Before calling in tilers, plumbers and painters for an all-out refit, take a closer look at your old bathroom and identify the problem areas. Sometimes, small changes such as a new shower curtain, mirrors or a change of lighting can have sweeping repercussions on the look and feel of the room. ‘Something as simple as blinds, towel rails, wall hangings and new sanitary accessories can introduce your personal sense of style,’ says one of home specialists Zoe Springbett, who can help you source anything from a new toothbrush holder to a stylish vanity unit.
Removing limescale from taps and shower heads is another simple way of bringing a welcome gleam to a tired bathroom – one trick handed down through the generations involves wrapping the taps with wadges of toilet paper, soaking them in vinegar, and securing sandwich bags around them with rubber bands. After a few hours, most of the limescale should flake off.
For more radical renovations, careful planning and budgeting is essential. Carry out work in stages, so that you can continue to use your bathroom throughout the refurbishment. We can put you in contact with everyone from plumbers and tilers through to companies who will design and install an entirely new bathroom for you, so be sure to call our team of experts to talk through your options.
Painting and tiling
You might prefer to take on some of the work, such as the painting, yourself. Don’t underestimate the time it will take: because of all the angles, corners, pipework and abutting tiles, bathrooms are especially tricky. Be sure to use water-resistant bathroom paint – there are plenty of quick-drying varieties on the market, and we’ll be happy to order some for you.
New tiles on the floors and walls are another highly effective way of improving the look of your bathroom – but inevitably, any tiling job requires a high degree of preparation. For best results, remove the old tiles first and prepare the surfaces, which often means replastering the walls. An age-old trick is to tile directly on top of existing tiles. However, this means that your new tiles will be one tile proud, which can cause problems when tiling up to edges such as door frames. Be sure you want to go down this route before embarking on it.
Get some help
‘Plenty of websites and books offer detailed advice on how to tile bathrooms, but if you don’t feel confident, call us,’ says Casey Daniel, one of our home improvement experts. ‘Think long and hard before taking on any major refurbishments yourself. If in doubt, especially where plumbing and wiring are concerned, do not attempt to do it yourself. Remember, electricity and water are a potentially lethal combination. We can always find you the right man – or woman – for the job.”
However, you might like to tackle smaller plumbing jobs, such as stopping a tap from dripping. Before attempting any plumbing, turn off the water at the mains. You might need to do this in an emergency, so it is always a good idea to know where your stopcock is located - even if you aren’t planning to do any plumbing. ‘Dripping taps are usually caused by calcified, worn or slipped washers, which can be easily replaced,’ says Casey. ‘Broken toilet flushes can often be fixed by replacing the ball valve rather than shelling out for a whole new toilet. We can point you in the right direction for step-by-step advice on dealing with these kinds of problems.’
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