All about bathroom renovation. Where to start renovating a bathroom - the secrets of properly planning a bathroom renovation. We draw up a repair plan and determine the future design

Sooner or later, the time comes when it is no longer possible to postpone renovations in the bathroom, since the tiles or wallpaper on the walls have lost their appearance or, even worse, have begun to lag behind the surface, and the metal pipes have rusted. The desire to transform a bathroom becomes stronger as you increasingly notice the most modern materials on sale that can transform an unsightly, shabby room into a neat Euro-class room.

- this is a fairly large-scale, but still quite feasible undertaking, if you follow the instructions and carry out all types of work in stages. Considering that materials for repairs are not cheap, and practice shows that the cost of performing the work will cost at least half the price of materials, it is worth putting in your own efforts and saving a very decent amount.

General sequence of work

If you decide to carry out renovations in the bathroom yourself, you must first understand the sequence in which construction work is carried out:

• You probably need to start with planning. You can draw up a sketch of the room and show in it what you would like to get upon completion of the renovation, including in the diagram everything planned for installation.

In this matter, it is necessary to take into account that the old bathtub can be replaced with a new one, but there is an option to simply update it using an acrylic tab. In addition, if the area of ​​the room is very small, but you want to make it more spacious, then instead of a standard bathtub, you can install a shower stall complete with a corner sitting bathtub.

Such a trial estimate will help to approximately determine the scale of the work to be undertaken, the technologies for repair and finishing, the amount of materials needed, and the approximate timing of the entire planned volume. Of course, as work progresses, certain changes will probably be made to the general plan. This will largely depend on the condition of the floor, walls, ceiling, pipes, and in order to see all this “beauty”, it is necessary to dismantle the old one.

• Thus, the next step can be to remove the old finish and dismantle the old, unnecessary plumbing fixtures.

On given At this stage, in any case, the bathtub must be removed and taken out of this room so that it does not become an obstacle to repair and finishing work.

• After dismantling, you need to clear the room of construction debris. After cleaning, you need to inspect the walls and floor to determine its condition (for example, to understand the need to completely replace the coating or the possibility of limiting yourself to repairing loose or peeling areas, cracks, crevices, etc.) everything that does not inspire confidence must be removed.
• Then measurements of the room are taken, and based on them, calculations are made and a list of necessary materials, consumables, tools, and accessories is compiled.

Next, with a compiled list that should include plumbing fixtures, pipes with all components, materials for construction and finishing work, you need to go to a specialized showroom. Do not forget that finishing materials are usually purchased with a small reserve - about 15%.

• Repairs (if necessary) of wall, floor, and ceiling surfaces are carried out.
• New water and sewer lines are being laid. For this purpose, you may need to cut grooves and then seal them after installing the pipes.
• If it is planned to supply power points (installation of sockets), then similar manipulations are performed for them with cutting grooves, laying the cable in and subsequent termination.
• Work in progress for preparing wall and floor surfaces for finishing work - waterproofing, plastering, puttying, pouring screed, etc. At the same stage, you can think about the placement of ventilation ducts and the installation of decorative boxes that will help hide the pipework.
• Next, work on decorative finishing of the room is carried out sequentially. The usual order is from top to bottom, that is, ceiling → walls → floor. In some cases, you can change this order, for example, installing a suspended ceiling → laying ceramic tiles on the floor → decorating the walls with washable wallpaper or plastic lining.
• The next important stage is the installation of plumbing with appropriate sealing of all components and connections, connection of household appliances (washing machine, shower cabin, etc.).
• And finally, to finish, all the bathroom accessories – mirrors, hangers, cabinets, shelves, etc. – are attached and hung in their places.

Even just the list of work performed is quite impressive. And now he will get acquainted with the listed points more closely.

Planning repairs and purchasing the necessary equipment

Drawing up a preliminary design

• The grooves are cut using a grinder with a stone wheel, and a hammer drill, at pre-marked places on the walls.
• Pipes are installed from their entrance to the bathroom and routed to the connection points for faucets, bathtubs and sinks, to other “water outlets”, for example, for a toilet flush tank or for supplying water to a washing machine.
• When installing a sewer pipe (usually in bath conditions a PP pipe Ø 50 mm is used) It is imperative to take into account that it must be located at a slope towards the central sewer riser. It should also be extended for a washing machine located away from the sink or bathtub. If it is possible to install the washing machine next to the washbasin, then a tee (45°) is installed on the sewer pipe, into which both drains are connected.

• The pipes laid in the grooves are first filled with polyurethane foam - it will become an additional protection against heat loss (for hot water pipes) and against the formation of condensation on the surface. Then, after the foam has hardened, its excess is cut off, and a large layer of plaster mortar is applied on top.

Electrical wiring

To lay the electrical cable under the ceramic tiles, you will also have to make grooves. For safety reasons, the wires must be well insulated (the best option is VVGng), and in addition, they are placed in a corrugated plastic pipe.

The wires are laid to those areas of the surface of the walls and ceiling where lighting fixtures will be installed (if they are provided).

The grooves, just as in the case of water pipes, are foamed and then plastered.

If it is planned to finish the walls with panels on the sheathing, then the laying of wires is also carried out in a corrugated pipe, but placing them between the guides - in this case it is not necessary to make grooves.

After installation posting is in progress checking that its connection is correct, and then it should be disconnected from the distribution panel until all construction and finishing work in the bathroom is completed. An exception is that you can leave the connection point for the ceiling lighting, but in compliance with all required safety measures.

After the layer of plaster over the sealed grooves from pipes and wires has completely hardened, you can proceed to wall treatment and waterproofing work.

Wall treatment

Since in the bathroom there is always “by definition” high humidity, it is not surprising that the joints of the surfaces of the walls and ceiling can very often be covered with black spots of mold. To prevent such stains from growing, they must be removed with a special product.

After the layer of “medicinal” composition has dried, it is applied to the walls and ceiling. It will saturate the walls and will not only provide additional protection against various fungal formations, but will also create ideal conditions for the adhesion of adhesives to the wall.

The primer is applied using a roller or wide brush. To fully guarantee the quality of processing, it is best to carry out this process in two layers (the second is applied only after the first has completely dried).

If the wall will be prepared for tiles, and notches will be made on it using an ax or hammer, then after this process the surface must be primed one more time.

