Placement of the mixer on the side of the bath. How to make a hole in different types of bathtubs? How to install a faucet on the side of a bathtub: step-by-step installation instructions Hole in an acrylic bathtub? Easily

The modern interior of a bathroom of any size requires not only the rational placement of all the necessary elements, but also places increased demands on the combination of their style, comfort and functionality. Therefore, installing a faucet on the side of the bath is becoming increasingly popular. The mixer installed on the side of the bathtub looks elegant and original, adding zest to the bathroom interior.

Advantages of mortise-type faucets on the side of the bathtub

The operational task of this type of mortise faucets is to create a strong, stable flow of water to accurately fill the bathtub.

The mixer is installed on the side of the bathtub

Installing a faucet on a bathtub has the following advantages:

• ensures quick and accurate filling of the bathtub;
• prevents water splashing;
• optimizes bathroom space;
• provides ease of use;
• allows you to disguise the shower head hose.

Cascade mixer creates a stream similar to a waterfall

A bathroom with a built-in faucet becomes stylish and as comfortable as possible. Cascading models that resemble a small waterfall look especially interesting.

Important: Due to the wider diameter of the spout, the load on the faucet structure increases, and the hose placed under the bathtub wears out faster than usual. Therefore, when choosing a faucet for the side of the bath, special attention should be paid to its strength and wear resistance.

Shower with compact head, tap, diverter, single lever tap

In the previous article we discussed the issue - now we’ll talk about the installation features.

Installation stages and features

An experienced craftsman will install a mortise mixer on the side of the bathtub in a couple of hours. For a non-professional who decides to do such work on his own, it will take much more time. First, you will have to study the structure of a mortise-type mixer, since its installation is somewhat different from the installation of a traditional design.

Advice: If possible, to make the task easier, it is recommended to immediately purchase a bathtub with a hole for the mixer.

To complete the work you will need:

• an electric drill with an attachment in the form of a core cutter of the required diameter;
• adjustable wrench, screwdriver;
• flexible hoses;
• fasteners.

The sequence of work to install the mixer on the side of the bathtub:

How to drill a hole in an acrylic bathtub

How to drill a steel bathtub

Important: You can make a hole on the side of the bath yourself only if it is made of acrylic or similar composite materials. Cast iron and steel bathtubs should be processed only in factory conditions to avoid chipping the enamel, which will lead to corrosion. But you can take risks if you do everything very carefully.

Many manufacturers of faucets for installation on the side of the bathtub have special mounting panels as an addition to them. Their use makes it possible to strengthen the attachment point, since when creating a hole, the rigidity of the side of the bathtub is significantly reduced.

In practice, craftsmen prefer to do without these additional panels. Often they are not the right size and require trimming. They are also difficult to use on rounded edges. At the same time, we must not forget about the functional purpose of the mounting panels. Therefore, if you have any doubts that if the rigidity is reduced, the side of the bathtub will withstand the load, you need to consult with specialists.

Faucet on the side of the bathtub - to take it or not to take it?

The main thing is to approach wisely both the choice and installation of the mixer on the side of the bathtub. And then this decision will be the most correct.

Sooner or later, most people have the desire to improve something in the bathroom with their own hands.

Scheme of a cast iron bath.

Most often we are talking about installing hydromassage equipment or simply moving the mixer to the side.

In both the first and second cases, you will need to drill a cast-iron bathtub. If your hand is not full, complications such as chipping the enamel, the tool sliding from the desired point, or simply breaking the drill may occur. Drilling must be done slowly, because... The material you are working with is also quite fragile.

Drilling a hole

You will need:

• permanent thick marker;
• metal drill;
• drill;
• kerosene solution;
• sanding machine (optional).

The first step is to clearly mark the drilling location using a thick marker. The mark is set small so as not to move too far to the side when drilling.

Many people cannot distinguish a cast iron bathtub from others. If you don’t go into details, it is many times heavier, and if you can’t lift it up, then it’s cast iron. To properly drill a bathtub, it is important to be extremely careful, because... The enamel is quite fragile, and it is quite easy to damage it. For this reason, the drill/bracer should be held at the same angle from the very beginning of drilling until completion.

Scheme of a cast iron bathtub with hydromassage equipment.

The drill must be sharpened perfectly, and it is necessary to place a special emphasis on the drill itself, which will be exclusively for metal and with an angle of 116-118 degrees. It should just dig into the metal, but not scratch it. Insufficient sharpening can cause a crack in the enamel, as well as retract the tool and ruin the material. In order to drill a cast iron bath evenly, you can use a wooden board or a metal plate, where there will already be a finished hole of a slightly larger diameter. A small difference in diameters will not have any side effect, but will guide the drill perfectly.

Despite the successes of modern housing construction, a small bathroom and a combined toilet remain a sad reality for many apartment owners. Where almost every square centimeter counts, some problems can be solved by installing a faucet on the side of the bathtub.

This fashionable novelty has many advantages. However, it also has a number of disadvantages. Let's try to understand them and the intricacies of installing faucets on the side of the bathroom.

The ability to save space is not the only advantage of devices of this type. The mixer, installed directly above the bathtub bowl, fills it with virtually no splashes, which can stain walls and other interior elements. As a result, cleaning will require less effort.

