
9th February 2008, 11:20 PM
depending on how well the fiting is bedded in....
Get shower and have a look at the size of the cover flange for the fitting.
if the hole in the tile isn't big enough chip it away ever so gently with a screw driver or small sharp chisel, only 1mm at a time with short sharp light tapping action.
attach 15mm socket and 15mm running nipple (150 long) available at bunnies for 3 bucks, or anything else that will screw in there.
Give this contraption a couple of light taps with a hammer to bring the fitting back to sqaure in the wall
if it wont move easily, digg away a little mortar/ plaster that is on the side that wants to come away from the wall face
continue tapping with hammer
repeat if nescessary
fill hole with some sort of bog product- silicone, mortart,plaster?????
fit showereasy peesy.
juan
10th February 2008, 11:02 AM
Thanks Bricks, I just had a look at it again and reckon I have room to dig out the render carefully without taking off the tile and follow your instructions to the letter. Will let u know how I go.
Cheers
juan
10th February 2008, 07:01 PM
I am nearing the installation of the toilet suite (Opal Smartflush) and have a question about whether it is recommended to silicone seal the pan to the wall tiles??
66988
I thought a bead of silicone right around the back of the pan to seal it to the wall would eliminate the chance of water getting down under the pan if the cistern were to spring a leak for whatever reason down the track.
What do you think?
Cheers
juan
19th February 2008, 09:22 PM
Has anyone used the protective coating that can be purchased to seal / waterproof glass to supposedly keep the screen easier to clean?
http://www.enduroshield.com/products/enduroshield-for-glass.html
The demo bottles they have in agents showrooms looks very promising but what is it like in practical situation?
Cheers
Dirty Doogie
1st April 2008, 12:32 PM
Hi Juan, Is the bathroom finished YET?
I've been sick so havent been checking in much.
Doog
juan
1st April 2008, 02:11 PM
Hi Doogie
Sorry to hear u have been unwell.
Well the bathroom is not really finished yet. The shower screen has been a nightmare. They measured and cut one panel incorrectly and I asked that it be replaced which they are currently undertaking. They have been very good indeed about it but it is taking time to do.
Bathroom is operational otherwise just chasing a few things to finish it off like another double towel rail, a wall mounted toilet brush(awaiting delivery), a small stainless steel pedal tidy bin, wall mounted soap dispensor and glass holder, wall mounted hair dryer holder and another electric toothbrush. Have not decided about leadlight panels for the window yet.
The underfloor heating looks like it is going to be a big winner from the testing I have done. I will wait until the weather chills out before giving a final verdict on that one though. Same with the heated mirror - need some cold weather to really test it out.
IXL Silhoutte is great both in terms of heat and the exhaust fan.
The Rinnai 26 plus HWS is just fantastic. I have started using this shower rather than the ensuite as I can control the temperature to perfection.
Attached are photos I have just taken 5 minutes ago.
704057040670407
I have put glad wrap on the glass screens to keep them cleaner as the small one will be chucked and the other one will be eventually treated with Enduro Shield which they kindly gave me.
Whilst everyone has differing ideas on colour schemes the bathroom functions very well and is a massive improvement over what it was originally.
All up with the new 50metre sewer run, new gas and water mains, Rinnai 26 plus HWS and bathroom fitout it will end up costing near $15,000 which was the original budget figure. My labour would be at least that again but I chose to not count that.
Cheers
madrat
1st April 2008, 02:26 PM
Juan,
That looks bloody brilliant. Well done! You should be proud.
I have been following your thread, because we are yet to get to our bathrooms and was very keen to see how you went.
The colour scheme is almost exactly what we were looking at, so to see it all put together is great! Looks pretty stylish.
Once again, brilliant job!
Dirty Doogie
1st April 2008, 03:24 PM
Hey thats Cool Juan! Looks great! :2tsup:
I like the wall hung timber vanity - ties in with the window frame and the darker tiles. Excellent - but I had bit of chuckle at all the electrical switches - you being a sparky and all LOL!