Floor waterproofing

Waterproofing the bathroom floor is always the most important step. In this room, like in no other, there is a high probability of various emergency situations occurring. Flooding yourself is not so bad. But if the “flood” spreads to the neighbors below, then this could end not only in a major scandal and litigation, but also, most likely, in considerable financial losses.

Waterproofing measures will not be in vain if there are no large cracks or crevices in the floor screed, especially at the junction with the walls. All these flaws must be eliminated first.

To do this, they are cut up, treated with a primer, and then filled with sealant - this is the easiest way to get rid of them. Epoxy putty performs well as a repair composition - it hardens quickly and creates reliable “patches”.

If, in addition to sealing cracks, leveling of the floor is required, then you can immediately solve two problems with the help of a self-leveling composition that will fill all the cracks and bring the level to the ideal horizontal level. You can find out in detail how to do it correctly by going to a special article on our portal.

Once the floor is ready, you can proceed to waterproofing it. There are many interesting technologies, but the most accessible is the coating method. In this case, work is carried out as follows:

• Along the edge of the floor and the bottom of the walls (approximately 150 — 200 mm) a special composition is thickly applied with a brush, so that there are no gaps left.
• Then a waterproofing tape is glued (embedded) onto the freshly applied layer at the junction of the wall and the floor, since the joints are the most vulnerable place for leaks.

• After the corner strips of waterproofing have dried, the entire floor and walls are covered with the composition to a height of up to 150 mm. It is advisable to perform this procedure in two layers, for insurance purposes.

Such waterproofing creates an elastic film on the floor surface, like a continuous “trough” - this can protect the floor from leaks.

"Warm floor" in the bathroom

If you plan to have a “warm floor” in the bathroom, then you can choose one of two suitable options for this - electric or water from the heating system.

• The best option for an electric heated floor in a bathroom is mesh mats with a heating cable laid on them in a zigzag pattern.

The convenience is that such heating can be placed under a thin screed or even directly under ceramic tiles (just a little, thickening the layer of tile adhesive by 5 ÷ 8 mm). It is recommended to lay insulation with a foil surface under the mats, especially if the apartment is on the ground floor and the floor is cold.

Such mats are connected to a special thermostat, which allows you to precisely regulate the heating temperature of the surface. The convenience of such a floor is that it can be turned on at any time, both in summer and in winter, unlike a floor powered by an heating system. Its disadvantage is the cost of electricity.

The mats are secured to the floor with double-sided tape, and a solution is laid or poured on top of them (this can be a regular concrete composition or self-leveling), or tile adhesive.

• Another option for a “warm floor” for a bathroom is a water circuit connected to the heating system. Such a floor will be warm only during the heating season, but you won’t have to pay for heating at all.

Laying and filling the water circuit of a “warm floor”

When installing such a “warm floor,” the pipe is bent like a snail or snake and fixed to a reinforcing mesh or placed between the bosses of special mats. An important condition that must be observed is the integrity of the pipe, that is, it should not have connections along the entire length of the circuit. On the surface of the bathroom floor - this is easy to do, since the area is very small. In addition, you need to know that the pipe is not laid under the bathtub - this is absolutely pointless. It should be located only in those areas where it is possible for the owners to place their bare feet on the floor.

Connecting a “warm floor” to the heated towel rail circuit is not recommended

By the way, sometimes the ends of the “warm floor” circuit are connected to pipes going to the heated towel rail, that is, to the hot water central. Is this acceptable? From a technological point of view - yes. But from the point of view of unauthorized extraction of thermal energy for floor heating, very serious legal problems may arise.

In any case, before installing a water-heated floor in an apartment with a centralized supply of hot water and heating, you need to make inquiries with the housing maintenance company. Surely, you will need to fulfill a number of certain technical conditions.

More comprehensive information can be obtained by following the link to the corresponding publication on our portal.

Prices for electric heated floors

Electric heated floor

Alignment of walls

Before leveling the walls, it is best to cover the finished screed on the floor (if it was done before) with plastic film so as not to stain it with plaster or adhesive mortar. You can level the walls using regular plaster according to the installed beacons, but it’s easier to install on glue on gypsum base and fix moisture-resistant plasterboard to the wall.

If raw plaster is chosen, guides are installed on the wall, which will become a guide when leveling using the rule.

How to do this work correctly, and which method to choose in a given situation, can be found in the article published on the pages of our portal.

Drywall will level the wall well if it is not deformed, but has only slight irregularities. If there is a significant curvature of the plane, then there is a high probability that the material will simply repeat it, but will not level it out.

To glue drywall to a wall, you first need to spot glue onto the wall. For one square meter of the area to be finished, 5 ÷ 6 slides of the pouring composition are applied.

Then a sheet of drywall is applied to the wall and pressed well. Gypsum-based adhesive sets quickly, so the drywall will quickly be fixed in the desired position.

This material is installed on walls using glue to save space. But in that case.

if the bathroom area is large enough, you can attach it to a frame - wooden or made of galvanized metal profiles.

Leveling of wall surfaces is carried out in cases where tiles will be laid further. If the walls are planned to be finished with PVC panels, then the walls are not leveled with plaster, and sheathing is immediately installed on them level. Installation

battens Lathing

on the walls of the bathroom it is installed from wooden slats or galvanized metal profiles. It is much easier to attach PVC panels to a wooden sheathing, which is why they are used more often for frames. For lathing, slats with a cross-sectional size of 40 × 15 mm or 50 × 20 mm are used. They are mounted at a distance of 300 ÷ 500 mm from each other.

If the ceiling is planned to be suspended, the optimal solution would be metal profiles with special hangers. By the way, no one forbids using these hangers for installing wooden slats on which the facing panels will be attached. The main thing is to securely and firmly fasten these brackets to the ceiling surface.

A suspended ceiling is especially necessary if spotlights will be built into it, which will be “recessed” to the level of the decorative surface. Therefore, you need to measure the height of the lamp you plan to install in advance in order to lower the level of the sheathing exactly to this distance.

Wooden slats that are used for sheathing must be treated with an antiseptic water-repellent composition.

After installing the guide system on the ceiling, you can begin installing the PVC panels, since this is where the preparatory work ends and the finishing procedures begin.

