Bathroom renovation is all about refreshing the tangibles of the bathroom. Most won’t touch on the plumbing and fixtures but sure touch on the paint, joiner and shower screens.
You can find “how-to” guides anywhere and everywhere. The following tips are rare which I have learnt myself with 20+ years of experience.
Tips for Painting Bathroom Walls
Depending on your design, the painting could take place on items such as ceilings, walls, doors, skirting boards, architraves and windows.
Below are my top 3 bathroom painting tips.
1. MOULD RESISTANT PAINT
My main piece of advice is to choose a good quality mould and bacteria resistant paint.
Bathrooms tend to contain high humidity and moisture levels that can easily lead to mouldy rooms if they are not ventilated correctly.
To avoid this happening, try and have a good mechanical ventilation fan installed.
2. THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAIL
Like all painting, the detail is in the preparation work that is initially done.
The more time and effort you put into puttying holes, patching and sanding any imperfections along with applying good quality undercoats, the better the finished result will be.
3. COVER ALL FIXTURES & FITTINGS
Again it’s not rocket science but make sure all fittings, fixtures and tiles are completely covered to prevent any paint getting where it’s not supposed to be.
Prevention is better than cure – and you really don’t want to spoil your shiny new fixtures!
So that covers painting bathroom walls. Now let’s move on to shower screens.
Tips for Choosing Bathroom Shower Screens
Below are four of the most common types of shower screens available.
- Fully framed shower screen.
- Semi-frameless shower screen.
- Frameless shower screen.
- Shower rail and curtain.
1. FULLY FRAMED SHOWER SCREENS
These are generally the cheapest of the glass screen options. They primarily consist of an aluminium frame that runs around each piece of glass. i.e. top, bottom, doors and all frames.
Whilst this option may be one of the cheaper ones, it’s also considered one of the most watertight (something to consider if you have small children).
This style of the screen can also be purchased pre-made, online from various stores. And if your handy, it can also be installed on a budget. Here is an example of an online store that sells this style of the screen – Aqua Bathrooms.
Some more examples can be found here.
2. SEMI FRAMELESS SCREENS
Just as it sounds, this style of screens only has a partial frame – usually on the top and bottom of the glass, with a frameless door.
These look a little more aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and are usually pretty cost effective.
Again, this style of screen can be purchased off the shelf (or online) but I generally get these screen customs made by a professional who will also handle the installation.
Here are a few examples.
3. FRAMELESS GLASS SCREENS
This is more your designer style of screen and looks the most visually impressive.
These screens are basically all glass with just a few fixing brackets and hinges. They are also silicone sealed around all joints along the floor and wall.
But with all wow factor fixtures, they come with a price. This style is the most expensive of all the options, and funnily enough is probably the least waterproof due to its design.
Here are some examples for you to see.
3. SHOWER CURTAIN AND RAIL
Other than the glass options, this is your most cost-effective screen. That said its also terrible for containing water, so keep that in mind.
As far as installation goes, if you’re handy with a hammer drill this could also be something that you chose to install yourself and save a few dollars.
Here is an example of how cheap they are on Amazon.
Bathroom Wall Lining Tips
Depending on your bathroom, your wall linings will usually come under two categories:
- Drywall linings – plaster board sheeting or cement sheeting.
- Hardwall plaster – cement render over brickwork, or solid brick walls.
You would have determined what your bathroom is constructed from back in the preliminary stages of the project. So, by now you should be fully aware of your wall construction – especially after the demolition and removal of any wall tiles.
1. TIMBER FRAME WALLS
If you have timber frame walls you’ll most likely be looking at option 1 above and installing new sheeting.
It’s recommended when installing this sheeting that you use a product that is designed for a wet area such as villa board which is a fibros cement sheet. There are also other wet area boards such as “Aqua check” or green board.
But it’s best to consult with a manufactures technical department for the right board for your application.
2. BRICK WALLS
If you have brick walls you will more than likely be going with option 2 – a hardwall plaster.
This means using a cement render to re skim the walls straight and flush to be ready for tiles. I highly recommend using an acrylic render with faster drying times for this type of finish.
Standard sand and cement normally have longer drying times to fully cure. This can effectively delay the installation of your waterproofing membrane if it’s not completely dry, or worse cause your membrane to fail.
3. PHOTOS OF ALL YOUR SERVICES
Take plenty of photos of all your services (plumbing and electrical) in the wall, and your room in general before you sheet your walls.
These photos may come in handy for future reference down the track.
With either option this is generally a pretty messy stage of your bathroom renovation. So kindly ask your contractors to stay on top of any mess they make and clean up after themselves.
Once all your bathroom wall linings have been done the next step is to move onto Waterproofing.
Bathroom Joinery Tips
Bathroom joinery (or cabinetry as it’s sometimes known), can be classed as things such as vanities, shaving cabinets, and benchtops to name a few.
Below are a few things to keep in mind when choosing these items.
Bathroom Joinery: Cheap vs Custom Made
Depending on the design of your bathroom, you can opt for custom made bathroom joinery or off the shelf, pre-made, or flat packed cabinetry.
Generally speaking, something custom made will cost you slightly more than purchasing something already manufactured. But it really comes down to design and budget when choosing between the two.
1. BUDGET MAKEOVER = PRE MADE, OFF THE SHELF
Are you going for a budget makeover or just a freshen up of your bathroom? Then a standard pre made or flat pack vanity and mirrored cabinets will get you out of trouble.
Often times a budget of between $200-$300 will suffice for this.
Here are some examples of the type of vanities I am referring to.
If you go for a pre-made bathroom joinery unit, this will generally be something that your carpenter or plumber can install. But I suggest you nominate it on someone’s scope of works so that you don’t get the carpenter saying it’s the plumbers’ job, and the plumber saying it’s the carpenters!
2. DESIGNER LOOK = CUSTOM MADE
On the other hand, are you going for more of a designer look and require something custom made? Then you could be looking at anywhere between $1000 – $3000, depending on the style and finishes.
Here are some examples of custom made joinery in bathrooms.
Lead Times: Make Sure You Factor These Into Your Project Timeline
With any custom made joinery, you need to factor in lead times for manufacturing.
Most companies will have between a 4-6 week lead time from deposit to installation. Some more, some less depending on your finish
The lead time is something you need to factor in when you’re in your early preliminary stages of the renovation project.
Check Measure: After the Tiling Stag
Another consideration with custom made joinery is that there is usually a check measure that will be required. This comes after the tiling stages and before they start with their manufacturing.
So if this is what you plan on doing with your bathroom there may be a long manufacturing time. Make sure you also factor this into your planning schedule.
You’ll get a gauge of this from the contractors when in the initial quotation stages, but it’s worth keeping in mind.
Generally speaking, the installation of the joinery is one of the final items to take place. So there may still be some fit off of services needed around part of the joinery. But either way its towards the end of the project.
Last of all, when everything is installed and completed its time to give everything a good clean down. That way you’ll be ready for those beautiful before and after photo’s that you can share with your family and friends (and don’t forget to share them with us!)
