To lock my bathroom during renovations in the flat

This. It's fucking inhumane to deny someone working in your house access to toilet facilities.

Yes, that's been my experience too, @Goatinthegarden , in 37 years of home ownership, never a problem. Mind you, I've always treated them with respect, so it's mutual.

We are not in London, but have had professional decorators in many times. They have never washed their brushes in our sinks. They bring special buckets fir the purpose. Why don't you talk to them about your concerns?

I had two lovely guys build our extension a few years back. They never once used the upstairs toilet (they were welcome to though) so no idea where/when they went. They did put in a bathroom, but not until the end of the 8month project. They barely touched the kettle, biscuits etc we left them and whenever we bought them take out coffee/cakes they seemed embarrassed. They also gave us a Christmas gift. In my experience, trades people look after your property.

You're going to need to deal with Precious Bathroom Syndrome. Something will happen if it is meant for human use. Or are you just going to keep it locked forever?
Don't have contractors in if you're not prepared to treat them with basic decency.

There may be some kind of law about providing basic necessities like loos in a workplace - check up on that.

Put a thick quilt and a load of stuff in the bath. Books wrapped in towels etc and a note saying please don’t move any of this. A friend of mine did this for the same reason. It worked.

Came here to say exactly this 😂

Op, if you didn’t have a toilet for ten days, how did you manage?!

On a separate note, I think you need to to and calm down about the bathroom. We’ve had two new bathrooms put in recently and we have a few settling cracks and other issues. Being that wound up about a bathroom is going to make you miserable, irrespective of what the painters do.

Exactly.

Speak to the painters and decorators……..it is not difficult to actually say “ I am perfectly happy for you all to use the toilet facilities but please wash paint brushes etc in the kitchen “. Communication is key here…….unless you tell them they won’t know will they? Be polite, but be an adult……open your mouth and talk to them!!

A plasterer used my loo for pouring away his plastery water which caysed a huge mess. But I would never stop people using the loo as a loo. You jyst have a chat with them beforehand about using kitchen sink for tools etc. Why are you contracting people you don’t like/trust?

Absolutely lock it. If you're not there they WILL use the bath and basin, whatever you say. Failing that, get duck tape and heavy wrapping and carefully wrap them so they CAN'T be used, you'll have to manage with the kitchen sink. Personally I'd lock the door, or they'll track paint all over the flooring anyway.

If you’re happy to pay for a portaloo then yes by all means lock the bathroom. On renovations we’ve been asked what toilet access we’ll supply.

Why can’t you tell them you are v concerned about damage and you don’t mind them using the loo but any damage to the bathroom will be at their charge and insist that they put down felt protection for the floor and over bath etc!?? It’s perfectly ok to tell them not to wash paint in the bath and that the bathroom is off limits other than the toilet! Just be clear and honest and I would probably gaffer tape felt roll over the bath floor etc myself to make sure it’s done.

I have never had a decorator or tradesman use my sink to wash brushes or my bath to store tools.

My guess is that you don’t want them using your toilet but you know you’ll get absolutely roasted on here if you say that so you’ve gone with this other ridiculous scenario which would almost certainly never happen.

My builder BIL always hires a portaloo for him and his tradies to use. He adds the cost of it to the estimate when quoting for jobs.

OP's in a flat though, there might be anywhere to put one!

How much did the bathroom cost? You could just put towels or sheets in and over the bath and floor etc which will remind them that they need to be careful. Using the loo and washing their hands shouldn’t be a problem.

I would put a sheet over the bath, a cloth over the sink held in position with an ornament or something and say to them the bathroom is just finished and could they use the kitchen sink to wash their hands. Maybe also put an old curtain or something on the floor.

Isn‘t it a legal requirement to provide toilet facilities? !n Germany it is. When we had our bathroom refurbished we were obliged to hire a portable toilet. Which is perfectly reasonable. Who wants to go to work and not be able to use the loo? I‘m shocked the people who did your refurbishment had no facilities provided, and can‘t imagine denying use of necessities, although I understand your concerns. But as others have said, just politely and clearly tell them about their tools etc.

Simple: “use the bathroom for a pee but kindly do NOT wash your paintbrushes in there.”

Tell them the toilet is broken (you could take the top off it) and you have a plumber you usually use, but they’re not available until next week. Tell them you’re annoyed cos you’ve only just had the bathroom done and spent a fortune on it and really value it. Hire a portaloo instead and tell them that’s what you’ll all be using as you didn’t want them to be uncomfortable and you ‘also need a working toilet haha’. Then, tell them the kitchen sink is for washing brushes.

What a horrible snobby attitude. You get some arseholes in all jobs, not just tradesmen.

I was listening to a podcast with Sarah Beeny recently and she was asked about her experiences working in a mainly male environment, particularly in the earlier days of her career.

She said she had far less respect and more misogynistic behaviour from some of the TV big bosses/executives than any tradesmen.

It is completely unreasonable to deny them access to a toilet. They are not some subclass of human. Would you accept it if your boss denied you access to the work toilet for 10 days, in case you damaged the sink? Of course you bloody wouldn't.

just tape cardboard over the bath and sink. Job done.