Can we do a bathroom lessons learned thread?

[dontcallmemam]

My Pinterest and Houzz are full of gorgeous bathrooms but thinking practically are there any good tips?
It seems a decent extractor & an open window are important.
Good flooring?
Adequate storage?
Any tips gratefully received.

Wax spray for doors? What is it and where do I get it? Googled it and can't find it.

Also (sorry for all the q's!) can I ask how you clean your enamel bath? We have hard water but I am scared to use most products on it as they all say 'not for use on enamel'.

At the moment we just rinse it after every bath but there is some scale on the corners where bottles are kept.

Yes, I'd also like to know about this wax spray.

The extractor in our en suite is utter shit. Is it possible to get another one fitted? And if so what do I even look for in an extractor?!!!!!

Am also interested in extractors!

Yes, I'd love to know what this wax spray is. Do tell!

Extractor fans are very cheap to buy and get fitted. A good one will be very useful in making the room less damp.

Are people saying that we need one in the window as well though, if we have a window that opens?

We were advised by bathroom shop to put baby oil on taps shower fittings etc to prevent water marks etc any one have experience of this?

extractor+ window would be good. then you could leave extractor running all day, even when you are out.

I'd only leave it running if it was the 'wind powered' sort I think, though I know the electric ones are v cheap to run. But it makes sense to have a bit of air coming in and going out.

Get a sink with fitted vanity unit underneath. And a mirror cabinet for over the sink. That provides loads of storage so you don't need freestanding storage.

Agree with the big fixed shower head plus a handheld (make sure you can have them both on at the same time too).

Avoid wood laminate as although it lo

Posted too soon!

...looks great, of it gets damp it warps.

My biggest tip is keep down the amount of bottles you have in your bathroom. Any bathroom is going to look horrible with loads of bottles everywhere. All you need in te bath/shower is your shampoo, conditioner and body wash. Never understand it when I go to someone's house and they have loads of different bottles lined up along the bath!

Studded wall with recessed shelving in the shower is great. Extractor fan, essential. Also, most of you may already know this but the new loos apparently are a European design and have a funny ledge in the bowl which poo just sits on and not all go to the bottom so it needs to be cleaned every time. If you have boys like me then that seems to happen a lot! If you can, try to look at the bowl shapes before buying.

Wooden floors are usually recommended for bathrooms but you can get bamboo which is suitable and lovely.

Instead of tiles I got Respatex, Toscana Tile, covering all walls and bath panel. Here's the link:

www.respatex.co.uk/gallery.php

I have had the bathroom for over five years and it still looks like new, just needs wiping down every so often. I also got a good quality non-slip lino for the floor (looks like a wooden floor). This too just needs wiping with a damp cloth every so often. Invested in good taps, got a towel rail (needs dusting regularly) which does heat the room (6'x6') adequately.

Invest in a power shower, ours is not powerful enough in my opinion, but I don't know whether this is because of new regulations regarding water use which restrict the flow of water from modern showerheads. I will one day replace our shower with something more powerful but can't justify it at the moment.

We're going to do our bathroom soon too and two of my must-haves are: 1. No white tiles on the floor, we currently have these and they're the bane of my life. The floor never looks clean no matter how much I sweep/wash it.

1. Make sure to have power points for shaver/electric toothbrush. We have to keep taking the toothbrushes out to charge them in the kitchen - yuk!

Wind vents in bathroom windows get grotty and are nigh impossible to clean.

Wish we had got underfloor heating, though our huge towel rail mostly keeps it warm enough.

Grey grout looks good and keeps looking good.

Quidco does cash back on Tile Depot.

Spend as much as you can on a shower. Aqualisa are v good.

Method shower spray helps it keep looking new, even in hard water.

Don't be afraid to turn a loo 90 degrees etc to give a better lay out.

Do not do what the developer did in our old bathroom - fully tile in the concealed cistern and the bath panels so that you cannot access either when there is a problem without chiselling off tiles
We fixed the toilet by adding a removable oak shelf across the top and made a removable panel on the bath.
Good quality fitting fitted badly are a waste of money make sure you get a good fitter.
Make sure any loft space above the bathroom is well insulated - you really will notice the difference.
If you are replacing door locks make sure you get ones with the turns that can be opened from outside in an emergency. DS is fine but I permanently worry about other kids (visitors/relatives) locking themselves in with our original rim locks.
Grey grout for floor tiles is very forgiving.
Kawneer steel baths are very good - we had one for 10yrs that still looked brand new when we left.
If you have 2 showers in your house consider making one electric for when the boiler breaks down mid winter or the house is full of visitors using the HW - you'll still get a hot shower.

Oh yes, a much more powerful shower will be a must in our renovation,

Don't put a cabinet or shelf over the basin.

You will fill it with heavy glass jars and bottles which you will drop into the basin and crack it.

If you have convinced yourself that you have found a towel rail as powerful as a radiator, remember that it is your intention to lag it with a thick layer of insulating towels to prevent the heat getting out.

If it is a bathroom with external cold walls, you can get insulated backing boards that you can tile over.

You must have an effective extractor fan and use it. If you have an extractor that is old, worn-out and noisy, or cheap and ineffective, don't spend your time moaning about it. Buy a new one.

Extractors that fit above the ceiling can be quieter and more powerful than wall fans.

Fans are so cheap to run that cost is only a fake argument used by people who have an aversion to ventilation.

Also how do I prevent mould? Current old cheap boring bathroom has mould patches I don't want my lovely new ridiculously over priced one to have mould patches. Currently have extractor fan in shower and an opening window.

Don't choose a toilet with a magnetically attached seat, you spend most of your time trying to get it back in position to sit straight.

We knocked all into one big space - former loo, bathroom and a bit of landing. have two windows, a tiny one above loo, a big one at the side. It's pure luxury and I'd do it again.
I only really regret not measuring properly (leaving it to the bathroom shop people) and thinking a separate shower and bath would look cramped.
It would still look like a ballroom.

we go for enormous 6 foot WHITE towel rails. chrome ones just get scalding hot but don't manage to heat the room, but white ones pump the heat out .

I wouldn't have the toilet separate from the bathroom, personally. If someone needs the toilet while someone is in the shower then yes, they will be able to go without disturbing the person in the shower but where will they wash their hands? I also think about things like if a child has had diarrhoea or vomited or even if you're on a heavy period, then you will want direct access to a sink or bath straight away, not have to do the walk of shame to the bathroom next door.

There are reasons why thousands of households knocked through their separate toilet into where the bath and sink was.

Of course, the ideal is to squeeze in a separate toilet downstairs with a little sink - we're doing that this year as part of a kitchen extension. Can't wait!

Our towel rail is floor to ceiling, we never really manage to fill it with towels, even though there's 5 of us.

Def yy to PJ's comment on shelf over sink. We planned one above the double sink, and one year later still haven't got one and don't need it. Our sink has a very wide rim which holds our toothbrushes and toothpaste plus handwash without looking crowded at all.

Tiling half all the way round is a good idea, but I wish I'd left the unused wall free of tiles so to put a tall cabinet in. It would look odd now because it can't go all the way back to wall and that's noticeable.