Finishing work

Decorating a bathroom with decorative materials starts from the ceiling. If ceramic tiles will be laid on the walls later, then you need to immediately formalize the transition from one material to another, delimiting it with a corner. The corner is attached along the entire perimeter of the ceiling in such a way that a kind of frame is created for the ceiling panels.

When the panels are installed in pre-planned places, it is necessary to cut holes for installation. They are made using a wood crown, which is installed on an electric drill (screwdriver).

Next, electrical cables are pulled out through the hole, to which special lighting fixtures for suspended ceilings are connected, having clamps in the form of spring-loaded “ears”.

Floor

Each master chooses the sequence of work independently, but it is recommended that the first step is to lay the tiles on the floor, and only after that move on to the walls.

The tiles are laid using a special tile adhesive made on a cement base. Work begins from the door and the wall that will be in sight. The process takes place in this order so that incomplete, cut tiles, which inevitably will be, end up in the far corners, covered by the bathroom, cabinets, etc., and do not spoil the whole picture.

When laying, calibration crosses are installed between the tiles, which will maintain the same thickness of the seams over the entire surface. They are pulled out only after the glue has dried.

The adhesive is applied to the floor surface, one to two tiles in size, and spread in one direction with a notched trowel. Many craftsmen recommend applying another layer of glue to the tile itself when laying it on the floor. In this case, the installation is carried out so that the direction of the grooves on the floor is perpendicular to the grooves on the tiles. This method provides a complete guarantee that there will be no air voids left under the tiles.

After laying the tiles, if necessary, they are tapped with a rubber hammer through a block laid on two tiles at once, thereby leveling them into one plane. Controlling the installation of each tile using a level is mandatory.

Another way to achieve a flat surface without internal voids is with special clamps that are used instead of crosses.

Video: laying tiles using plastic clamps

They solve two problems at once - they maintain the same thickness of the joints and force adjacent tiles to the same level. If they are used immediately, from laying the first tile to the last, the surface is guaranteed to be smooth. These devices are used not only for tiling the floor - it is also quite suitable for walls.

After the tiles are laid on the floor and the adhesive has set, the joints between the tiles are rubbed down. If the seams are filled with glue during the installation and fitting process, they need to be cleaned using a special scraper, and then sweep out the remains using an old toothbrush.

Next, the cleaned gaps are filled with grout (diluted or ready-to-use grout), the excess of which must be immediately removed from the surface of the tile. It is undesirable to delay this, since once the fugue dries, it will be much more difficult to clean it off.

After finishing the flooring, the gaps remaining between the outer tiles and the wall must be cleaned to their full depth and filled with sealant.

Instead of floor tiles, some apartment owners prefer plank or laminate flooring. These are also, by and large, acceptable options, but you need to remember that wood, and especially laminate (MDF), do not really like moisture. If you are laying a plank floor, then the material for it must be pre-treated with antiseptic and water-repellent compounds, and when using laminated panels, pay attention to the permissibility of the material for installation in rooms with high humidity. And yet, it’s better not to experiment, but to stick with a ceramic coating.

Wall decoration

The most popular finishing material for bathroom walls is also ceramic tiles, as they are quite durable and easy to maintain. Recently, PVC panels have become no less popular for wall cladding in the bathroom. True, they will last a shorter period of time than tiles, but the price of the polymer material is not comparable, and installation of the panels is much easier and faster.

PVC panels are a benefit in price and speed of finishing

The panels are produced with various patterns, and some models, by the way, very reliably imitate ceramic tiles.

Tile

Laying tiles on walls is a rather complicated process, and if it is done by a beginner, there is a risk of making a lot of mistakes. Therefore, when starting this work, you should not rush. Beginner tilers will be helped by the already mentioned clamps, which will not allow the surface of one tile to protrude higher or lower than the neighboring one.

Laying tiles starts from the floor. You need to understand that the first row sets the correctness and evenness for all the others, so you need to accurately set the horizontal line of its installation with control with using a building level.

Tile adhesive is applied to the wall using a notched trowel under a laying of three to four tiles. Do not rush and cover too large an area with the composition, especially if there is insufficient practice, since the solution sets quickly enough.

After the walls are completely covered, the seams between the tiles are rubbed in the same way as when laying on the floor.

Before laying the tiles in those areas where water pipes will pass through the walls or there will be water “sockets”, holes of the required diameter are drilled in the required places on the tiles using a diamond drill bit installed in the chuck or “ ballerinas».

PVC panels

If PVC panels are chosen for finishing, then they are fixed to the lathing that was mounted on the walls earlier. The installation itself is not difficult - the panels have a simple and understandable “groove-tenon” system, and all fasteners (screws, nails or staplers) completely hidden when installing each subsequent strip.

Plastic panels - very easy to install

Starting strips are installed at the top and bottom (if the panels are arranged vertically), which will hide the unsightly cut ends and add completeness to the interior design.

In addition, special fittings are provided for internal and external corners, as well as vertical and horizontal edges of the finishing material.

When installing finishing PVC panels, you need to remember that the evenness and, accordingly, the appearance of the wall covering depend on the first strip being perfectly aligned vertically or horizontally (depending on the direction of installation). In this case, each subsequent element is also necessarily checked for verticality.

Holes for pipes in plastic panels are much easier to make - they can be easily drilled using a screwdriver and a crown of the required size, or even simply cut out with a construction knife.

Prices for the range of floor tiles

Floor tile

Video: bathroom renovation using PVC panels

Completion of work - installation of plumbing

After completing the installation of finishing materials on the walls, all plumbing fixtures and accessories are installed in their regular places - a bathtub or shower cabin, a sink, as well as faucets for them. The processes are discussed in great detail in a special section of our portal.

• After installing, leveling and securely fixing the bathtub, it is connected through a siphon to the sewer drain, and after installing the mixer on eccentric sockets, it is checked for leakage.

• After this, it is necessary to seal the gap formed between the wall and the bathtub - this is done using silicone, tile or plastic baseboards.

