Facts to know ahead of time that will help ease the stress of selecting your bathroomware.

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So, you’re renovating your bathroom and you want to go to a showroom to look at some products. This can be quite overwhelming even when you have a rough idea of what you want and/or need. Here are some key questions to ask your plumber and things that you should know before you spot something you love and find out that you can’t have.

Depending on how much you are changing your space, or if you are trying to keep costs down where you can, moving the location of your current plumbing fixtures might not be an option. With different constructions (masonry, timber + plasterboard or concrete) it can be harder to relocate plumbing outlets and can sometimes get very pricey. Consult with your plumber and find out how hard it will be. Then you can make the decision about how beneficial it will be to the space to move things around or if everything can stay where it is.

Then, there are different things to know when it comes to each individual product. A lot of the time your plumber or builder will be able to give you the answers from just looking at the bathroom. Other times, you might only discover where water/waste outlets are after you have ripped out what is currently there.

TOILETS
There are two main things to know when it comes to your toilet:

1. Does the waste outlet go through the floor (an S-trap) or out the wall (P-trap)? If it is through the floor, it is good to know what the set out distance is – this is the distance from the wall to the centre of the waste outlet in the floor. Most toilets can be adapted to your current set out distance with the use of a connector, but this is not always the case.
2. How does the water get into the cistern? If you have a stop tap on the wall and a metal hose that goes up to the cistern, this is a bottom inlet. If you can’t see anything at all, the water is entering the cistern through the wall and into the back – this is a back or rear inlet.

These things apply to full toilet suites. If you want a toilet where the cistern is in the wall and just the pan is visible with a flush plate on the wall, your plumber or builder will be able to tell you whether or not this is possible, depending on how your walls are constructed. With these set ups, the water inlet will be within the wall but it is still important to know whether you need an S-trap or a P-trap waste.

BATHS
Depending on how much space you have or how your bathroom is currently designed, you have the choice of either a free standing bath or a drop in/inset bath that sits within a tiled hob.

From there you can choose what material to go for – each material has it’s own pros and cons . Important things to know are whether the waste outlet is in a set position (ie. in the centre of where the bath will be, or offset to one side) or if this is adjustable. If you decide to go for a stone bath, it is important to make sure that your floor can hold the weight.

TAPWARE
Often, homes that are brick construction have to stick with what is already there and a lot of the time this is separate hot and cold taps that have jumper valves, not ceramic discs like mixers have. There are still plenty of beautiful choices out there, but it is good to know what your restrictions are so that you don’t make the mistake of purchasing every item of tapware only to be told that it won’t work.

SHOWERS
There are 3main choices for showers:

1. A fixed arm and rose that is attached to the wall or the ceiling
2. A hand shower on a rail or bracket or
3. An exposure rail that consists of a fixed rose and hand shower on one rail.

Again, if you are able to relocate your water point then the choice is completely yours. If you are not retiling or are unable to move your current water inlet location, you will have to select one of the above that suits the current placement of the water inlet.

VANITIES
Finding out where your current pipes are for your basin is good to know, as the vanity will most often need to have cupboards on that side. Also, if the pipes are going through the floor, a wall hung vanity won’t be an ideal option as the pipes will be visible at the bottom. Other options are to have the vanity sitting on the floor with a kicker, or with legs.

Most vanities come in standard lengths, being: 600mm, 750mm, 900mm, 1200mm, 1500mm and 1800mm. Depths can vary and there are good options of compact vanities available which are perfect for tight spaces.

Different top options:

• Caesarstone/Timber + a basin of your choice – you have the choice of your Caesarstone colour or Timber grain and what kind of basin you want. It can sit completely above the bench, be inset part of the way, sit mostly in with only a lip above the counter or be under mounted. We arrange for your tops to be cut to suit your choices.
• China top/Polymarble top – this is where the basin is integrated into the top and all made of vitreous china or polymarble. Some larger vanities are available with the choice of a single or double bowl.

Some very basic (but important) technical things to know before embarking on your product selections. Happy shopping!