Building a full height boxing at end of bath for niches

[Ricky D]

Sounds like personal preference here. And we're not taking the brunt of the mrs not liking something so man up and decide yourself haha

Haha no the missus has NO input whatsoever, this is a full house refurbishment and i've already learnt from our kitchen not to let her get involved! The walls, stairs, floors, garden etc was easy, I've never had a blank canvas to start a bathroom before.

We pulled out the old one, all back to brick and floorboards, put the bath and toilet in and then the last few weeks have been hard work trying to get it right

It's on my head and im actually struggling as I want to get it 100%!

 

[Dan]

Hang around on here and our plumbing forum too and you won't go wrong.

 

[Ricky D]

Cheers...top forum

 

[Ricky D]

Guys bit of a curveball

IF I didn't go for this boxing with niches, and did go right across with a piece of granite what are your opinions? Especially ideas for the back wall incorporating a mirror and some sort of storage?

Am I better off with this boxing and niches or would a wall mounted cupboard etc be a better shout?

Just after some ideas of what you guys would do personally if it was your bathroom

 

[Dan]

Haha you sure the mrs isn't going to blame us if we design your bathroom lol

 

[p4ulo]

What about a whole wall of mirrored wall cabinets, or a huge mirrored cabinet above the sink and leave the rest of the walls.....and extend the "worktop" from sink all the way along the top of the bath to end wall....somewhere for the missus to put her bath candles and her glass of wine then.....(they all love a bit of that!!)

 

[Ricky D]

 

[Ricky D]

 

[Old Mod]

Excellent job @Ricky D!
Thanks for updating post!

 

[Ricky D]

Guys

It's been a while!

Was hoping to get the whole bathroom finished before I posted pics, however, thanks to your previous good advice, please see the previous pics showing works complete to the niches. I'm really happy with them.The lighting in the niches is led strips in a 'tray' that runs along the top in a recess, the driver (which as previously pointed out is pretty much a consumable) has been fitted in the ceiling so if it ever fails can easily be replaced.

Anyway...reason it's not finished is that after this was completed a few months ago I started on other things (restoring a car that's also taking much longer than expected!) and re-decorating the house.

So now I want to get the bathroom complete, and would appreciate all your honest advice/opinions.

- The floor looks crap now, it is a porcelain slate-effect tile and I want to change it - any recommendations in terms of colour and patterns (eg 3/4 bond, lay them straight, square tiles etc)

- The worktop and window sills are a bit bleak, they are black quartz, do you think if I got the floor re-done it would look better? (there is a sample tile on the floor under the sink that I am considering) Or do you think I should change the worktop sill? What are your opinions on these?

- I want to move the sink over to the right an inch or 2 so worktop will probably need replacement anyway

Basically what would you guys if this was your bathroom in terms of making the floor and worktops 'work'?

 

[SJPurdy]

Looks very good to me.
I like the sill and worktop complementing each other (and the black bits in the mosaic) but being in contrast to the tiling. I can see that the basin could have been/be better if a little further to the right, but then you would be standing with the side of your leg closer to the toilet pan! Wont this look better and balanced with a mirror on the wall to match the basin?
I would be cautious of going to dark on the floor as with the bath side also being dark.. but then that is a personal subjective opinion based on photos not the actual light levels in the bathroom. The thing that is not really to my taste is the dark bath side which doesn't, to me, add or match anything - I think I would have preferred it to follow on as the walls or even the existing floor.
Again I say that I think it looks very good, well done.

 

[Ricky D]

Hi thanks for your comments SJP, I agree when I do get the mirror fitted, lined up with the basin, will look much better. At the moment I just want to get all the background tiling complete then will finish with cabinets/mirrors/fixtures etc.

The bath side is actually the floor tiles following up onto the side of the bath. Because they are side on, and not facing the light they look much darker, when the light is off it all looks the same. I personally quite like the floor tiles following up to the side of the bath but definately want to change the floor tiles and therefore the tiles on side of the bath.

What would you do in terms of floor tile now then? I'm struggling to think what will go with both the wall tiles, and the dark quartz worktop?

 

[SJPurdy]

The bath side is actually the floor tiles following up onto the side of the bath. Because they are side on, and not facing the light they look much darker, when the light is off it all looks the same. I personally quite like the floor tiles following up to the side of the bath but definately want to change the floor tiles and therefore the tiles on side of the bath.

That's the problem with giving opinions based on photo's - the bath side and floor look totally different!
Taking the bath side tiles off will probably require replacing the wedi board behind as well. the floor tiles also appear to go under the box work (basin toilet end) so it will be quite a bit of work!

 

[Ricky D]

Yes it will - but it needs to be done!

Have my tiler coming this weekend to take the floor up and bath side off with the minimum of fuss and doing any remedial work required. He will also be relaying the floor.

Think he will cut around the perimeter of the floor and then taking it up from there.

Just need to decide what he is re-laying!!! Any recommendations what to do with the floor?

 

[Ricky D]

Main thing im debating is what colour of tile to go with, what shape, and layout pattern.

In the pic under the sink you can just about see one of the sample tiles i got which i quite like, its darker, and shiny grey (opposed to what looks like matt grey concrete now) rectangulat tiles and was thinking 3/4 bond would look a bit more modern than the current lay?