Tips for new bathroom?

[LovelyAndAmazing]

We are just beginning the process of planning a new bathroom - I'm a total novice and would be very grateful for some tips and do's/don'ts.

We have a small bathroom that gets a lot of use as it is the only one in a small Victorian house (family of four - two teenagers).

At the moment I'm looking at the option of large tiles to minimise grout cleaning and create a feeling of space. I've also seen these porcelain wall panels - does anyone have any experience of these and would you recommend them? TIA!

https://www.toppstiles.co.uk/grande-stone-lucca-grey-porcelain-panel-100cm-x-260cm#selection.productcolour=Marble%20Statuario&selection.primaryytilefinish=Polished&selection.size=120cm%20x%20120cm%20Panel

I have just had mine done, and went for shower panels. No grouting to clean ever again...

I particularly love my heated, lighted, bluetooth mirror cabinet so I can listen to stuff in the bath / while getting ready.

Thanks @LordEmsworth - the blue tooth mirror sounds amazing! What material did you go for with your panels?

I went for Fibo which are 11mm so sturdy & look solid, in a tile effect... Something like this https://www.instagram.com/p/CtuTqM-LhNz/

Maybe not the kind of advice you were looking for, but the biggest irritation in my bathroom is that shower control unit is on the opposite side to the shower door. This means you have to reach under the shower head to press the button that turns the shower on, and you get a wet arm if you're not quick!

Thanks @LordEmsworth - that looks really smart!

@MagpiePi - that is exactly the kind of tip I need!

I have been looking at pictures on Pinterest and TikTok and I am feeling so uninspired. Our bathroom needs to be practical as it gets a lot of use and I want to avoid colours/tiles that will go out of fashion quickly, but it doesn't leave a huge amount to choose from.

Don't have the toilet next to the sink (or if you have to, have a big long cabinet in between), I find it so gross brushing my teeth and being right next to the toilet

My advice is don’t shy away from some colour and designs and look in hotels and fancy restaurants for inspiration.

my friend has juts done a bathroom in mainly white and grey and it is the saddest looking thing. Very clinical.

Shower panels are a time saver for cleaning, no grout lines to scrub.

I had our extractor wired to switch in with our shower pump, so it never gets forgotten or left on unnecessary.

A low threshold shower tray is also nice.

@LovelyAndAmazing I have no tips...yet as I'm at the same stage as you. But I'm thrilled that bathroom panels have moved on, when I looked a few years ago they were all plastic so I'm really happy to see porcelain! Have bookmarked.

Couple of practical things I'm including are:
Charge point for toothbrushes that's on an actual shelf they can live on, not the windowsill as now
As much storage as possible, probably built into awkward space (I want a little spot to keep cleaning materials in the bathroom itself)
A big ladder heated towel rail to take at least 4-6 towels
Mirror with lighting for applying makeup
Heated floor - if we can afford it, I hate cold floors.

@Justfinking I think we'll need to keep to roughly the lay out we already have as can't really afford to change plumbing around, but luckily the loo and basin are at opposite ends of the room.

@Catsfrontbum I'm beginning to think about colours now - am so sick of looking at plain white/grey. I've just spotted these tiles, which I think are lovely - with the grey grout they might be practical. We need to fully tile our shower are and I'm also considering tiling up up to windowsill level on the other walls.



@DRS1970 - ventilation is really important for us - will consider this.

@FletchingStraight - excellent list! I am looking at vanity cabinets with drawer storage and also need a mahoosive heated towel rail. Unfortunately our budget won't stretch to underfloor heating.

www.toppstiles.co.uk/lampas/lampas-marine-tile

Link to blue tiles I like - image on the top left is the look I'm thinking of with grey grout.

Love those tiles! We’re in a very similar situation, desperately needing to do our small bathroom (only one in the house so also very busy 😩).

I’m here for practical tips on working/living in a house during installation of the only bathroom in the house. Is it better to stay elsewhere?

@LovelyAndAmazing yes not sure we can afford the underfloor heating either will have to see when we get quotes. Our bathroom is tiny though.

