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Do-it-yourself bath installation

This do-it-yourself bath installation guide provides useful instructions for those who want to install a bath tub in their home without professional help. It outlines the steps that need to be taken to ensure a proper installation, making it much easier and cost-effective for the homeowner. It also covers topics such as the selection and placement of the bathtub, the proper sealant and glues needed for the installation, and the various materials that should and should not be used. An added advantage of this guide is that it provides detailed illustrations and diagrams, making the process straightforward and easier to understand. This guide is an invaluable resource for those who wish to install a bathtub without having to hire a professional.

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Installing a bathtub is one example of how everyday little things can be accompanied by quite serious difficulties. We offer you to get acquainted with the technique of installation, connection and reliable fastening of baths of different types in order to be able to carry out all the work with your own hands..

Do-it-yourself bath installation

Preparatory work

Before the bath is brought into the bathroom, the latter must be properly prepared. In order to avoid damage to the inner lining of the bowl, finishing work in the bathroom should be completed and all the necessary communications installed. The risk of damage is posed by hard fragments of building materials and tools that can be dropped into the bath inadvertently.

Do-it-yourself bath installation

If the bathtub is installed side-by-side to one of the walls or into a corner, it is not necessary to bring the finish close to the floor, it is enough to lower the starting row slightly below the side line. In this case, the bare layer of the wall should be covered with a composition with similar properties: hydrophobicity and hardness, a low tendency to organic damage. The closest replacement for tiles in this case can be ordinary alkyd enamel for interior work, which is used to paint the apron hidden behind the bowl, and the adjacent floor strip about 10 cm wide.

Do-it-yourself bath installation

The tile at the junction must be laid without curvature of the plane with control of the right angle. Usually, the lining of the bathroom starts from this area. By the time the bath is installed, a 50 mm socket of the sewer pipe should be removed from the floor or wall to which it adjoins, and at the place where the mixer is installed – cold and hot water supply pipes. If the bathtub has attached electrical equipment, it is connected through a waterproof plug socket with grounding contacts, located so that the bathtub does not block access after installation.

Installation of baths from different materials

Even an inexperienced person in plumbing nuances understands that installing an acrylic and cast-iron bath is not the same thing, in different cases the installation includes a different set of technological operations. The main point of support for a bowl filled with water is the floor, however, the way to reliably support an irregularly shaped container on it will differ depending on the material of the bath.

Do-it-yourself bath installation

Bathtubs made of cast iron and steel with an enamel coating have sufficient rigidity, so their installation is carried out on legs. Plumbing, both domestic and imported, is characterized by a similar scheme for attaching the legs: first, their upper side is inserted into a special-shaped lock on the back surface of the bowl, then the connection is strengthened by hammering in a wedge.

More or less modern products may have adjusting screws. But the old-style bathtubs do not have an adjusting mechanism, but they remain stable even on three legs: to adjust the bowl by level, one of the supports can be temporarily removed and simply cut with a hacksaw for metal. When adjusting the bath, only its side is leveled, the need for a slope to drain the remaining water is already provided for by the shape of the bowl.

Do-it-yourself bath installation

Due to the insufficient strength of modern fiberglass baths, they are installed using a special installation system. It is assembled on site: the set consists of several metal profiles, which are attached with self-tapping screws to the reinforced bottom and threaded rods, which are counterbalanced by nuts in the profile holes at the required height and abut against the floor through the knobs.

Do-it-yourself bath installation

However, this is not the main supporting system: such baths in a filled state can deform to a significant extent, therefore, usually a pedestal made of lightweight incompressible material, such as foam blocks or extruded polystyrene foam, is laid under them..

Do-it-yourself bath installation

Bath fixing system

In the process of taking water procedures, a person should be able to safely board the bathtub with full confidence that the bowl will not tip over. For these purposes, side baths are additionally attached to the walls. The presence of a rigid attachment also helps to ensure the safety of the sealed abutment of the side and its horizontal position.

Do-it-yourself bath installation

If a set of wall mounts is not provided for a specific bath model, you can get by with widespread products, for example, reinforced metal plates with perforation, which are used when installing PVC windows. Fasteners are located at the edges of the boards 15–20 cm from the corner. Fixing the plates to the wall is carried out with an anchor bolt or a steel screw in a plastic cork, in order to ensure, in addition to an abutment for vertical load, that the sidewall is firmly pressed against the tile. It is also not forbidden to drill the board and attach a plate to it from the inside, so you can achieve even greater rigidity.

