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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask what bathroom mistakes you have made

321 replies

Egoanono · 20/10/2016 14:54

Doing up the bathroom at the mo, ripping it out and starting from scratch. Mid range budget but want a high end finish. I'd love to learn from your mistakes (and successes! please.

OP posts:
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deeedeee · 20/10/2016 18:50

diddle , regarding the omni tub, I usually sit on my bum and sit cross legged , or I lie diagonally across it. Or I cuddle in it with my husband. Or both my kids. It's great!

Butteredpars1ps · 20/10/2016 19:09

Loving this thread!! & really like the look of the Omni bath.

Can I ask about the coloured grout? has anyone tried it with white tiles? I love my white tiles but the grout is grim.

atticusclaw2 · 20/10/2016 19:14

I have marble tiles and so they're white with grey veins. I have silver grey grout with them.

MrsDeVere · 20/10/2016 19:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

deeedeee · 20/10/2016 19:26

3.bp.blogspot.com/-EaaPOgA8I9I/VTRMG8TB2qI/AAAAAAAALMA/Y53SIJcGBMM/s1600/bathroom2.jpg

Our tiler did the same as the poster up thread's when we asked for grey grout, initially tried to talk us out of it. But in the end thought it looked brilliant. Took loads of photos for his website.

deeedeee · 20/10/2016 19:29

I'd also totally recommend www.tonsoftiles.co.uk/?gclid=COuqkYKB6s8CFWgq0wodTVYHRA

They do all the posh interesting tiles that you see at topp's tiles, but a fraction of the price. Couldn't believe it! Their crackle glazed subway tiles are apparently exactly the same as fired earth, same factory, but much much cheaper.

TattiePants · 20/10/2016 19:41

Thanks for that link Deee. I was looking at some tiles in Bathstore at the weekend that are £39m2 but are only £27.50 on that website.

deeedeee · 20/10/2016 19:42

I have shower niches and they are great. Above the height of shower splash , at eye height , so I can hide all my shampoos and stuff in them and there's no clutter on the side of bath/ window sill etc.

deeedeee · 20/10/2016 19:45

I know tattiepants, amazing
In it? it's some virtual tile universe where all the tiles are nice and affordable rather than dull and expensive! I hope they aren't major human right's violators or something.. Eeeek

WildwestWind · 20/10/2016 19:53

I bought a bathroom cabinet with a mirror front and lights down either side. Best of all you turn it on by waving your hand underneath it - perfect for those sleepy stumbly trips for a wee in the night.

pennycarbonara · 20/10/2016 19:58

No concealed cisterns. They are such a pain if something needs to be fixed, and therefore also harder to adapt for water saving strategies.
(Have never installed one but lived in a place which already had one.)

Position over-bath showers properly and take account of adequate room to move around under them. No one ever told me to check this. Once ended up with one that was slightly off centre, and even if you were skinny, you had to keep one arm pretty much by your side when showering.

Don't position traditional taps very far back from the edge of the sink so that if trying to fill a cup from them, you often bash it against the porcelain.

Do tile all way up the walls around a bath with shower. The more tiles the better all over really, stops worrying about splashes messing up paintwork.

I am really not convinced the standard plastic shower screens give enough coverage, plenty of splashes go past them.

Get enough shelves around the sink area to suit your needs. If there's room. I don't know why shelving on either sides of a bathroom sink is not more of a thing. Much more useful than a ledge in front of a mirror where stuff can easily get knocked over.
And get shelves that are easy to clean (minimum of crevices to get mouldy) and don't go rusty (like that cheap chrome a lot of wire bathroom shelving is made of)

Floors: I don't like lino because water gets through gaps and soaks floorboards, but OTOH, stone or tile floors are a nuisance to take up if a repair needs to be done.

LOVE underfloor heating. Makes such a difference to comfort in the winter.

For an upstairs bathroom, a nice big sink in which it's easy to get a glass or cup under the tap, and a plastic bowl in the basin.

The most water efficient taps and showers and loos would, personally, be a priority. There are much better ranges available than there used to be with a good variety of designs

Multi-bulb light fittings are very in but I find them wasteful, would go for something with a single bulb unless the room was very big, then two spaced out. And if possible, something that didn't highlight every single dead midge in the fitting.

Heated towel rails more useful and attractive than a flat plain radiator

pennycarbonara · 20/10/2016 19:59

Oops, didn't mean to write such a long post. Sorry.

Watto1 · 20/10/2016 20:00

I've said this before on bathroom threads but I'll say it again - choose bath taps that you can turn on and off with your feet. Essential when topping up the hot water during a long soak!

TroysMammy · 20/10/2016 20:08

I''ve got a white fitted bathroom with white wall tiles which I love but I don't recommend having any counter tops above a cistern sealed.