Love those tiles the colours are amazing. I'm definitely going for some colour I hate our white & grey tiles too. No room in my house is without colour so it really depresses me

@Newname2308 in our previous house the plumber set it up to use the loo at end of each day. It was pre kids & we went to gym in the evening to shower. No idea how to manage with kids. Flannel washes for a few days?

Yes - tips for how to manage the build/work practically are very welcome!

One thing I am considering is installing a water softener. We live in a very hard water area and I'm tired of scrubbing limescale. I'm guessing the dark blue tiles I like, wouldn't look good with a white residue on them...

Our bathroom has the standard layout of loo-basin-bath all against the window wall. We built a bulkhead across that wall so that we could enclose the toilet cistern, and took the bulkhead right up to the window. Instead of tiling the top, we had a large slab of (I can't remember what it's called) some sort of manufactured stone or quartz cut to shape like a kitchen worktop. It goes right across the bulkhead and into the window in one seamless piece. It is sealed but not fixed down - the weight holds it in place - so if there's ever any need to access the plumbing it can just be lifted off. Makes a brilliant bathroom shelf, plenty of space for all the toiletries teenagers need, and wipes clean perfectly. Everything is wall-hung, including the loo brush, so there's no visible plumbing, no dirt traps and the only thing that needs moving when cleaning the floor is the bath mat.

Storage. Think about your bathroom. What do you want to do in there? Shower, bath, loo, beauty routines, exercise? Storage for whatever you need. Towels, cleaning stuff, exercise equipment, extra bath stuff, etc.

I couldn't afford a full bathroom refit, but most of my bathroom was decent quality basics. I made a massive improvement to the bathroom with a not-enormous number of changes.

I have large white tiles (don't show the limescale too badly) which I kept, and then painted the walls a deep teal colour. That way I wasn't committing to anything I couldn't change. I got a beautiful, massive, handmade mirror off Etsy for £90 which coordinates with the paint. And then the other thing I did was change the taps.

Obviously that's not the same as a full refit, and I think the thing I want most that I don't have is storage - if I were changing my bathroom I would definitely make sure I had built in storage deep enough to stand a bleach bottle upright in.

I do love the tiles you have picked, they are gorgeous. I agree that I'd be worried about limescale though!



Sorry - trying and failing to post a diagram!

Couldn't attach the plan with added measurements I had made - v frustrating.

This is the bathroom layout - it's roughly 170cm wide 245 length.
The window is 116cm wide (wall is 65cm on left and 64cm on right).

@Aparecium - I like your idea of having a long run of toilet/vanity/basin. I'm wondering if I have room to do this if I turn the toilet round so the back is against the window wall. I could then put a vertical towel rail where the loo is now?

@Papillon23 - agree - the other option is to go for colour on the walls and simple white tiles. Am rather in love with the blue ones now!

We had a new bathroom this year, in pink and pale green. The plumber said it was the first bathroom he’d installed in two years that wasn’t grey/white.

I had a new bathroom put in a year ago and deliberately had as little tiling as possible, just around the shower cubicle.

The tiles are grey-ish with a slightly darker grout. We do have a water softener but sprayed the tiles and grout with sealant, which does seem to have made a difference.
Not sure of exact one, but like this:
LTP Grout & Tile Protector Spray Sealer - 600ML | Tile Superstore®

For cleaning the entirely detachable soft-close loo seat/lid is excellent.

The hand basin is rectangular and all in one with the counter-top. It looks good but is a bit of pig to clean as water does lie in the flat bottom slightly. I wish it was 'curvier' really.

How does this layout look, if the room is wide enough for a decent size bath? I've put the towel rail between bath and door, and I'd have a towel bar next to the basin.

I've just realised I put basin and toilet in opposite positions, so swap them around unless you don't mind having the basin under the window.

My favourite little thing that we had installed in the main bathroom was low level led lights that are motion activated, so night time loo trips don't require you to put any lights on.

I'd say go with what you love, even if it means lovely colours. Why stick with white and grey?! Just clean it regularly. The white grout in my main bathroom that was installed two years ago is still white.

Have fun with it!!