Home DIY

Fuck that noise.

On a different note, bathroom work starts Monday, I only have a set of taps, I hope everything arrives before then... but...

I've been thinking about lighting. Don't know nowt really. LED spots? Or... I was thinking about some sort of fake window with SAD light bulbs? Any tips/hints/resources?

We went with daylight LED spots in ceiling .. also went with this cabinet which is exact width as that Lusso basin (60cm). Gonna get a shaving socket next to it and thats about it in the electrical department.

For the bathroom you can fit IP44 as long as they are not above the bath/shower, belt and braces you fit IP65 everywhere in the bathroom. I would look for 4 or 5 watt, warm or very warm white (3000k or 2700k), GU10 (mains powered), Fire rated and get something roughly the same diameter as your existing holes if you have them, a few mm larger is usually fine. Also check the space above the ceiling for height of downlighter.

downlights.co.uk supplied 40 lights for me recently and they seem good value. For brands I rate Click, Phillips & Aurora in that order. Phillips have the best quality fittings and bulbs but Click have an easy connection disconnection system that make an electricians happy.

Fire Rated LED Downlight Click FlameGuard from their site in IP65, 5w, extra warm is £20 per unit, they are a low profile so fit in most ceilings. The paint on them is not as luxury as the phillips but they are cheaper and you don't notice it once it's fitted.

Any chance of a source link, ya know we are going to end up with the same bathroom right?

Mine will be on instagram first, thats all that counts .. light was chosen by the fitter .. IP65, its 10W I think .. 4 of them, the mirror cabinet light will be PIR controlled.

Cheers! As ever...
My bathroom is the size of a shoebox (a grotty one at that) so would not need many... something like these?
https://www.downlights.co.uk/downlights/philips-coreline-led-downlights.html

Fair point. Doesn't sound unless it's on Instagram. Whens yours finished again? Something will defo go wrong with mine...

End of next weeks fingers crossed

Currently dealing with Basin tap out of stock fiasco ..

OH OH. I would gloat but I am unsure of when mine plans to turn up. What ya go for?
I went for..
http://www.cphart.co.uk/crosswater-kai-lever-wall-mounted-2-hole-basin-mixer/

oof thats pretty .. we dont have the option of in-wall plumbing so went with kinda neutral looking chrome taps atm .. Bristan Nero .. will look into Tapwell if we want that black tap steez later ..

.

Luckily my walls are made of the weakest drywall ever so I can fart holes in it.

Just put some of those in a guest bedroom. You will need a varilight pro dimmer with them (you can always just change the module if you already have a dimmer switch, they're better quality than the Click type but they are a bit taller, just check the measurements (156mm for the IP65 which is tall).

I suppose I should add following my recommending warm white lamps that I'm not a fan of the 4000k led lamps but you might like a blueish white light.

On the basis that I suspect that our periodically slow flushing toilet is being caused by either the waste pipe fall or something to do with where the modern piping meets the 1930s cast iron piping should we call a drainage specialist or a plumber in the first instance?

Worth trying caustic soda before either of those?

You could have them surveyed first. That way you can find out what's going on there wherever the problem is. If you've got a blockage it could be anywhere, as you don't know the layout of the drains yet you can't really tell what's going on whether it's blocked or just restricted. I could give you examples of problems I've seen where the blockage is in the street pit but it's too soon after my lunch.

I think it's cost us circa £120 in the past for a survey but they will tend to clear any small blockage they find while they're poking the camera around. I think they can't go round the u bend so the toilet has to come off or some access hatch opened.

Hate t ask another thing from the oracle (@Airhead) but...
Hidden cisterns... pretty simple things? Could I fit one offset (not straight behind but off to one side due to structural column)? What sort of price for bits needed would I be talking? Seen them from 50 to 500 but unsure what I really need... are the expensive ones for wall mounted so are more frame like whereas others are mounted within walls? If we ever meet IRL I owe you all the beers.

Ive got a chrome towel rail I forgot we bought and then didn't use - £80 from Wickes £40 from me :)

I've never fitted one offset, it would be an experiment. Usually you use a solid pipe between the cistern and toilet, I guess that's got something to do with the water pressure of the flush. If you changed to flexible it would have to have 2 solid ends to connect to pan and cistern.

I usually pay £80-£100 for a hidden cistern and they are mounted on the wall with a couple of screws, the quality of the internal mechanisms & single or dual flush is probably why I spend more than £50. The expensive frame ones are normally used for pans that hang off the wall with no pedestal.

Having a hidden cistern just means a bit more of a fiddle for maintenance, if possible ensure access to the back of the toilet from a hatch or fit a flexible pan connector so you can connect the pan before pushing it to the wall. Try to at least leave access to the cistern, if it starts to fail you don't want to have to destroy your tiling. I've done a few where it's tiled behind the pan with a wooden top and white glass (I.e. No green tint) painted on the back. That way you have a nice waterproof surface but you can lift it off, unscrew the wood and get access to the plumbing.

Also check that your overflow, which should be internal I.e. Flows into the toilet not a pipe outside can evacuate water as fast as the feed into the toilet. If the inlet valve fails to shut off you don't want water overflowing the cistern. In fact everyone should hold down their ballcock and see if there cistern overflows, it's suprising the number that do.

Apparently flexible flush pipes are a thing, so you can have your offset cistern.

link?

Try to at least leave access to the cistern, if it starts to fail you don't want to have to destroy your tiling.

Definitely do this, and make sure the internal overflow sits below the holes at the top of the cistern too. Whoever installed our bathroom failed to do either :|

e: read to the end, obviously you mention this because you're not an idiot. Unlike whoever installed our bathroom.

I got the price wrong!

http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Straight-Towel-Radiator-Chrome-750-x-500mm/p/223301

Yours for £30

Nice alternative if you want tiles, I'm not a fan of horizontal tiled surfaces because the grout can get a bit messy with bathroom type substances and general dirt/moisture. I'll fit them if the customer wants an all tile look but I prefer glass or a single piece of marble / granite / quartz.

Treated myself to the Brother PTE550 this year. Labelling all the things now.

On the subject of towel rails, I have one of these I wont use.

I could return it, but trade radiators want to charge £30 for a courier to pick it up.

If anyone wants it, yours for £100

https://www.traderadiators.com/acatalog/pagani-designer-heated-towel-rail-800x300.html#SID=706