Bathroom: The 9 Keys to a Successful Renovation

Place of relaxation and well-being , the bathroom must be as easy to live as to maintain. This room is one of the most delicate to think of housing, especially as no error is allowed. For those who want a new bathroom , here is a recap of things to do absolutely before you embark on the development work or renovation of your water feature .

You want to renovate or develop your bathroom , but do not know how to do it? Choice of bath, shower, or coatings, safety standards ... House side gives you 9 tips and tricks for a successful renovation of the bathroom .

1. An inventory of fixtures to better organize the space in the bathroom

The bathroom is often the smallest room in the house. The organization of the space must therefore be maximized for smooth traffic. Step One: Measure the room, the location and direction of the openings, the sources of arrival and the outlets, and then report on a plan. You can then consider different configurations . To circulate in a bathroom, it is better to provide a minimum space of 60 cm in front of each element : shower, bath, washbasin and WC. For a bathroom that is less than 1.50 m wide, which is now common, narrow vanity units(about 33 cm) are perfect. They leave enough space to pass. Also think about tips to optimize a small space : vertical storage, hanging elements, large mirrors ...

2. Shower or bath?

The bath remains an ideal , especially for the resale of a property and is preferred in families with children. However, in number of sales, the shower took the lead. Designed as a real wellness area, it can now compete with the bath in terms of comfort : generous dimensions, hydro massage columns, chemotherapy cabin and steam room ...

Optimization of space, ease of access for an older population and ecological concerns largely explain its success. A shower consumes three times less water than a bath. Equipped with a ramp and a flat catcher, it is adapted for people with reduced mobility. Space side, it is important to note that you can slide a bath in a bathroom of just over 3 m2. And from 4 m2, you can install both bath and shower depending on the room

configuration.

3. Washbasin or sink, follow the trend

Washbasin or sink? Single or double? What questions! The Washbasin is installed on a piece of furniture unlike the wash basin on a wall or column. Pedestal sinks are rare, except for the retro style. Fashion is at square or round bowls placed on a plane. For a comfortable bowl, count 100 cm of plan. For two basins, 120 cm long are the minimum. XS or XL, there are many models of very attractive basins today.

4. Floor and wall coverings: resistance and style

The bathroom coverings must not only satisfy our decoration dreams but also resist moisture.

Tiling or painting? The peace solution: put the tiles to the ceiling! The only maintenance will be to redo the joints. One painting even hydrophobic eventually crack. It is not necessarily more economical unless you paint yourself because the tile trends have democratized well. However, if you opt for painting, choose a paint suitable for the bathroom .  

Tile side, two types of tile sizes are very trendy: the maxi sizes (40 x 40 cm or 60 x 60 cm) and mosaics (1.5 x 1.5 cm or 2.5 x 2.5 cm). To give a feeling of space, do not hesitate to place wide tiles. The rectangular sizes are also fashionable: from 20 x 33 cm to 40 x 90 cm or 50 or 60 cm long (25 x 50 cm, 30 x 50 cm, 30 x 60 cm, 40 x 60 cm.

On the floor, it is better to choose porcelain stoneware , more resistant than earthenware, reserved for the wall. Finally, mosaics enameled glass are placed in the shower areas or decorative frieze.  

Wood in the bathroom? It is possible: there are ranges of parquet floors for bathrooms that are especially water resistant. The best is the exotic wood rot, type teak (the FSC label that guarantees the provenance is mandatory). This wood is maintained annually with oil. Other treatments such as oleothermy or THAT make the wood insensitive to water.  

5. Heating: take the towel dryer option

The use of towel radiators has become widespread. They give a touch of decoration to the bathroom while providing comfort to the towels. But they are effective if you do not overload them. These towel warmers are of 3 types: radiators known as "hot water" , connected to the heating circuit. Electric towel radiators , easy to install since they do not require any connection to the water. They must be placed at a certain distance from the wetlands (volumes II or III).

6. Faucets: How to save water

The bathroom represents 59% of the water consumed at home (20% for toilets and 39% for bath and shower). The faucet offers solutions to reduce this water consumption. Always prefer the mixer to the mixer. The single control adjusts the flow and temperature in a single movement, reducing consumption by 10 to 20% and up to 40% with thermostats supplying water at pre-set temperature. The electronic faucets infrared sensors arrive in the house and are very efficient in terms of water saving. The first prices are around 90 euros. Alternatively, equip the faucets with an economizer. The reduced water is compensated by air. The lightness of the flow is very pleasant. The flow reducer is installed on the shower head at the base of the hose and reduces the flow in half with the same pressure.

7. Respect safety standards in the bathroom

The bathroom is a risky room where water and electricity come together . Any electrical installation must comply with NF C 15-100 . This standard is essentially based on 3 criteria: compliance of all electrical appliances with the NF standard. Obligation to realize an potentiality bonding, that is to say, to connect to the ground all the conductive elements (pipes, metal sanitary appliances body ...). Respect of the security volumes. There are 3 levels of protection within which electrical equipment is allowed or not  

The 3 volumes to be known for the electricity in the bathroom , knowing that each volume of security corresponds to a level of lighting:

Volume 0 and 1: the immediate surroundings of the shower and bath, zone in which any electrical device is prohibited. Volume 0: class III IP 27 (very low voltage only with a transformer outside the volume) Volume 1: class III IP 24 (less than 12 volts)

Volume 2: 60 cm around the water point and above 2 m 25. Class II appliances and switches, ie equipped with double electrical insulation and a safety transformer, may be posed. The space under the bathtub or the shower tray becomes the "hidden volume" from which electrical equipment is excluded. Volume 2: class II IP 23 (protected against splashing water)

8. Lighting: look good when you wake up

Essential to create the atmosphere of the room, the lighting should not be neglected and its layout well thought out. Connecting it to a dimmer control is a good way to modulate the light according to the times of day and activities. In fact, several sources of light are possible to create the atmosphere:  

Chandelier or ceiling lamp . The lighting coming from the ceiling and directed downwards in the form of a chandelier or a ceiling light (preferably vapor-proof) offers the general light, its position in height allowing to distribute the light in the whole of the room and facilitate the circulation. This type of lighting is recommended in the case of generous volumes and high ceilings. We can also provide a false ceiling in which will be embedded spots .