• Next, if desired, a screen is mounted under the bathtub. It can be mounted on a wooden frame assembled from a block, or laid out from gypsum slabs or blocks and lined with ceramic tiles. For some bathtub models, upon purchase, you can immediately purchase a metal frame to secure any chosen decorative finish.
• A washbasin sink is installed. If the “tulip” model is selected, then the flexible water pipes are covered with a ceramic support leg.
• If you choose a regular sink, you can choose a bedside table under it that will hide all the unsightly components and become a storage place for detergents. If in tabletop bedside table with holes for installing a sink bowl no, then it will have to be measured and cut out.

Before installing the sink, it is turned over and placed on the countertop of the cabinet to trace the cutout with a pencil. Next, the width of the strip running along the edge of the sink is determined, and this distance is also transferred to the countertop inside the outlined semicircle from the marked line. It is along this that the hole for installing the sink will be cut.

If the sink is wider than the cabinet, then you will have to adjust the front panel of the cabinet, and after installation, seal the gap between the cabinet and the sink with white silicone.

• The sink faucet is then connected to the water supply and the drain to the sewer.
• If this is in the plans, a washing machine is installed. It also connects to a water “socket”, that is, to a fitting specially prepared for it.

The finishing can be completed by installing a new beautiful ventilation grille or, to enhance the effect, a ducted exhaust fan (in this case, there is a pre-connection point for the power supply)

Finishing touches - bedside tables, mirrors, hangers, shelves and other accessories

And the last step in the bathroom is to hang up all the necessary accessories for this room, such as mirrors, shelves, cabinets, hangers, soap dishes, etc.

Renovating a bathroom is not so easy, despite the small size of the room. However, with the necessary effort and diligence and having the necessary materials and tools, it is quite possible to cope with this. Self-made repairs will be the pride of the owner, and in addition, will allow you to save a considerable amount.

Video: Bathroom renovation - a guide for beginners

For painting the ceiling needs to be leveled, plastered and puttied so that the surface looks perfect. The best option in this case is water-dispersion paint, which is intended for rooms with high humidity. If your neighbors suddenly flood you, then marks will remain on such a ceiling, and the structure itself will not be able to protect, but condensation will not accumulate on it.

Followed by wall decoration so as not to stain the floor. Most often, the advantages of which in this case are undeniable. Plaster and putty are applied to the pre-prepared walls, and after drying they proceed to. In this case, tile adhesive is used, and installation begins from a visible corner, so that in the most visible places the tile is solid, and cut pieces can be used for other objects. The seams between the tiles are filled, which can be the color of the tile or, conversely, contrast with it. There can be a lot of tile options; you can combine different types with each other, use mirror inserts that can slightly expand a small bathroom.

Place it in the same way floor tiles, but for the floor it is better to choose the most non-slip coating. – a waterproof laminate that will definitely be non-slip. Together with it, you can use liquid wallpaper as a wall covering.

Installation of sockets and switches

When the finishing is ready, you can proceed to installing sockets and switches in previously prepared places. This stage also includes installation of some equipment, incl. water heater. It may be needed not only by residents of private houses, but also by many residents of apartment buildings, where summer hot water shutdowns are often practiced. To save space, you can choose an instantaneous water heater rather than a storage one.

You also need to take care of. This could be an automatic fan that will monitor the humidity level and temperature, turning on and off itself. If you regulate its operation yourself, then a separate switch is provided for it, and combining the switching on of light and ventilation is not always convenient or justified. At this stage it is established sockets, switches, all necessary lighting fixtures.

Plumbing installation

This is the stage for which bathroom renovations most often begin. The choice of plumbing fixtures is now impressive, so everyone can choose something that suits them in size, appearance and functionality. An alternative to the usual one can be the acrylic version: they are distinguished by a greater variety of shapes and wider functionality. If there is not much space in the bathroom, then it is better to choose shower cabin Now queue for. It is installed at the end of all work so as not to be accidentally scratched by plumbing fixtures. The door should fit well into the design of the bathroom, block sounds, and be devoid of completely transparent elements.

At the end of all the work, all that remains is to put everything necessary, hang a mirror, pictures, arrange flowers, hang towels, put them in places accessories, which in the bathroom not only serve as decoration, but also have a certain function.

In conclusion

Compiling and breaking down all repair work into stages helps you better imagine everything that needs to be done. By following a clear sequence, the risk of forgetting to do something is reduced, and the quality of the work performed improves. Moreover, strict adherence to the stages helps to meet the deadlines, so before starting a bathroom renovation, it is better to spend some time thinking about the project and the sequence of work.

Let's look at how to renovate a bathroom yourself. What tools do we need for this? What difficulties await us and how to overcome them. How not to miss important points when renovating a bathroom. Why high-quality DIY repairs will not always be cheaper than repairs by hired workers.

Like any other construction and renovation project, you should start with a design and estimate. We need to figure out what exactly we want to see in the renovated bathroom. Make a detailed list of what you need:

• furniture
• plumbing
• Appliances

Then you should estimate the arrangement of all of the above, taking into account access to communications. For example, it is not always possible to lay a sewer in the place where you would like to install a washing machine or shower while maintaining the required slope of 2% (2 cm per 1 meter of length). Therefore, take this moment into account in advance so as not to suffer in the future with constant sewer blockages.

After you have “put” everything in its place, think through in detail the design that you would like. And start estimating.

If you're on a budget, you can start doing your own bathroom renovation. To do this, we need to understand what tool we need.

Essential Tool for Bathroom Renovation

Usually, those who start repairing with their own hands already have some kind of tool in their arsenal. If you are going to purchase the necessary tools for renovating a bathroom from scratch, then we strongly recommend that you think about whether it would be cheaper to hire workers with your own tools? Because the cost of work is usually 50% of the cost of materials for finishing and communications, and the cost of tools can even exceed this amount. Tools for quality bathroom renovations are not cheap. And if in the future you do not plan to carry out independent repairs, it will be a waste of money. Consider leasing or later selling the instrument. So, what do we need:

• hammer drill with wide chisel, drills, mixer attachment
• groove tool
• soldering iron for plastic pipes
• tile cutter (if you plan to finish with tiles)
• spatulas
• diamond crowns
• electrical work kit
• regular set of plumbing tools

Work order

First, you need to turn off the power and water. Then remove all furniture and fixtures from the bathroom. But don't rush to throw it away. If you have a good-quality but old cast-iron bathtub, consider this.

