HOW TO FIT A BATHROOM – Fitting a bathroom suite is not that difficult. Preparation is the key to any successful Home Improvement Project. The only real danger here is flooding, and that is easily avoided by simply turning the water off while you work. In this guide we’ll walk you thought the entire process of fitting out a bathroom, which includes installing the bath, sink and toilet.
Step 1
Measure your bathrooms length and width. Once you have the exact measurement you can plot out your bathroom on some graph paper, using a pen and ruler and plot the layout of where the bathtub, sink and toilet will go. You can also take your measurements to any good DIY or Home Improvement Store and provide them with your measurements.
Most stores have an in-house design team that will be able to provide a computer generated design so you’ll know what your new bathroom will look like once it is fitted. When you have finished with the planning it’s simply a case of purchasing the bathroom suite that you like, and one that fits your plans, and installing it.
Step 2
Before you start fitting your bathroom what you MUST do is to turn OFF the water supply. You do not want to be working on the plumbing when this is on, otherwise you will end up flooding the bathroom, causing damage to the floors, walls and ceilings below. Locate the mains water supply and turn off the water. Once you have turned off the water you can begin fitting your new bathroom
Step 3
Start with your new bathtub. You will need someone to help you lift this into place. Make sure it is in the proper position and the right way round. When the bathtub is in position you can take your taps and thread these through the tap holes. Before you do, it is a good idea to wrap some plumbers PTFE tape around the threads where the pipes will be attached to the taps. From the underside of the bath you will be able to see the tap stems and the pipes for the taps can then be screwed into place. Use a wrench and or spanner to tighten the screw nuts on the taps.
Step 4
Now that your taps are in place and fitted you can fit the plug hole. The plug hole will also have a screw thread at the bottom and again you should wrap some plumbers PTFE tape around this before fitting in the bathtub. Don’t forget to place the rubber seal on the plug hole and then slot it into place. From the underneath of the bath you can now attach the waste trap and its pipe to the plug hole using a wrench and or spanner.
Step 5
You can now take the ‘overflow’ fitting and fit this into place and then from the underside connect the pipe to the waste trap. Now that you have finished fitting all the bathtub fitments you can move on to leveling the bath.
Step 6
Your bath, depending on the size and model you have 4 or 6 adjustable legs. Take a spirit level and place this on the back edge of the bathtub and adjust the back legs until it is level. Repeat this procedure for the front and ends of the bath.
You should make sure that the front, back and either end is level. Once your bathtub is completely level the only thing remaining is to install the bath panel to the front.
WAIT… Don’t do this until you have completed fitting the sink and toilet as you will need to test for any leaks, so fit this item when all of your bathroom is complete. You can now install your sink…
Step 7
Installing your sink will depend on the type of sink that you purchased, for example a wall fitted sink or a pedestal sink. For the purposes of this guide we provide information on fitting a pedestal sink. The principle is the same for wall mounted sink, albeit you won’t have the pedestal. If you have purchased a pedestal sink then the pedestal is the first item you will need to install. Follow the manufacturer’s fitting instructions carefully.
Step 8
Pedestal Sink - Get someone to help you hold the sink and pedestal. Place the sink bowl onto the pedestal and then move it into position. You have to ensure that the pedestal is lined up correctly with the pipework. Once you have done this you can mark the fixing holes, on the floor, with a pencil.
Remove the pedestal and sink and then drill the holes and place the pedestal back into position and fix it to the floor, using the fixing provided. You can now place the sink bowl on top of the pedestal.
Step 9
Wall Mounted Sink - Read the manufacturer’s instructions for fitting the sink that you have purchased. The instructions will give you the height where the basin is to be fitted. From the floor, measure up to the height where the brackets are to be fitted.
At this height, draw a straight line on the wall. Now take your sink basin and place this on the line – it is a good idea if you have someone to help hold the basin in place. Once the basin brackets are on the line, place a spirit level on the basin to make sure it is level and then mark all the bracket holes, with a pencil. Remove the sink basin and drill the holes.
STOP! Before you drill any holes run a multipurpose detector across the wall to ensure there are not pipes or electrical cables in the way. Your basin will come with all the appropriates fixings. Insert raw plugs into the holes that you drilled then take the sink basin and place this on the wall and fit to the wall by fixing it with the screws provided.
Step 10
Now that your sink is in place, pedestal or wall mounted, you can install the taps, plug hole and overflow fittings. Take the taps and wrap some plumbers PTFE tape around the screw threads. Repeat this for the plug hole and overflow fittings.
Place the taps through the hole and connect each tap to the relevant, hot or cold, pipes and tighten using a wrench and or spanner. Now fit the plug hole and connect this to the waste trap and tighten with a wrench and or spanner.
Finally, fit the overflow and insert the pipe into the waste trap.
NOTE - If you have installed a Pedestal Sink, you will find that fitting the taps, etc., just a little bit trickier. You will find that there is only a small gap between the wall and the pedestal and so you will need to take your time and exercise some patience.
Step 11
You should now have your bath and sink installed and the final item to fit is the toilet. Take the toilet bowl (leave the cistern aside for the time being) and place this into position. Slide the toilet back until the waste connector is fitted into the waste pipe coming out of the wall.
Now take the cistern and place this onto the bowl. Make sure the two parts are fitted properly and then slide back further until the cistern sits against the wall and make sure the waste pipes are connected. You can now lift the cistern off the wall and place out of the way.
Step 12
At the base of the toilet you will find four holes. These are used to secure the toilet bowl to the floor. Mark each hole with a pencil and then remove the toilet bowl. Drill each of the holes and then slide your toilet bowl back into place – ensure that you connect the waste pipes and this time include the rubber seal. Once the toilet is in place you can secure it to the floor with the bolts provided.
Step 13
Take the cistern and place this onto the toilet bowl. Remove the lid and look inside – you should find the flush handle, ball cock and float valve in bags, so remove these. Look inside the cistern and you will find the screw holes at either end.
Mark these holes with a pencil and then remove the cistern. Drill the holes and insert into the holes appropriate raw plugs. You can now place the cistern on the toilet bowl and fix it to the wall with the screws provided. At the bottom of the cistern you will find the hole where the water is released into the bowl.
Open the bag containing the ball cock and float value and flush handle. Fitting varies slightly, so read the manufacturer’s assembly and fitting instructions and fit accordingly.
Step 14
Your new bathroom suite is now fully fitted and now you need to test each part to make sure there are no leaks in the pipes. Turn on your water supply and start with the bath. Place the plug in the plug hole and turn on the taps.
While the water is running look under the bath and check for any leaks from the taps. If you do spot any then try tightening the connections. If all is well, then turn off the taps and pull the plug. Again look under the bath to see if any leak occurs from the waste trap and or plug hole fitting.
Finally check the overflow by taking a jug of water and pouring it through. You can now repeat the same for the sink.
Step 15
Check that the toilet cistern is filling up and not overflowing. Note that there are water level marks inside the cistern. If the water level goes above this adjust the ball cock / float value until it doesn’t fill beyond the water line marks. Check also for any leaks buy flushing – check the seal from the toilet bowl to the cistern and from the toilet bowl to the waste pipe.
Step 16
Once you have checked for any leaks and once everything is fine you can now place the lid back on the cistern and finally fit the bath panel. Fitting the bath panel will depend on the type of bathtub you have but mostly the panels are just clipped into place. Read the manufacturer’s instructions for fitting your bath panel. Once that’s done you can stand back and admire your new fitted bathroom suite.