Do-it-yourself bath installation

Before the final fixing of the bowl to the wall, it is recommended to move the bath aside, turn it over and apply a layer of polyurethane foam of about 25–30 mm to the back surface. This is a very useful modification for both acrylic and cast iron baths: additional thermal insulation greatly reduces the rate of water cooling. When installing acrylic bathtubs on a pedestal, foam is the best way to achieve a solid support on the pedestal throughout the entire area, while the bowl should be kept at least half full while the polyurethane foam is curing.

Adjoining wall cladding

To prevent water from leaking into the unventilated space under the bathroom, the abutment to the walls is carefully sealed. Depending on the profile of the side, the material and the method of wall decoration, this can be done in different ways..

One of the simplest options is an overhead skirting board, which is glued to the side of the bathtub and the wall using liquid nails or polyurethane foam. After the full curing time of the adhesive has expired, the remaining gaps are sealed with acrylic sealant or sanitary silicone, the remnants of which are immediately wiped off with a damp cloth.

Do-it-yourself bath installation

If the side of the bathtub is tightly adjacent to the wall with a gap of no more than 3-4 mm, the plinth can be omitted. In this case, it is much easier and more aesthetically pleasing to seal with plastic PVC or rubber white sealant for sealing gaps between slopes and plastic frames. The composition is applied to the junction corner with a thick flagellum. To make a beautiful pairing, it is enough to cut off the corner of the rubber spatula and stretch it over the applied sealant. In this case, the spatula must be abutted against the bath so that irregularities do not form on the surface of the sealant in the places of the tile joints..

Do-it-yourself bath installation

The most high-quality and durable abutment can be achieved by trimming the groove in the tile, or by initially raising the starting row to the board height. In this case, when adjusting the bath, the legs are twisted until the edge of the bath rests against the ledge of the finish, the fastening of the sides to the walls is purely nominal. The formed corner joint is sealed by analogy with the previous method of sealing.

Do-it-yourself bath installation

Plumbing connection

After the bath is installed and secured, and the abutments are sealed, all that remains is to install a drain siphon and an overflow system. Most modern products of this kind are supplied assembled or have detailed assembly instructions..

Do-it-yourself bath installation

The overflow mesh is usually mounted on a central bolt. On the back of the bath, you need to attach a receiving funnel, in the sealing groove of which a rubber ring is inserted. The decorative mesh on the inside may not have a ring, it only remains to position it correctly and tighten the fastening screw.

Do-it-yourself bath installation

The siphon itself at the time of installation is completely assembled with the connection of a corrugated hose. The funnel is sealed here both from the back and from the front, the fastening method is the same as for the overflow system. The only exceptions are internal funnels with a mesh, which are screwed into the receiving socket of the siphon, while you must use long-nose pliers or a special key from the kit.

Do-it-yourself bath installation

When tightening the main drain grate, it is necessary to hold the assembled siphon so that the hole for connecting the overflow tube looks strictly towards the side of the bathtub, on which the receiving funnel is installed. Completion of installation – connection of the overflow pipe with a siphon and a corrugated hose with a drain hole, where a rubber sealing sleeve may be required.

Decorative screen

In conclusion, here’s one important hint: if you are planning to install a decorative screen, it will require an upper frame attachment point. Do not be too lazy to add mortgages under the sides of the bath before it is finally fixed. Since the visible edges of the flanges cannot be drilled for mechanical fastening, all that remains is glue fastening. It will be more reliable if the timber or support profile is glued when the bathtub is turned upside down, pressing with oppression for the setting period.

Do-it-yourself bath installation

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Comments: 2
  1. Giselle

    I tried doing a DIY bath installation and faced numerous challenges. Are there any specific tools or techniques that can simplify the process and ensure a successful outcome?

    Reply
  2. Ellie Coleman

    I understand this article is about do-it-yourself bath installation. However, I’m curious to know if it’s a feasible option for someone with little to no experience in plumbing or construction. Are there any specific skills or tools one should possess before attempting this project?

    Reply
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