After cleaning the room, cover the doors tightly with film or cloth and begin cleaning the ceiling, walls and floor. The old whitewash must be washed off, the paint must be removed with a drill with an attachment or a hair dryer. The tiles are cut using a hammer drill with a wide chisel. Don't forget about construction glasses, a respirator and gloves. Dust and small chips of tiles are very dangerous.

Carefully examine the old plaster and floor screed. They must be strong, fairly even and without cracks. Otherwise they will have to be replaced. When replacing floor screed, consider installing . Small irregularities and blemishes can be repaired by puttying with tile adhesive, having first primed the surfaces well.

Sewerage

Let's start replacing communications. First we deal with the sewerage. An important point here is the insulation of risers and maintaining a slope when laying pipes horizontally. Be sure to insulate the sewer riser with foamed polypropylene, because condensation can seriously damage your repairs in the future. Don’t forget, warm air flows through the sewer riser. And the riser is usually “sewn up” with various partitions, screens, etc. This significantly impedes the external ventilation of the riser. Therefore, condensation forms on the outside of the pipe, which then leads to moisture, dirt, rot, and fungus. Another advantage of insulation will be increased sound insulation. Let us remind you that the slope of the sewer pipe in the horizontal plane should be 2% (2 cm per 1 meter of length). This slope makes it possible to wash away debris through the pipe in a stream of water. With a greater slope, the water will flow away faster than the debris, and with a smaller slope, the debris will stagnate.

Water pipes

Then we change the water pipes. Modern repairs involve hidden pipe routing. Therefore, you will have to tinker with the grooves for the pipes. Provide a cabinet or niche with a door near the water riser to allow you to check water meters and locate the main shut-off valves there. In this case, you can always easily turn off the water in the bathroom.

Important point: When you have laid the pipes under the mixer on the wall, connect any old mixer (or a carefully closed new one) to the outlet and plaster the groove with the pipes. Or use a special fastening strip to secure the fittings. This will secure the ends in the required plane. So that it doesn’t happen later that they will “look” in different directions.

Electrics

The next step is to install the electrical wiring. Choose wires with good insulation; check this point with a consultant in the store. All sockets and lamps must also be made specifically for rooms with high humidity. Under no circumstances should you install “regular” sockets and switches. Fortunately, now the choice makes it easy to find a suitable option. Provide protection for the new wiring from short circuits and the ability to disconnect the bathroom separately from the rest of the home.

Finishing work

Then we start working on the ceiling. With modern renovations in old Khrushchev-type apartments, it is not uncommon for the ceiling level to decrease. They make it either hanging, with spotlights built into it, etc. The main thing to remember here is that the ceiling cannot be made of ordinary plasterboard and that the ventilation hole cannot be covered. Ventilation is very important in the bathroom. We take into account that the air flow into the bathroom should be at the opposite end from the exhaust vent. Usually, the holes at the bottom of the front door serve as “vents”. Consider removing humid air from the room on the opposite side. Don't forget that if you have a small bathroom, e.g. 3-6 sq. meters, then you will need forced ventilation. Buy and install an exhaust fan. For larger rooms, forced ventilation is installed if there is insufficient draft in the air duct.

Floor

After the ceiling we move to the floor. If you need a new screed, we make it. If possible, we insulate it. We are laying the flooring. The most common coating is still ceramic tiles. When laying it, they are guided by the principle that installation should begin from the most visible place. This is usually the entrance. So that the tile trims go under the bathtub or furniture. But tiles are not the only option for finishing a bathroom. Moisture-resistant wood varieties such as teak and larch are now popular. It is of course expensive, but very beautiful.

Walls

Then we move on to the walls. Before finishing the walls, be sure to prime them. If you are finishing the walls with tiles, then here, as in the case of the floor, installation begins from the most noticeable place. If you decide to paint the walls, then choose moisture-resistant paint that does not allow steam to pass through. Before painting, cover the wall with penetrating waterproofing. If you have chosen plastic or other wall panels, then also take care of waterproofing. Keep in mind that the frame of the sheathing under the panels cannot be made of wood. In a space covered with panels, the wood will rot very quickly. In addition, it will be a source of fungus and other infections in your bathroom. Choose a galvanized metal profile. Or glue the panels with special sealants and adhesives, like ““.

Installation of furniture and plumbing

The next step is to install the furniture and connect the plumbing. Handle new equipment with care, do not forget to read the instructions before installation. After installation, we do a test run and check for leaks, correct operation of devices, etc.

If everything is ok, congratulations! You have successfully completed your DIY bathroom renovation. And this is not an ordinary event. We hope that our instructions helped you organize your thoughts, and perhaps taught you something. Please share your experience in the comments to the article. We are very interested in how you managed to renovate the bathroom yourself and what came out of it.

Most bathroom repairs can be done independently, without the help of specialists. This is especially true for the cosmetic finishing of a room, since even a novice craftsman can hide pipes in a gypsum plasterboard box and lay ceramic tiles. Before carrying out work, you need to draw up a design project for the bathroom and determine where to start renovating the bathroom.

Is it possible to do everything yourself?

You can do basic bathroom renovation work yourself. A novice craftsman can easily pour screed with his own hands, make waterproofing, plaster walls, resolder plastic pipes, assemble a plasterboard box and lay tiles.

More skills will be required when installing electrical wiring. In this case, people who do not have experience should contact a specialist.

Bathroom renovations should be done in compliance with technology. All construction work must be carried out in strict sequence.

Prices and costs

The main question that arises before renovating a bathroom is where to start remodeling the bathroom. Experts recommend deciding on a budget at the first stage. It is necessary to indicate the upper price level for finishing materials, since all expenses will fall on them. Having an approximate estimate will help you avoid unnecessary expenses.

It is recommended to buy building materials in one store, since discounts are often given for bulk orders. The required amount of dry mixtures can be calculated by knowing the surface area to which they will be applied. Tiles and porcelain tiles should be purchased with a margin of 10-15%.

To reduce costs, you should refuse the help of a designer. You can think over the style of the room and the arrangement of furniture yourself. To make the task easier, it is worth creating a three-dimensional model of the room using a computer program.

Sequence of work

The correct sequence of renovations in the bathroom is the key to a quality finish. All work is carried out in several stages. To begin with, the old finishing and pipes in the room are dismantled and all unnecessary items are removed.

