New bathroom

mdaw

mdaw

mdaw

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Joined
18 Apr 2013
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620
Hi all,

I'm about to move to another property and the Mrs wants a new bathroom put in ASAP as she likes a bath and it's only fitted with a shower. I have been looking across Google etc for advice but the general consensus is you get what you pay for. It seems the best/cheapest way to get good quality for not too much money is to go to somewhere like the plumstore/plumbers merchants to source the stuff and get a plumber to fit it or get a plumber and ask them to get it at trade prices.
I would like to know your experiences and what brands you would avoid or recommend?
I'm looking at being in this property for a long time so I want something that will last.
 
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Following this as we'll be doing the same!

I was going to source the bathroom suite online and get a plumber to fit, tile etc. Awaiting quote back for that.
 
Try and get some 'recommendations' from friends and family. See what the plumbers advise etc. Even the big plumbing shops should be able to give you some pointers.
 
My take, you either buy premium and spend a fortune or you buy cheap and save loads. The stuff from most of the online merchants is just rebranded Chinese stuff that is available much cheaper as a generic brand on eBay. Avoid Victoria plum and Victorian plumbing at all costs.

Most baths are now just some acrylic and there really isn't much that can go wrong with them, best advice would be to find one you like to sit in as many can be uncomfortable. For taps, valves etc do not skimp, look for brands like Grohe.
 
Are the acrylic baths up to scratch? Family friend has one and it is like climbing into a cheap sledge the amount of flex it has.
 
Recently just finished doing my bathroom.

I went mostly budget/mid-range apart from a whirlpool (not my choice) from Plumbworld and the quality has been pretty good overall, the soft close function on the toilet seat went wrong a week after installing but they sent out another straight away.
 
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Funky-Melon said:
Recently just finished doing my bathroom.

I went mostly budget/mid-range apart from a whirlpool (not my choice) from Plumbworld and the quality has been pretty good overall, the soft close function on the toilet seat went wrong a week after installing but they sent out another straight away.
Click to expand...

I tend to find that after a while they tend to stop working
 
What I've noticed with online shopping is that you'll have a bath for example that's visually identical to another but the price varies from say £400-£1600 across several retailers with various make and models identifying said bath but you have no control over what you get and could well be getting the £400 quality but paying £1600 assuming its of higher quality because of the price.
 
Buy a stone shower tray and good quality glass, neither are particularly expensive and plastic trays are crap.

I bought most my stuff from old bathroom from Victoria plum and I think everything I ordered from them came broken 1st time. They did provide replacements for it all for free however.
 
I did my bathroom myself 2 years ago and bought all the hardware apart from taps and plugs and the like from eBay, as others have said most of the stuff is generic with an added price for who you buy it from. fide something you like on Soak os VP and then image search google and see what comes up. The guys we bought from were actually a wholesalers up in Birmingham and when there was an issue with a plinth from the bath panel splitting they replaced it no questions asked. We saved £1k by buying from eBay over Soak.

Also Acrylic baths must be installed properly, im 17.5/18st and can jump up and down in my tub with zero movement!
 
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reguarding acrylic baths, don't get the cheap ones, they are really thin and are the ones that flex a lot. you can actually see light through some of them before the panel is fitted. i got a cleargreen bath which is nice and solid, can't remeber how much exactly but think it was about £300 so you don't have to spend a lot for a quality bath.
 
Thanks for all the comments so far.
Interesting what people are saying about baths being the same but rebranded. £300 is probably the minimum I will be spending on a bath tub. I've seen some brands offering thicker/stiffer baths that also keep the water warmer for longer, for example https://www.ukbathrooms.com/products/carron-profile-duo-bath.html
Adding this option adds nearly £200. Would this companies standard bath still be of the good quality we were speaking about or would I need the upgrade?
 
In terms of taps etc. I have seen grohe and hansgrohe mentioned a lot. They seem to be the go to premium brand for that kind of thing along with shower valves and heads. In the bath we will looking to fit a shower above it. So Grohe is definitely on the cards if I find one in the style my wife likes. Aquiliser were once considered very good, is that still the case? Also I'm open to other recommendations for brands on showers and taps etc. As the shower will be going over the bath I don't need a shower tray.
 
I have a Mira Atom that I would put on par with any posh hotel fixtures I've used in the past. It was 300ish.
 
Don't be fooled by baths that keep th water warmer, surface area of water will leach heat far quicker than any tub will insulated or not.
 
yeah thats just marketing crap i reckon but generally the baths that claim that are reinforced and thicker so are much more solid and don't flex which is the improtant bit. this is the one i got, showing £356 for the 1800 x 800 i got, think it was a bit cheaper a year ago, jtatkinsons price matched the cheapest i could fint it online. https://www.victorianplumbing.co.uk/britton-bathrooms-verde-double-ended-acrylic-bath
my plumber mate has fitted a few and said there good baths, also said with shower valves there's not much differance, just make sure you get one with a long warrenty on it as they should be decent quality and you can get parts. i didn't want bath taps so used a bath filler with a crosswater push button concealed bath/shower valve. again jtatkinson pricematched the cheapest online prices on pretty much everything i got for the bathroom, much easier to just pop down and pick it all up and also easier if there is any problems.
 
I think I might go with a Carron bath. They give a 30 year guarantee, so I'd hope that they are confident in the product. Both places I've been and mentioned that bath have both said how impressed they are by the quality and reasonable price.
I was also pointed toward the possible use of iflo products. It is a city plumbing/bathroom showroom/Travis perkins own brand that they told me is all made by Roca. I'm tempted by
https://www.cityplumbing.co.uk/iflo-Kidlington-Thermostatic-Mixer-Shower/p/506069,
https://www.cityplumbing.co.uk/iflo-Tatton-Bath-Brass-Chrome-Shower-Mixer-Tap/p/604606 and
https://www.cityplumbing.co.uk/iflo-Tatton-Bathroom-Basin-Pillar-Taps/p/604604

My wife likes the traditional style bathrooms so I'm a bit limited on what brands I can use. Heritage look nice and offer the style my wife likes but are a bit pricier.
 
I did a bathroom and shower room recently in our new 50's house. Did all the work myself, only done minor work prior to these. I figured, if I'm saving a load of money on the work - I may as well splash out on more expensive fittings. Seeing as this is our 'forever' home and I don't fancy having to re-do anything soon.

BathroomCompleted.jpg


I got most things from places like Victoria Plumb, Heat & Plumb - the rest from B&Q. I went for metro style tiling, which were cheap to buy and I think look nice and shouldn't date quickly.

Overall, spent about £3000.

£400 on the shower screen.
£120 on the shower tray
£350 on the thermostatic shower
£600 on the sink
£150 on the tap
£100 on the rails / shelves
£60 on the mirror / light
£300 on the tiles
£90 on the pre-mixed glitter grout.
£350 on the toilet
+ fittings, pipe work, cable, fillers etc.
 
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