Wheelchair accessible bathroom needs a makeover, on a tight budget. Help?

[LorraineJ]

Hello.

I have a wheelchair accessible bathroom that the local Council fitted for my son.
The layout is all fine, but I made the big mistake of choosing a white non-slip flooring which has stained awfully. It's a sort of dimpled, thick vinyl that is glued to the floor.

What I'd like to do is have the vinyl flooring replaced with safe, non-porous tiles, which I'd then also use on the walls around the wet areas.

My question is, will it be feasible to re-use the existing level shower tray that is in there, and tile over it? I imagine it will take a bit of scraping to get the flooring up, but do you think it could be used again?

I'm not sure what defines a wet room. I only need the shower corner to be sloped towards the drain, as it is now. There are low, bi-folding doors and a curtain to minimise splashing.

I can post pics if required. Let me know. (Though showing you how I stained my bathroom will be highly embarrassing, lol)

Thanks in advance.

 

[diamondtiling]

Hi Lorraine, pictures would help a lot.

Using the existing floor is not advisable, the pot or trap will have been set to that height and will need adjusting or replacing, also its not a suitable tiling surface.

 

[LorraineJ]

Hi Lorraine, pictures would help a lot.

Using the existing floor is not advisable, the pot or trap will have been set to that height and will need adjusting or replacing, also its not a suitable tiling surface.

Bah! I thought that might be the case.

I can see this becoming out of my budget. If the outlet for the new tray doesn't match with the plumbing that's already in place, that's going to be another job for a plumber.

I've got a perfectly watertight shower room, but damn, it's ugly.

Thanks.

Any advice as to how to get what I need at a low price would be very much appreciated.

 

[Gazzer]

A new vinyl floor but in a darker colour ? The ones I do for the council tend to be mid blue.

 

[LorraineJ]

A new vinyl floor but in a darker colour ? The ones I do for the council tend to be mid blue.

That might have to do. Perhaps in a charcoal or something.

Have you ever removed and re-fitted one? It seems to be fitted up underneath the lowest row of wall tiles. They're only bog standard square white ceramics so not too problematic to replace if they get broken, I suppose.

 

[Gazzer]

No, I dont do vinyl but it shouldnt be too much hassle to replace and shouldnt do any damage as the upstand should be fitted into a plastic trim.

 

[LorraineJ]

That's great, thanks.

Loving your username, btw.

 

[Dan]

Using non porous tile won't waterproof the wet areas, or the floor. You'd need to waterproof the substrate and then the tiles are simply for practical cleaning and use and aesthetics.

Even with a non porous tile the water still finds its way through the joints (certainly on floors but walls eventually also) and work it's way through the adhesive and then onto the substrate.

Not waterproofing the substrate I would dare to say is one of the most common causes of failure of tiling in bathrooms. As tilers you pull off tiles on most jobs and need to replace/repair the substrate. This is all easily preventable with what is basically a paint type affair.

And councils are of the worst for not doing this. So push the case with them.

 

[faithhealer]

Speaking about similar bathroom today council didn't realise floor sloped and water shoots out the bathroom and down the hallway (sorry but lol)

 

[LorraineJ]

Speaking about similar bathroom today council didn't realise floor sloped and water shoots out the bathroom and down the hallway (sorry but lol)

LOL indeed.

I can't fault the work done by my builder in this case. Just wish I'd been warned that I'd end up with a yellow stain by the toilet and must never, ever dye my hair.

 

[faithhealer]

LOL indeed.

I can't fault the work done by my builder in this case. Just wish I'd been warned that I'd end up with a yellow stain by the toilet and must never, ever dye my hair.

hair dye gets mentioned more than you would think on here lorraine

 

[SandyFloor]

Hi Lorraine,

It sounds like you might have Altro Marine 20 which is extremely effective as a non slip flooring but it's infamous for marking. Altro do a cleaner for it Altro - AltroClean 44

I don't do safety floors but many on the flooring forum do. They might be able to advise how effective the cleaning is. Alternatively ( check it is Altro first with the builder) phone Altro and they can advise on cleaning. This has to be your cheapest option.

 

[Scott]

Sandy i know this is your area so how easy is it to remove Altro?

 

[LorraineJ]

Hi Lorraine,

It sounds like you might have Altro Marine 20 which is extremely effective as a non slip flooring but it's infamous for marking. Altro do a cleaner for it Altro - AltroClean 44

I don't do safety floors but many on the flooring forum do. They might be able to advise how effective the cleaning is. Alternatively ( check it is Altro first with the builder) phone Altro and they can advise on cleaning. This has to be your cheapest option.

That's what it is, Altro Marine. It rang bells when I read it.

As for using one of their specialist cleaning products, well, I can't see it working on the staining. On the urine stain I've tried Peroxide, Ammonia, Bleach and loads of other cleaning products and it didn't even fade slightly. The red hair dye staining in the shower area has had a few scrubbing sessions too. It seems to be fading gradually as the weeks go by, perhaps it's UV that's having an effect on that.

Would this forum be the best place to find a safety floor fitter then?

The glue that was used on the seams looked dirty too, even when brand new.

 

[LorraineJ]

Ok, I emailed Altro flooring and described the staining and they suggested I use Altroclean 44plus before going for a re-install.

I've ordered a small 1litre bottle and will give it a try when it arrives. Hopefully, it'll do the job for under £20. If not, I'll start saving.

Thanks for all your help, folks.