Knowledge Centre

STOP! Before you start demolishing anything

• It is the small finishing touches that make all the difference. If you are going for a certain 'Look' such as a Heritage Style, don't forget to select a heritage style floor grate!
• Before your new bathroom items arrive, choose a safe, enclosed area for your cabinets and appliances to be delivered to. The garage is generally a good location. Enlist the help of a friend to unload the larger and heavier items such as vanities and shower panels
• Your plumber will require any WALL mixers very early on, as the rear of the unit is plumbed into the wall pipe-work.
• Dust...there's just no way to avoid it! If you have a fish tank or electrical equipment in close proximity to the workspace, make sure they are well covered.
• Use plastic sheeting and tape to seal off doorways into other rooms.
• Move all pictures, mirrors, and furniture away from the walls of adjacent rooms-vibrations from the construction could cause damage.
• Don't forget about your pets! If there isn't an area in your home to keep them safely away from construction, it may be the perfect time to treat your pet to a holiday with friends.

Some handy hints, to help you select the right products, so your bathroom looks as swish as possible. If you have a question not answered here, pop us an email and we will see if we can help!

Bath

• If you are installing a SHOWER over a bath or spa, you must use a bath with a waterproofing lip around it which can be checked into the wall for correct watertight installation. If this is not done potential leaks may cause serious water damage, smells and even attract termites. Don't risk it!

Laundry

•  To maintain the smart looks of your combined cabinet, consider feeding the washing machine grey-water pipe discretely through the side of the unit, not over the top.
•  A veggie-spray mixer can be very handy in the laundry for washing smaller pets, and dirty work boots.

Toilet

Firstly, it is helpful to understand some terms used and the different toilet suites available in today's market:

• As toilet models vary in their size, it is good to keep in mind the clearance you will have. A comfortable left to right space for body and elbow room is 800-900mm and the minimum is 700mm. The minimum space required from the front of a toilet to a facing wall is about 950mm (the 2 walls need to be 1500mm apart)
• If replacing an existing toilet, ensure the base of the new pan will cover the 'footprint' of the old one to conceal the repair.
• The Set-Out; the position of the sewer outlet pipe in the floor from the back wall. Current Aus standard is 140mm. If you have an existing situation, check this distance as it will affect the model you can choose.
• The Pan (The toilet base, always made of porcelain)
• The "S" trap pan is where the outlet pipe is into the floor.

A "P" trap pan piped out through the back wall (but may skew)

A Skew pan is where the outlet pipe goes off to the left or right wall (as you face the toilet)

• The Cistern (The flushing water tank, can be porcelain or acrylic)
• Back fill; the cistern tap enters through the back of the cistern, so becomes invisible & tidy.
• Bottom Entry; the traditional method, the cistern tap is low down on the wall and will fill the cistern via the bottom left or right.
• The Link Suite: The cistern and pan are connected by the flush pipe which is cut to size then covered by an acrylic panel. This style is useful when replacing an older toilet if the existing sewer pipe position is outside the standard; you have the flexibility of being able to position the pan to suit.
• The Close Coupled Suite: Here the cistern is fixed directly onto the pan, with no visible joining pipe giving the neat and smart appearance of one unit. The model chosen needs to suit your pipe set-out as only minimal adjustment is possible.
•  Wall Facing Suite: The porcelain base of the pan goes all the way back to the wall, covering the outlet pipe. This creates a very clean and sophisticated unit. Again, the model chosen needs to suit your pipe set-out as limited adjustment is possible.
• The Remote or In-Wall Cistern: The cistern is concealed in a wall, ceiling or an adjacent vanity, providing you with the ultimate in minimalist design. If you are considering this suite please advise your builder very early in the planning stages.
•  Please be aware some products like ceramic tops and basins and toilets are a kiln fired product and are rarely absolutely perfect & totally symmetrical.
•  It is not advisable to fit a new dual-flush cistern on an old single-flush pan, as that was not designed to work with the smaller amount of water flushed.
• WARNING: Many supermarket colouring & deodorising additives you buy to pop into the CISTERN water are potentially damaging to the cistern components and seals. Use of these will void your warranty from most manufacturers!

Showers

• Frameless shower screens will help maintain the allusion of space, as there is no framework to visually cut up the room
• Ensure that the immediate wall and floor area for the fixing of your frameless glass panels will be a true 90o, as minimal adjustment is available.
• Linear grate will allow for a more consistent drainage fall in your bathroom, as it does not need to drain down to a single point.
• Exhaust fans should not be placed directly above shower recesses. The outlet should be installed at the opposite end of the bathroom to the door. This will ensure the fan not only extracts dampness & steam, but pulls fresh dry air through the doorway into the bathroom.

Taps, Mixers & Spouts

• Always use a licensed plumber to install your tapware. If installing plumbing items yourself, be aware you will void your warranty, and possibly also any Home & Contents Insurance in the instance of any damage down the track. (The BSA states you are permitted to change tap washers)
• Picking the right tap for the right situation is sometimes not as easy as it seems. Certain tap spout lengths and heights are necessary to ensure the tap or mixer is functional for that application i.e. is it bench or wall-mounted, or is it mounted on a basin? If your vanity has a countertop basin with the tap mounted on the basin a shorter mixer will suffice.
• If your basin has no taphole and the mixer needs to be installed on a granite top, you will need a taller tower mixer, with enough reach to ensure the water goes far enough into the bowl, or a gooseneck mixer.
• Another option is to use a spout on the wall, with either a wall mixer or separate hot & cold water taps. There are some amazing modern 'Combination Units' available now
• Your will tradespeople will require any WALL mixers very early on, as the rear of the unit is plumbed into the wall pipe-work.
• There are many 'Drill Free' models of showers available, perfect for an easy DIY or temporary change in the shower if you are renting!
•  Spouts used for basins, laundries and sinks are required to have a WELS rating of 3 stars or more (maximum 9L p/min flow rate). Spouts used for baths and spas require no WELS rating.

Vanities & Storage

• Please be aware some products like ceramic tops, basins & WCs are a kiln fired product and are rarely absolutely perfect & totally symmetrical.
• Mirrored wall cabinets can be recessed into a wall cavity so that it looks streamlined. It also allows for more space around your basin and taps.
• For safety reasons when using a tallboy always ensure that the tallboy is fixed securely to the wall for safety (These units can be tall and top heavy; if a child or pet begins to climb up on one they could pull the unit over on themselves and suffer an injury)
• Before you buy a vanity, measure the available space to ensure the vanity you choose, fits. You must consider the space between the vanity and clearance required for other fittings in the room, e.g. shower cubicles.
•  If you are putting a vanity together by buying a cabinet, adding a stone top and a basin, the finished height at the top of the basin should be somewhere between 880mm & 930mm. If the basin height is any higher, the basin becomes uncomfortable to use, because as you stoop to wash your face, your elbows hit the basin. If it is too low, then it puts pressure on your back to use the basin.
• If you are renovating a tiny bathroom, a Wall Hung vanity will maintain the allusion of space as it leaves the floor area free of being blocked in.
• To maximise the appearance of your wall-hung vanity ideally you want the outlet pipe fed out through the wall (Known as a P trap outlet)
•  A tallboy is a handy solution to bathroom storage, as it can sit in that unused corner. Great too because you can take it with you if you move!

For safety reasons when using a tallboy always ensure that the tallboy is fixed securely to the wall for safety (These units can be tall and top heavy; if a child or pet begins to climb up on one they could pull the unit over on themselves and suffer an injury)