My first bathroom project

[Supercoley1]

Hello, I am just setting about doing my first full bathroom DIY job (not pro at all) and have managed to do most things through internet research etc.
The project in question is a bathroom that currently has a shower over bath, W/C, sink and a wall hung radiator. The room is approx 280cm across the breadth (window wall) and 270cm from the door to the window wall. There a dog leg to the room as the airing cupboard is set within this room into a seperate area on the left of the door.
I will be keeping these apart from the wall hung radiator which I want to remove and then put a towel radiator in another place. I don't have a problem with the plumbing and radiator aspect.
We have had the bathroom like this since we moved in 30 months ago and all we did was to change the bath taps for a shower mixer type, tile the shower area on the window and half the bath side wall (It only had a 420mm high splashback around the bath previous to this), put up a shower curtain rail and laminate the floor. Pretty basic 'quick' but ready to use. The picture below shows what this was like:

After planning to redo the bathroom we decided to do it early July and it would take a few months to complete due to the budget (Each month we can afford the 'next step')
So on 10th July we started to plan the bathroom. The W/C and sink will remain in the same place. The Bath will still be on the wall but will be moved so that each end is an equal distance from the wall. A frame will then be built around the bath so that I can tile under the rim and make it look like the bath has been 'sunken'.
The radiator which is currently on the right as you enter the bathroom will be removed and then the plumbing redone to put a towel radiator behind the door as you enter the bathroom.
The area where the bath is will be tiled in black, white and lime green inspired by a picture on Toppstiles here:
Fusion Kiwi Wall Tile | Topps Tiles
however we don't have anywhere near the budget to use those tiles and get the exact design. I have sourced some lime green, black and white tiles that are all a lot cheaper and are 150mm x 150mm. The design of this area is here (These plans are rough guides as they don't allow for grout joints. I will line them up properly when I get the tiles to gauge the number across etc when the tiles come.)
This is the 'fold out' design and what you will see facing the bath. The lime is bit bright in these pictures where the tile I have bought is more subtler more like the ones in the Toppstiles picture:

And this is the plan from above:

The green/black/white combo will only go as far as the bath surround and the rest will be plain white.
This is the lime tile I have bought. 2 boxes:
Tiles, Ceramic Tiles, Wall Tiles, Gloss Lime Green Tile
The floor will also be tiled with white 330x330 tiles. Very crisp very clean, very bright with the single 'feature' area of the bath drawing the focus.
I will update tomorrow on what I have done already.
Regards
AC

 

[lk1d]

Cheers Jay -figured that would be the case. Dust masks from B&Q then next time I'm there! Final question I promise (apologies for the de-rail). On the subject of B&Q, I bought a big tub of "Adhesive & Grout" last time I was there, but now I'm thinking I should have gone for separate products. What are folks thoughts on this -is Adhesive & Grout rubbish?

 

[macten]

Cheers Jay -figured that would be the case. Dust masks from B&Q then next time I'm there! Final question I promise (apologies for the de-rail). On the subject of B&Q, I bought a big tub of "Adhesive& Grout" last time I was there, but now I'm thinking I should have gone for separate products. What are folks thoughts on this -is Adhesive & Grout rubbish?

YES

Get yourself single part flexible bagged cement adhesive and a flexible grout.
Adhesive is adhesive and grout is grout. They both do different things so adhesive and grout in one does neither very well.

 

[lk1d]

Again thanks Macten. Figure that answer must be all over this forum! Right then back to B&Q with the reciepts...

Good luck with the build Supercoley.

 

[Supercoley1]

I tanked over the edge of the bath as per your picture. Seemed to stick OK.

I've done my bath like yours. chipped out the plaster and pushed it 5mm - 1cm under the paster with a large silicon bead along it. Then I've siliconed again where the bath joins the wall and then tanked the tape over the silicon and 5-8mm onto the bath. Corners were tricky with it having a round edge but it seemed to work OK.

Will update with some pictures as and when but busy tiling at mo (just having some lunch.) Once I've finished for the day I'll upload the pics onto my website and the I can stick them in here too.

AC

 

[Supercoley1]

On with the build. you'll hate me after this. lol

My spreader is a credit card with square notches on it. My tile cutter is actually a glass cutter and the L's/curves are cut with a ceramic blade in my jigsaw.

6th August 2010

The lime tiles arrived and I compared them to the left over Wickes ones I had from a previous job and even though the Wickes ones said on the box 148 x 148 compared to the lime ones which say 150 x 150 they were a perfect match for size so I guess this is just a 'round up'.