Then the surfaces of the walls and floors are leveled. After this, they move on to marking communications. The electrical and ventilation layout must be thought out in advance. Then the room is finished. The final stage is connecting plumbing and installing furniture.

Repair plan:

1. Removing the bathtub, old coverings and doors.
2. Plastering walls.
3. Engineering work (rough installation of pipes, electrical).
4. Leveling the floor.
5. Waterproofing works.
6. Sealing of pipes into a plasterboard box (if necessary, installation of the installation on gypsum plasterboard).
7. Laying tiles.
8. Installation of the door leaf.
9. Ceiling finishing.
10. Plumbing connection.

Planning

An important part of planning is the choice of finishing materials and plumbing fixtures. For repairs, choose ceramic tiles and plastic panels. They also do decorative plaster on the walls in the bathroom. It is better not to save on building mixtures. It is recommended to select plumbing equipment taking into account the size of the room.

Purchase of materials

To finish the bathroom you will need the following rough materials:

• plaster;
• self-leveling floor screed;
• waterproofing mixture;
• tile adhesive;
• drywall;
• primer;
• concrete contact;
• metal profile, beacons.

To install electrical wiring and ventilation elements, you will need corrugation and VVG-P cable. An important point: electrical equipment for the bathroom (lights, sockets) must have a protective class of IPX4.

Features of dismantling

To dismantle old tiles, use a puncher, chisel and hammer. The work must be carried out very carefully so as not to get injured by flying pieces of tile. For protection you should use goggles and gloves.

Dismantling begins with any outer tile. A piece is knocked off from it with a hammer, and then the tile is pryed off with a chisel. The cladding is removed piece by piece. Working with a hammer drill is carried out in a similar way.

Before laying the tiles, notches must be applied to the previously painted surface with an axe. Then the surface is sanded with coarse sandpaper. Peeling elements (old paint, plaster) are removed using a spatula.

Floor screed and waterproofing

During repairs, the old screed is dismantled if there are defects and differences. The cleaned floor should be pre-vacuumed and primed. The screed is poured along the beacons located according to the level. It is better to use non-shrinking mixtures that quickly gain strength. This will help reduce the repair time.

Bathtub waterproofing is done in 2 ways:

1. It is done before and after leveling the floor. To do this, first use roll and then coating waterproofing. This method is recommended for apartments on upper floors, since such double protection will reduce damage in the event of flooding.
2. In the second case, the walls and floor are covered with a thin-layer cement-based waterproofing mixture. Before carrying out work, the surface will need to be moistened with water. The waterproofing solution is applied to the corners. Then a tape with a mesh is glued onto it. After gluing the corners, the mixture is applied to the remaining surfaces, rubbing it into the base. It is allowed to harden for 3-6 hours. The second layer is applied perpendicular to the first. This method of waterproofing prevents water from entering under the tiles from the outside and helps protect the finish in adjacent rooms.

Installation of piping and electrical wiring

When renovating, be sure to redo old sewer pipes. They should be replaced with polypropylene. To dismantle the heated towel rail, you will have to turn off the water through the riser. The pipes are laid out for plumbing.

For installation of electrical wiring, corrugated or insulating boxes are used. They are laid horizontally and vertically in channels, which are cut using a grinder.

Then plastering is done on top. Communications are hidden under a suspended ceiling and drywall. Their locations are marked on the wiring diagram.

The final stage of repair

After installing the plastic pipes, you need to assemble a box for them. To do this, you should use plasterboard sheets that are not afraid of moisture. The base of the box is profile guides. The gypsum board is attached on top of them. For quick access to meters, the structure is equipped with an inspection hatch.

After installing the box, you need to finish the walls and floor. The tiles are laid from the bottom up. When finishing, you need to trim the material correctly. The tiles located in the corners must be the same size. After finishing the surfaces in the bathroom, they proceed to installing plumbing fixtures.

How to save money at the planning stage?

Planning is an important stage of renovation, as it allows you to avoid a number of mistakes. You need to think through all the work especially carefully when you have a limited budget. To save money you can:

1. Calculate possible adjustments to the size of the room when planning. This will save on facing material. To install fewer rows of tiles, you can move the plasterboard wall installation forward or lower the ceiling height with trim. The dimensions of the room must be adjusted taking into account the size of the tiles.
2. Find plumbing equipment (for example, an installation) for which you will not need to purchase additional parts. The set must be complete.
3. Before purchasing any equipment, thoroughly understand its features. This will avoid problems during installation.
4. Combine materials. This is especially true for rooms with a large area. To save money, the area around the bathtub and sink is tiled, and the remaining surfaces are painted. Less money will be spent on a plasterboard ceiling, which you can also install yourself.
5. Rent the necessary tools rather than buy them. You may need: tile cutter, hammer drill, screwdriver, grinder.

conclusions

The repair procedure depends on the characteristics of the room and the selected materials. If the walls were treated with acrylic paint, then you can do without plastering. Before laying the tiles, you will need to make notches on them. Concrete surfaces should be treated with a primer that increases the adhesion of the base.

First of all, think about where to start renovating your bathroom. First of all, you need to take into account the state of communication systems. Check pipes and ventilation. If there are no obvious problems, you can refuse a major rework of communications.

Video instruction

From this article you will learn:

• Where is the best place to start renovating a bathroom?
• What are the features of dismantling old communications and finishing?
• How to properly install utility lines when renovating a bathroom

It's no secret that the bathroom occupies an important place in the apartment. Of course, it needs periodic repairs, because a large amount of water is spilled in this room every day, in addition to frequent changes in humidity and temperature. To rationally organize finishing work, you need to know where to start renovating your bathroom. We will talk about this, as well as the correct sequence of repairs, in this article.

How to decide where to start renovating your bathroom

Bathroom renovations can be divided into 2 types:

1. Unplanned. Such repairs are necessary under force majeure circumstances, for example, a pipe burst in the bathroom, or the neighbors flooded the apartment. Unplanned repair work also includes replacing the bathtub itself, since in most cases this will entail the installation of new pipes, plumbing, and tiles;
2. Planned. In turn, the planned renovation of the bathroom, depending on the complexity and financial costs, is divided into capital and cosmetic. The second option is easier and cheaper to start and do, but this repair can only be carried out if the water supply and plumbing are in good working order, and you also need to make sure that there is no fungus. During cosmetic repairs, the floor, wall and ceiling coverings are changed, and faucets are updated. For a more global repair, although not a major one, serious preparation and a systematic approach to work are needed.

