Carrying Out Building Work Around Your Home

If you have decided to have some work done to your bathroom in order to update it, here are a couple of tips to keep in mind.

Use zinc-plated builders' hardware to attach shelving units or wall-mounted cabinets

If you want to add a few new shelving units to the bathroom or if you plan to have a new mirrored bathroom cabinet fitted above the sink, then you will need to use builders' hardware to mount these items onto the walls. When you buy this hardware, it is best to opt for brackets, screws and other fixings that are zinc-plated.

The reason for this is that zinc is one of the most corrosion-resistant metals available. This makes it ideal for use in a bathroom, where the humidity levels can rise to high levels several times a day when the sink or bath's hot water taps are used, as the zinc-plated hardware that is keeping the cabinet attached to the wall will not degrade as a result of being exposed to the moist air in this space.

This, in turn, will greatly reduce the likelihood of the cabinet or the shelving units suddenly falling off the wall as a result of no longer being properly secured by the aforementioned brackets and screws. This is important as if a mirrored cabinet or a glass shelf detaches from the wall whilst you are in the bathroom, you could either be hit by it as it falls or you could be cut by one of the many shards that are created when it crashes and shatters on the floor.

Test the new plumbing pipes under the bathtub for leaks before installing the bath panel

If you intend to either change the position of the bathtub or fit an entirely new one, then you will need to rearrange or install new plumbing pipes. In either case, it is vital to test the efficacy of these newly-arranged or installed pipes before you fit the panel onto the bathtub. You can do this by laying some tissue paper under the pipes and the running the bath taps for several minutes to see if any water leaks from the pipes onto the tissue below them. If it does, then you can tighten or replace the pipes to resolve this issue.

It is important to do this prior to fitting the bath panel, as after this panel has been put in place, you will not be able to observe any water escaping from the plumbing pipes behind it until this water has seeped into the floor underneath it. At this point, the leak might have already inflicted major damage on the floor. Furthermore, if or when you eventually realise that there is a leak, the process of having to remove the panel to fix the pipes and then reattach it could be very time-consuming and difficult. As such, it would be far better to simply test the pipes before fixing the panel onto the bath.