Bathroom Repairs – Renovating Your Bathroom

If you wish to renew your bathroom, but you simply can’t afford to rip everything out and start from scratch, it is still possible to renovate your bathroom on a relatively small budget yet create a wonderful transformation.

A COMPLETE OVERHAUL

A tired bathroom can often be completely rejuvenated without having to replace any of the sanitary ware. Clean, fresh paint and bright new fittings will give it a new lease of life for a fraction of the cost. First, clean the tiles thoroughly, and I mean thoroughly, then renew the tile grouting with either new grout or a renovator. Change the old taps 1, waste and overflow for new chrome ones or install a mixer. Alternatively, take the old fittings, if they are good enough, to your local plumber’s merchant and have them sent away for overhauling and re-chroming. With the taps and fittings off, thoroughly clean all the surfaces of the toilet, bath and washbasin, removing any limescale staining. Take this opportunity to renew all the silicone mastic seams, then replace the taps and fittings 2. Install a new light fitting and repaint the ceiling, walls and woodwork. To add colour to a plain white tiled wall, paint a strip with one of the new products available, or use transfers or even stick-on tiles. Replace the floor covering with an inexpensive piece of vinyl, and perhaps fit a new venetian- style blind. Change the toilet seat. There you have it a new-look bathroom 3.

CLEANING AND REPLACING TILES

A tiled wall should last a very long time without needing to be repiaced, so you can imagine my concern and extreme annoyance when cracked and damaged tiles suddenly started to appear in the bathroom at home, on a wall that I had fairly recently tiled. I quizzed my wife and three children one by one, but needless to say, they all denied any knowledge or responsibility, and the mystery remains unsolved to this day. These things do happen, and one might be excused for assuming that the seismic effects of the great shifting plates of California had reached Hackney. Of course, I was left with the job of replacing the damaged tiles. Fortunately, repairing a tiled wall is fairly straightforward and restoring a tired one is even easier, although it does demand some physical effort. Apart from incidental damage tiles are only usually replaced for a more fashionable style, or because they’re very old. When tiles age the glaze tends to craze slightly and they begin to look ugly as they are covered in black, circular or angular lines. When this occurs, it’s probably worth considering taking the lot off and starting afresh. If the tiles themselves are sound and still of an acceptable style, but the grouting is black and unsightly, it may well be worth renovating them, because all that’s required is a very small outlay and a bit of elbow grease.

CLEANING A TILED WALL

Mix a bucket of bleach and warm water in equal proportions – this is a very strong solution, so wear protective rubber gloves and goggles. Apply it to the tiles using a two-sided sponge, with a soft surface on one side and a pan scrubber on the other. Using the rough side, scrub the tiles and grouting joints to remove any condensation mould marks, which are normally black 4. Polish the tiles dry with a soft cloth 5. TOP TIP To help avoid the problem of condensation, which causes the build up of unsightly sooty mould in bathrooms, shower or bath with a small window open. If that’s too cold, open the window immediately after you have left the bathroom, and leave the bathroom door open to allow fresh air to circulate.

REGROUTING A TILED WALL

Where grouting has become discoloured, scrape it out a few millimetres (1/8in) below the surface and apply fresh grout. You can use a special tool (6), or you could make one by reshaping the end of an old screwdriver with a grinder. Be careful not to slip and scratch the face of a tile. The grouting might be very tough, and it may be necessary to tap the tool along the joint with a mallet or piece of wood, such as a length of 50 x 50mm (2 x 2in) batten. Once you’ve brushed out the dust and debris from the joints, wash down the tile surface with sugar soap then polish the tiles dry with a soft cloth. Alternatively, if the tiles were washed clean before you removed the grouting, use your vacuum cleaner to suck up all the dust before you regrout.

Grout all over REJUVENATING GROUT instead of raking out the old grouting, you can use a grouting renovator. This comes in the form of a ready-mixed paint which forms a waterproof bond over the old grouting, but does not stick to the tiles. If this is your preferred option, wash the tiles and down with sugar soap, and allow the tiles to dry fully. Paint the renovator over the joints I and leave to dry, which should take a couple of hours. Spray the whole surface with water, wait three minutes, then wipe off the excess with a damp sponge. Dry and polish the tile surface with a soft cloth to finish, and the job is done.