Shower screens can often go horribly wrong during installation - it has happened to me nearly everytime - and all those little extra bits like shelves and holders take ages to happen.
So now you've finished - What is the next project??
doog
Ps did you ever try any of those self cleaning glass treatments ??
My current project has a "polished" glass in it and the installer warned against using normal soap in the shower - but of course I did use normal soap and now its eaten the polish away GRR! - Not really noticeable until you come to clean it and then you find the glass doesnt sparkle as much as areas around.
juan
1st April 2008, 04:34 PM
Thanks for the kind words Madrat and Doogie.
I have the Enduro Shield treatment but will wait till all the glass panels are installed and the shower complete in about 3 weeks and seal it all in one go. That is why I covered the panel with glad wrap - to keep it clean for the installer to silicone seal it and also to make the application of the Enduro Shield treatment easier.
Yeah there are 3 double power points in the bathroom but there are hair dryers, electric toothbrush, heated towel rails which will use 3 GPOs permanently.
Next project will be upgrading the ensuite. Everything in same locations just retile and some new fittings.
Cheers
madrat
1st April 2008, 06:18 PM
Next project will be upgrading the ensuite. Everything in same locations just retile and some new fittings.
Cheers
Any chance you will be posting 'as you go pictures' with the ensuite?
Definitely interested in that one too (we too have 'ensuite' on our to do list). :2tsup:
wonderplumb
1st April 2008, 06:40 PM
Well done juan, looks the goods mate.
juan
1st April 2008, 07:59 PM
Did not plan to publish the ensuite reno Madrat but I will take some pics and post them some time. Not sure when I will get started but it will not be until all the fiddly bits are 100% complete on this one. It is too easy to end up with a series of unfinished symphonies.
cheers
zacnelson
2nd April 2008, 07:35 AM
Juan, thanks for sharing the latest updated pictures. I too have been keenly following your progress for months and was blown away by the finished job. I particularly like the choice of vanity unit; I love the large profile on the white basin/benchtop part.
I'm amazed that the whole thing cost only $15k. I'm assuming this also includes the cost of the brickwork, the floor slab, rendering, plastering etc also. Do you or anyone else have any idea what the whole thing would have cost if you did none of it yourself? I imagine over $50k?
Did you install the shower screen yourself? How much did it cost? I recently installed a 1200mm x 1000mm frameless 10mm shower screen in my bathroom (pics will be up in a week or two) and it was very very difficult; the largest piece of glass (1200mm x 2100mm) weighed over 100kg! I had to get 2 friends to help me lift it. Making all the fine adjustments to get all the pieces perfectly level with each other and the gaps perfect was a hell of a job.
juan
2nd April 2008, 09:24 AM
Hi Zac
I am not installing the shower screen myself but am getting it done through a friend of a friend. I also had assistance with plumbing and a plasterer who charged me $500 to plaster inside and also outside of window.
This was a significant project and apart from the above, I did all the work myself which kept costs low. In reality I suspect most people would not want 6 months of major disruption and may not have the time to do all the work themselves. Half the work is chasing cheap prices on things and asking for help on this forum. The help I received from stalwarts like Doogie, Bricks, Mid C, Wonderplumb and many others was incredible and I thank them for it.
I suspect had I shopped around I would have paid around $45K to have it all done by professionals. It certainly would have been less painful but I do not think I would have got a better job done.
Cheers
patty
2nd April 2008, 10:25 AM
:2tsup:Absolutley brilliant Juan good job !!
Border boy
2nd April 2008, 09:55 PM
Great job Juan,
I have been a silent follower of this great thread for some time now. I did a bathroom reno at our place about 18 months ago. Gained a heap of how to info from these forums. My reno didn't involve the structural stuff that yours has, but it did involve gutting, resheeting, waterproofing,tiling, instalation of frameless shower screen which I did & outsourced sparky & plumber. I have to compliment you on the style that you have gone for - see pic.