I had a problem with my cistern which was causing water to flow into the toilet. Being on a water meter I was hysterical, cutting the sealant with a craft knife to get to the cistern to stop the problem.

Also I wish I had pink glitter floor tiles and not the boring terracotta ones I'm stuck with.

Warl · 20/10/2016 20:11

I measured my bathroom meticulously so I could get a free standing bath in the alcove just didn't take into account the base of the free standing tap & had to extend the bathroom into the hallway to fit it in Shock

Statelychangers · 20/10/2016 20:13

Sorry I haven't rtt.
Check all the sanitary ware as soon as it arrives - do not wait till it's installed. Clean the area everyday after plumber had been to ensure issues are not hidden by dirt. If you are having tiles get underfloor heating. check where your door handle will hit and work out how you will stop it damaging that surface. Expensive doesn't mean great quality....it often just means new design. Get into a bath and make sure it's comfortable - taps in the middle so you can sit at either end. Hose in shower for easy cleaning.
lots of storage for towels, toiletries and cleaning products. Floor - not a solid colour - shows hair, dirt and fluff, get a sample tile and leave it indoor bathroom for a few days to check this. Mood lighting and task lighting. Quiet fan. Check water flow of tap won't cause splashing back on you. Choose a loo/basin that hides the pipes or mdf around them. Tile everything or use bathroom paint.

pourmeanotherglass · 20/10/2016 20:16

We got a shower valve which looked lovely and simple and minimalist in the brochure, but is actually really tricky to adjust with wet hands.

deeedeee · 20/10/2016 20:17

Thinking about, there is nothing I dislike about my bathroom!

FeralBeryl · 20/10/2016 20:18

If you're having a separate shower cubicle, get them to sink the tray if possible, ours is just walk in rather than stepping up over a ledge.
We've got a massive corner one with a curved sliding door so it doesn't open out and soak the floor.
Rainfall shower as well as the hose option if you have the pressure.
Check their waterproofing and sealing religiously though

Sink, I've got a frosted glass shelf, I just have a beaker that the toothpaste stands in and another for brushes. I just babywipe it.

Defo not waterfall taps-there are plenty of equally beautiful ones now don't worry.

Soft close toilet seat.
Toilet that sits on the floor not into the wall so no weight limit or extra stress on the joints.
Ditto the sink unless you're having a vanity under it.

Heated towel rail
Vertical radiator
Heated lighty up mirror over the sink - fab

If you like baths, get the whirlpool with disco lights in. It's so relaxing.
Also if you're going to share baths-taps in the middle rather than one end.

Storage wise, we got the whole thing done by a poncey place, but didn't like the cupboards, we got a long mirrored corner unit from ikea which you don't see.

I thought we were going overboard with it all but it's possibly my favourite room in the house.
Or maybe it's just because it has a lock Wink

unlucky83 · 20/10/2016 20:21

Oh - saw central fill baths recommended - if you put them on the wall side you can't get to them unless you have access from the other side of the wall or you pull the bath out...so for me a no-no.
(One of my (many -long story) bathroom leaks was due to a flexible bath tap feed failing - it was one the braided steel hoses, it hadn't been in that long and was correctly fitted and a decent make - it must just have been faulty/damaged in transit -luckily could easily get to it or I would have been gutted -and so would my bathroom Wink)

SpeckledyBanana · 20/10/2016 20:22

Vitra fittings are nice, but don't let your bathroom fitter buy them on your behalf as the price will suddenly double Angry

TroysMammy · 20/10/2016 20:28

Water jet bath, waste of money. I don't have baths anymore as I'm on a water meter and tight as fuck and 5 mins in the bath I itch like billy-o. If you do decide to get a water jet bath get the on/off switch located remotely. It stops busy little fingers pressing buttons they shouldn't.

I also wish I had a bath panel that incorporated a sliding door where job lot of toilet rolls could be stored. I keep them on top of the cupboards, so messy looking.

Soft closing toilet seat and lid is a must and don't have a pull cord that both turns on the light and fan. Bloody noisy at night.

thisisbloodyridiculous · 20/10/2016 20:31

We've got a sink with a vanity that has two massive drawers underneath - far more useful than cupboards and provide loads of storage!

TroysMammy · 20/10/2016 20:32

Last one, a bath with a plug central plug hole especially if you share baths. No-one likes sitting on the plug hole and there is a danger if the metal triangle on the plug is upright and you could end up cutting your bum hole. It happened to me many years ago Shock Blush

PigletJohn · 20/10/2016 20:36

extractor fans

buy a good one with a ball-bearing motor that will not quickly wear out and go noisy like the £4 ones builders use. Or better still, a ducted inline fan in the roof space above the ceiling (if any) which can be three times as powerful and half as noisy.

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