Wirh the tiles now in my hands I lined them up with the wall and bath to measure how many I would need using the spacers inbetwen. It worked out almost virtually 13 across.

At this point when I was lining the tiles up on the ends I immediately didn't think the move from colours around the bath to white where the bath stops would look as I wanted it too. The bath are is about a third of the room and therefore I decided that only the back wall and bath panel would have green and black on them. The rest of the walls will be white only. This also means I can go for bolder lines of colour on these feature walls.

The fram for the bath shelf surround completed at this point the next step will now wait until pay day, when we can buy the black and white tiles for this area and the tanking, adhesive and grout. That will be enough to complete the first month of the project.

AC

 

[Supercoley1]

14th August 2010

Pay day came and out so we got:
White tiles from Wickes
Black tiles and exterior 12mm ply from Focus
Adhesive, grout and bath trim from B&Q
Tanking kit plus sealant from Screwfix.

Into the bathroom it went awaiting my first forray into 'mass' tiling. However first job was done straight away. Prime the walls, followed a few hours by tanking, taping and then tanking again. 24 hours to set so will start the tiling tomorrow.

AC

 

[Supercoley1]

15th August 2010

The project starts and here we are on day 2 of month 1. The project is going to be done in stages over several months as and when finances are available. this first stage wil be just the immediate bath and walls around the bath. Although it may look like several days worth of work it is just that I am doing a few hours here and a couple of hours there rather than focusing solely on this project.

I mixed up the adhesive (half a bag) and then set about the lower row of white tiles. The end ones were left alone because these need cutting and I want the 'shelf ones to be done before the wall sits on top of them.

Immediately there is a potential disaster. Wickes 148 x 148 tiles are actuially 148 x 148 and not 150 as the previous leftovers had been. they had changed the size. With the adhesive already made it was now time for a major bit of quick thinking before I wasted the adhesive and therefore as our budget won't allow for re sourcing larger whites or blacks I decided to gently draw a grid pattern on the wall to show me where the tiles should go. This grid was based on the larger 150 tile and meant the spacings are not going to be uniform but on our budget I had to take this risk.

10 minutes went by while I spirit levelled and measured. Thes walls are all over the place, bowed here and there. The grid shows this.

After the grid was there I rapidly started the tiling. before the adhesive set (it is rapid set stuff)

AC

 

[Supercoley1]

16th August 2010

Its actually very early morning now and a continuation from above but no time for progress photos as I went along as the adhesive would've set. However here is where we are at the end of the first mix of adhesive. Half was awsted and from now I will mix enough for about 2 rows at a time and also pre-cut the tiles for the corners.

I think I did quite well with the 'quick thinking'. My mum and wife didn't notice the problem until I pointed it out to them.

Loads more pics on my site and will upload further progress as I update the site

Comments welcome on progress so far

AC

 

[Polishtradesman]

For me, it is very bad idea to tile on bath. You do the wall first and and make squre corner then fix the bath and Silicon in gap between tiles and bath. You shouldnt put tile on bath becouse it loss its quarantee .

 

[macten]

For me, it is very bad idea to tile on bath. You do the wall first and and make squre corner then fix the bath and Silicon in gap between tiles and bath. You shouldnt put tile on bath becouse it loss its quarantee .

Rubbish!

 

[Polishtradesman]

Rubbish!

Not rubbish, it is very stupid idea to put the tiles on bath edge. I dont know why you do that but if you ask any bath manufacturer about it, he says big mistake. First you do the wall with tiling then fix the bath.

 

[DHTiling]

Not rubbish, it is very stupid idea to put the tiles on bath edge. I dont know why you do that but if you ask any bath manufacturer about it, he says big mistake. First you do the wall with tiling then fix the bath.

Not in the uk you don't.. the baths over here have a chamfered edge and fixing the bath afterwards would result in a wide Silicon joint and that will look very poor.

 

[Dontiler]

Found baths edge never straight, nothing wrong with tiles sitting on bath just need to leave 2 mm gap for Silicon and you good to go

 

[Polishtradesman]

Ok, that is something new for me, all baths i do, have got squere and stright edge.

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

Not rubbish, it is very stupid idea to put the tiles on bath edge. I dont know why you do that but if you ask any bath manufacturer about it, he says big mistake. First you do the wall with tiling then fix the bath.

My friend, in England it is common practice to tile onto a bath, I can see your logic, but each to their own mate. vive la differance'