If you want to start renovating the bathroom in your home, first think about what it should be like and how it should look. Initially, you should decide which color scheme will prevail in the room, since renovation involves choosing a specific layout and color scheme. You should have a clear vision of the future room before your eyes. Common bathroom colors in Moscow are blue and blue, peach and beige, as well as plain soft colors.

• tile;
• porcelain stoneware;
• mosaic;
• plastic panels.

If you decide to change your plumbing fixtures, start by choosing a new fixture option, having studied everything in advance.

You need to start taking measurements of the room, write down the width, length and height, and calculate the area. A plan drawn up in advance will also help you determine the location of all devices. It is difficult to change something at the end of the renovation, so everything needs to be thought through from the beginning.

Selection of plumbing fixtures and finishing materials for bathroom renovations

Having decided to renovate the bathroom themselves, the owners think about where to start and purchase new plumbing equipment and finishing materials. However, one of the most important stages in starting a renovation is determining the color scheme, calculating the required amount of finishing materials and choosing the brand and type of appliances.

Before the renovation itself and the purchase of plumbing, you need to make sure whether it will suit your room in size and color.

It is best to purchase all appliances and finishing materials in one store, since if you purchase a large number of goods you may be offered a good discount. To start renovating a bathroom, it is preferable to purchase everything in advance, since it will be inconvenient to look for missing materials, again wasting time.

Where to start next when renovating a bathroom?

The renovation should begin by disassembling the room. The best option is that there is nothing left in the bathroom except concrete walls and a floor with a ceiling. It may also be useful to have professional help in dismantling or replacing sewer pipes and hot and cold water systems.

1. Removing tiles

Old Soviet-era plaster comes off the bathroom walls the easiest way. It is distinguished by a thick layer of cement. To start dismantling it, any tool that can work as a lever will be useful; it is not necessary to have a hammer drill at home. Disassembling such tiles will not take much time; they come off the walls very easily.




It is also easy to dismantle tiles laid with lime for painting. Any tool, such as a chisel, will be useful for this.

The most difficult thing is to start dismantling old tiles laid on mortar without an expiration date. This is a very strong and reliable material that stays very tightly in the bathroom. It is especially durable if the previous repair was done conscientiously and the master soaked the tiles with high quality. In this case, you will often wonder which tool will be more effective for quick dismantling.

A hammer drill in the case of such tiles will not be very useful in the sense that it will not dismantle it completely, but will only crush it into a large number of small parts, which will be scattered throughout the bathroom. The best option to start dismantling such tiles would be to throw a fragmentation grenade into the room more than once. Next, a broom will be useful to remove all the fragments, and the same hammer drill to complete the work with those parts that have not moved away from the walls.

2. Removing plaster

Only the owners of brick walls will have to dismantle the plaster. If prisoners or captives started laying bricks in a room, then this layer can reach many meters. This is, of course, a joke. But a layer of five centimeters can be easily encountered. Therefore, it is necessary to devote more time and effort to this dismantling and start collecting unnecessary durable garbage bags. Here you should take into account that you won’t be able to simply dump the trash in trash cans; you will need to call in special equipment and loaders.




It is worth noting that when dismantling the plaster, which is the support for the bricks, the walls can easily fall apart, so you should be careful.

3. Dismantling in a concrete sanitary cabin

All concrete panel houses built before 1998 have a plumbing cabin. In Soviet times, builders glued the mosaic directly into the concrete of the cabin, and it holds very firmly. In order to begin dismantling this tile, you will need a chipper or a concrete breaker.




If we cannot remove the mosaic, we can offer you 2 options for further repairs.

First: start by degreasing the surface, then apply Concrete Contact, install a masonry mesh on top and fill it all with a leveling screed.

Second: dismantling the entire plumbing cabin. This stage of repair includes not only the demolition of walls. The floor and ceiling also need to be dismantled. Then the renovation will begin, one might say, all over again - building new walls, then pouring the floor and stretching the ceiling. And as a result of our actions, we will get an extra square meter in the bathroom. Considering the price per unit area, this repair item is justified.




If you rejected the offer to dismantle the plumbing cabin in your renovation, then most likely you will have to start solving another problem - what to do with the baseboard. Concrete baseboards are part of the cabin structure. They are horizontal (along the perimeter of the floor) and vertical (in the corners from floor to ceiling). These skirting boards are very durable and have reinforcement with a diameter of about 10 mm.

Concrete plinths are dismantled using a jackhammer or hammer drill. You need to start with perforation along the entire length of the baseboard. The reinforcement will need to be cut out with a grinder.

You can, of course, use a grinder to cut out the baseboard, equipped with a diamond blade. But in this case there will be so much dust that it’s hard to imagine.

4. Dismantling the screed

Depending on the number of renovations that the bathroom has undergone, we can make an assumption about the number of layers of screed. These layers are material on the history of the room’s renovation.




After removing the tiles from the bathroom floor, you may see cracks in the screed. You also need to pay attention to whether the screed “bounces” - after knocking on its surface, you may hear a sound as if you were hitting a hollow object. This sound indicates that the screed is not adhered to the floor slabs, therefore, it is necessary to begin dismantling it. The screed layer can be quite thick. You should be especially careful when doing this work - sometimes water supply pipes pass under the screed.

5. Removing paint from walls

Also in Soviet times, there was a tradition regarding concrete walls - the color of the bathroom should be blue. The paint was applied in a very thick layer, comparable in strength to slate. It is said that several layers of this paint can withstand a burst from an AK-47, and that the components of this paint are used to create body armor. But let's get back to dismantling.

You can start with the most effective option for removing paint - dissolving it. But the disadvantage, or rather the danger, of the chemical method is that there is a high probability of inhaling reagents during work.

Other dismantling methods are safer, but more difficult and longer. For example, you can start peeling off the paint with an axe. Such cutting will rid the wall of the interfering coating by 60–70%, but to achieve this result you will have to make more than one thousand blows.