Cheers & enjoy your new room.
juan
3rd April 2008, 12:21 AM
A beautiful job you have done there Border Boy. A lot of similarities in colours and fittings to ours. Did you seal the glass panels on the shower? Are they difficult to keep clean?
Cheers
Border boy
3rd April 2008, 09:40 AM
Thanks Juan,
yes, very similar. By sealing do you mean where the glass joins the floor & walls? I ran a bead of neutral cure clear silicone along these joins after masking with some tape. The shower isn't hard to keep clean using one of the many glass cleaning products on the market.
Cheers.
juan
3rd April 2008, 11:07 AM
I had done some reading about this product http://www.enduroshield.com/products...for-glass.html (http://www.enduroshield.com/products/enduroshield-for-glass.html) and I have been given a kit to try out. It seals the glass only although they have a product for tiles as well. The installer will seal the glass to the tiles when the incorrectly cut panel is replaced.
Apparently glass has a semi porous surface which is why the water and gunge adheres to the glass. This invisible treatment seals the pores and the water runs off leaving just a few beads thus eliminating 90% of the cleaning. It is just rubbed onto the inside of the shower screen glass. They claim it lasts up to 10 years before you recoat it. I will try it out and give some feedback later.
It seems you had a window above the old sink/vanity unit. Did you close it over? as I can not see it in the renovation photo. I reckon a large Velux Electric Skylight in your bathroom would look a $1M. I had originally planned to put one in then changed my mind and moved the window. http://www.velux.com.au/inspiration/imageGalleries/sortedByRoom/bathrooms/
cheers
Border boy
3rd April 2008, 08:05 PM
Hi Juan,
sounds like an interesting product - look forward to your feedback. Yes I closed the window, it used to look out onto a back veranda, which was enclosed by previous owners - so no light/ view at all. Those skylights do look good - maybe a future project.
Cheers.
juan
29th April 2008, 10:06 PM
Just about all wrapped up with this marathon project. The shower screen has finally been installed after a couple of serious hiccups with measurements. No profit for them in this job for sure.
I have treated the shower screen glass with Enduro Shield and water runs off it like a duck's back.
72411
cheers
jags
3rd May 2008, 01:16 PM
Hi Juan
just wanted to say thanks for all the advice it's been a great thread and the end result looks a million dollars and all for around $15 ,000 that's hell cheap even with you doing the work and without all the fruit in there that shower screen looks hot ,how thick is it ? And have you start to use the floor heating to keep you coffee warm in the morning ?
Also i think i have used a similar style vanity the deep draw are so much better than shallow ones.
i think i'm going to go with the Rinni 26 soon the museun have been calling and they want my old system for display purposes
If the there was an award for best bathroom reno i think you would win no question ....congrats
Rob
juan
3rd May 2008, 04:58 PM
Thanks for the kind words Jags.
No have not started using the underfloor heating which is less than 600 watts if my memory serves me correctly. I have done testing on it and it works great but it has not been cold enough here yet to really warrant switching it to automatic program. I reckon about end of May will be time to switch it on.
Very happy with the vanity unit and hanging them on the wall is the way to go. It makes cleaning the bathroom floor a 30 second job.
The glass screen is 10mm tempered glass and I opted for the cheaper standard glass rather than the iron free glass which reduces colour distortion. Happy with the decision.
Have treated the glass with Enduro-Shield and very happy with the result. Have a squeegee hanging in the shower and the last one to shower takes 20 seconds to quickly wipe down the inside of the panels and it always looks crystal clean.
You are making the right choice with the Rinnai 26. It is awesome. My gas bill has more than halved and the hot water delivery is unbeatable. Get the installer to set it up to deliver 60 degree water (just move a jumper connection on a couple of pins). You will need the tempering valve for the bathroom but you will have steaming hot water in the kitchen.
cheers