Faucet models that are mounted directly on the side usually have increased performance. Therefore, the bathtub fills faster and the level of comfort is noticeably increased. Indirectly, this solution allows you to save a little: if the bathtub fills quickly, the water in it does not have time to cool down, i.e. the cost of heating hot water will be slightly reduced.

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The same principle should be followed when choosing consumables: even more expensive, but more reliable.

Depending on the model of the mortise mixer, before installing it, you may need to purchase additional consumables: flexible hoses, eccentrics, gaskets, fasteners, etc.

You will need the following materials and tools:

• electric drill, professional or household;
• a special attachment for a drill, it is called a core cutter;
• screwdriver;
• fasteners;
• flexible hoses for supplying cold and hot water;
• adjustable wrench.

The hardware is usually sold with the faucet, but this is not always the case. The diameter of the hole cutter must match the dimensions of the device. You can do without a drill or a cutter if you buy a bathtub in which the hole for the mixer has already been made at the factory.

Instead of flexible hoses, you can use PVC water pipes. They are more difficult to install, but such structures last longer than.

Typically the mixer is installed in the middle of the side, at the end or at the corner. When choosing a location, you should remember that some of the communications, including the shower hose, must be hidden. A special space should be provided for this. Sometimes you have to install a special false panel to hide these communications behind it. It all depends on the specific situation.

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In pursuit of style, the bathroom has turned from a place for taking bath procedures into a full-scale designer project with its own interior. The designer’s ideas do not always involve placing the bathtub near the wall, which means it has to be placed on board. To do this, you need to make a hole, and this is where problems sometimes arise. Depending on the type of bathtub, acrylic or iron, the process technology differs. In the article and video we will analyze in detail the features of each type, but first we will find out what is good about mortise faucets.

Advantages of mortise-type faucets on the side of the bathtub

The purpose of this type of faucet is to provide a good flow of water, which will allow you to quickly fill the bath. The choice of mixer depends on many factors. You need to consider the interior of your bathroom and your needs. Some people dream of a cascade, while for others a simple mixer with a shower head is also suitable.

There are many types of mortise mixers on the market, but they all have undeniable advantages:

• create an interior and optimize space in the bathroom;
• avoid splashing water;
• provide comfortable use;
• mask hoses and water supply pipes;
• Fill the bath quickly and accurately.

It doesn't matter which option you choose. Whether it is a budget option or an expensive exclusive faucet from a famous company, it will have all of the above advantages. The only drawback of such faucets is the need for a hole on the side of the bathtub.

Attention! In order to make holes, you will first need to decide on the material of the bathtub.

Types of baths, their features

Not so long ago, there was only one type in our country. These were old or steel bathtubs of certain sizes and shapes. But today on the market more and more this niche is occupied by acrylic analogues with different designs and shapes.

Now you can see bathtubs of square, round and even wavy shapes. Bathtubs in the shape of a canoe are not that rare. Each type and type has its own advantages and structural features:

1. . Acrylic is a synthetic fiber. Such bathtubs are made by pouring material between two glasses of a certain shape and firing in a special oven. The main advantages are: light weight, chemical resistance to various aggressive environments, durability, low heat transfer. One of the disadvantages is the softness of the material.
2. Metal baths. We all know what metal is and how it behaves in a humid environment. To do this, the metal base is covered with enamel, which turns yellow or wears off over the years. The main thing, perhaps even the determining one, is the weight of the bath. It is difficult to transport and install. It will take more than one person to lift it into the apartment.

Hole in acrylic bathtub? Easily

It is in this form that you most often have to make holes for the mixer, because most of these bathtubs have an exclusive shape and the manufacturer does not know exactly where it will be convenient for you to supply water. First, let's figure out what tool we need. The main power tool is a drill. We will also need a cutter of a suitable size, a tape measure and a marker.

Advice. First, try on the mixer in the intended location and check whether the water supply hoses are long enough.

First, attach the faucet to the bathtub, and outline the places where you will need a hole. Then find the center of the hole using a ruler and pencil. For most standard faucets, a cutter with a diameter of 35 mm is suitable. Such a hole will ensure the passage of hoses and will allow the installation washer, which, by the way, has a diameter of 40-45 mm, not to fall through.

Attention! While drilling, try not to press too hard as the acrylic may crack and break.

Everything is the old fashioned way. Hole in cast iron bathtub!

The set of tools that will be required to make a hole in a cast iron bathtub will be the same as for an acrylic one. With the exception of a grinder, you will need it to remove the enamel.

The first stage, as in the previous section, is marking. Next, we will need to remove the enamel in the place where we will make the hole, since enamel is a fragile material, when drilling, chips and cracks form. For experienced craftsmen, it is permissible to drill without removing the enamel, but then it is necessary to constantly maintain the drilling angle. You should start drilling with a small drill, since you will not make a large hole right away, and then increase the diameter of the hole using large drills.

Remember that you are drilling metal, which means the drill will get very hot, you need to monitor this and give both yourself and the tool a rest when required. You should also use only well-sharpened drills, otherwise you doom yourself to drag out the process for a long time.

To summarize, I would like to say that making a hole in the bathroom is not so difficult; you don’t need to call a specialist for this - it doesn’t require any wild professionalism. You just need to follow the rules and be careful.

Installing a faucet on the side of a bathtub: video