It is easier to use a hammer drill - charged with a wide chisel, it is capable of removing from 80 to 90% of the surface of the walls. If the paint of the bathroom does not hold up well, then you can start working with a hammer drill equipped with a crown (used when creating niches for socket boxes) without a centering drill. The teeth of the crown dig into the paint well and remove it from the bathroom wall.

If the walls of the room were covered with drying oil before painting, then the paint can only be removed with a hammer drill.

Where to start with piping and major bathroom renovations

If you have started renovating your bathroom, you don’t need to take equipment at random and think that everything will fit anyway. Initially, you need to think over a plan for future wiring. It seems that this is not a very important stage and there is no need for it. But it is with the help of a plan that it is possible to calculate everything, determine the location of plumbing equipment and select the necessary finishing material and other elements.

First you need to make a list of the materials and equipment that you plan to place in the room. To start doing this, you need to know all the dimensions and parameters of the bathroom. It is also important whether the bathroom and toilet are located separately or together. If they are located separately from each other, then a wiring plan must be drawn up for two rooms, since their communications are very closely connected and do not exist separately.

Once you have decided which plumbing fixtures you need, you need to mark which ones you need to run pipes to.

Plumbing fixtures, shut-off valves and meters must be present in a competent bathroom piping plan.

The classic scheme is:

• Any type of bath or shower. Both hot and cold water supply, as well as sewerage, are provided here.
• Washbasin-sink. Hot and cold water supply plus sewerage are provided.
• Bidet. This part is connected to cold and hot water and sewerage.
• Toilet. Connects to cold water supply and sewerage.
• Washing machine. Sewage and cold water supply are provided.

The outline of the basis of the future project will be the next step. It is necessary to make all the calculations, measurements and build a diagram based on them. It is best to draw the diagram to a suitable scale on graph paper.

All measurements must be very accurate to create a good, competent diagram. Plumbing fixtures are measured in the same way. The dimensions of the appliances are needed to accurately fit them into the bathroom.

There is one interesting method for those who have not yet decided how exactly to arrange all the plumbing equipment in the room. Taking into account the scale of the constructed scheme and adhering to it, you need to start by placing on paper a diagram of all the devices that you intend to place in the bathroom.

To do this, you can cut out all the devices from paper and roughly arrange them on the diagram in search of the best layout option.

There is a certain sequence in which all appliances are placed in the bathroom. It must be taken into account when drawing up a wiring plan. For example, the toilet should be located closest to the riser.

It is also important not to forget a few nuances. The toilet is installed first from the sewer riser. It is best when the toilet outlet is connected directly to the riser using a fitting. A large distance between the toilet and the riser, as well as the presence of turns, can lead to blockages and will periodically make themselves felt.

The best way to prevent blockages is to position all drains from plumbing fixtures so that used water passes through the pipes following the toilet drain.

Low-flush shower stalls and bathtubs should also be located as close to a sewer drain as possible. This is necessary to avoid problems with slope. The remaining appliances according to the scheme can be placed in the bathroom in the way that is most convenient.

Important study in advance all technical specifications and documents for connecting all equipment before starting to install them. With a standard connection, which involves a single-level installation of the pipeline and the axis of the sewer outlet of the device, difficulties should not arise. However, if a non-standard connection is provided, it is necessary to once again familiarize yourself with all the information additionally and take into account new features.

Once you have installed all the plumbing fixtures, you can begin to install the appropriate piping to them. Here it is important to adhere to the originally constructed diagram and its scale; this is the only way to correctly install the pipework in the bathroom.

When placing all the equipment and running all the pipes, do not forget that the doors should open freely, and each device or element could be easily used.

Which type of utility wiring to choose when renovating a bathroom?

Before starting a wiring project, it is better to familiarize yourself with the options for such circuits and choose the one that is most suitable for you. There are not many of them, three types, but one with pass-through sockets is very rare, so we will not touch on it.

It is also possible to install a shut-off valve in each collector outlet. In this case, it will be very convenient to use.

This can be explained as follows. When several taps are turned on at once, the water pressure will not drop. All consumers will have the opportunity to function at maximum capacity.

If for some reason the pressure has decreased, you can solve this problem by briefly turning off the water supply to one consumer (for example, to the toilet). Then the water pressure in the rest of the plumbing equipment will increase.

The collector type of wiring is more convenient to use than the serial type. There are rarely problems with water pressure, since each consumer has a separate line. But this system requires some effort in design and installation.

An important point can also be noted that in the collector type of wiring it is possible to replace or repair individual equipment without turning off the water in the entire bathroom. This system is more reliable, since each consumer is connected using a separate pipe without other unnecessary elements.

If any problems begin with one of the devices, a leak can only be noticed at the collector or device itself; in these places it will quickly become apparent. Therefore, installation can be carried out safely using a hidden method.

The advantages also include ease of use. If one of the consumers is damaged, there is no need to look for the cause by crawling under the sink and disassembling the entire system. It is necessary to call specialists and close the shut-off valve on the collector of the damaged equipment that has leaked.

This can be done by anyone, both an elderly person and a very young child. If one of the devices is turned off, the others will function properly.

The nuances of installing wiring when renovating a bathroom

When laying out plumbing pipes, you need to start by choosing one of two installation options: open or hidden.

Laying pipes in a screed, when the parts are covered with concrete mortar on top, is another example of hidden laying.

Creating grooves, whether cutting or sawing, is not an easy job. Therefore, you need to start by drawing lines on the bathroom wall where the grooves will go. Then you need an accurate calculation of the size of the niches for the pipes.

The main advantages of this installation are the protection of the pipes and the aesthetic appearance of the room. Pipeline outlets are located in the floor or on the walls; they are made in the form of sewer sockets/water outlets. Engineering communications are not visible.

Among the significant disadvantages, we highlight the high cost of the work, its labor intensity, as well as the impossibility of monitoring the condition of the pipes.

Sometimes there is a need to supply communications to a bathtub that is located at a large distance from the wall, for example, in the center of the bathroom. In this case, you will have to start with an idea of ​​how to hide sewer pipes under the floor. But due to their large diameter, it will not be possible to place them in a screed, since it will come out high and have a lot of weight. The floors may not be able to withstand such a load, so the best way out of this situation is to build a so-called podium. There is enough space underneath for the room's utilities; The design of such a podium can be block or frame.

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