Top Tip: Waterproofing is never enough! For electrics use a voltage detector.
Who are you?
Alexandra Kardakou, 28, Architectural Assistant Part 2
What did you do?
I renovated an old WC
Where did you make it?
At my boyfriends flat in Livingston
When did you do this?
June 2020
Why did you do it?
Countless reasons! We decided to renovate the whole flat, because it was quite old looking and in desperate need of a redo. We love a DIY project, it saves you money and it's a really good opportunity to get some real life experience, don't you think :) Besides, what's better than getting the satisfaction of saying "hey, that was all me"!!
How did you do it?
We removed the quite old shower cubicle and tray. It was surprisingly easy to break the silicone, since it was very old and petrified! We also removed all the rest of the sanitary ware (wash hand basin and WC).
We removed the shower head. Easy-peasy, just unscrew it, and screw the new one in at the end of the works.
We removed the quite old and ugly looking wet wall panelling from the shower. This wasn't very easy, it requires a lot of strength to pull hard. Watch out for hidden screws, this ain't only glue ladies!
After the removal of the panels we found old tiles underneath. We tried to remove those too, but they were so old it was impossible to remove them. So we decided to glue the new panels on top. This adds to waterproofing/ insulation, so why not!
We removed the remaining glue and cleaned the surface. This is vital to achieve good results and glue your new panels properly.
We removed the old fan and skirtings. Make sure you are really careful when you do electrics. Switch off the fuse and test the cables with a voltage detector pen if they are still live before touching.
The next step was to start gluing the new panels. We had to measure and cut each panel with a scalpel. This was quite easy and fun, but make sure you buy extra panels (measuring mistakes are not difficult to make either)! We added a few screws on the sides of each panel for extra stability (where they are not visible). It is also quite important to add the PVC skirtings/ cornices which come together with the panels, to add protection and seal from moisture. We also had to cut around any pipes and penetrations, which requires some patience not to mess it up.
We then had to treat the base (floor) of the shower, because there was a clear issue of previous leakage. We simply replaced the old concrete base which was soft and broken. We placed a waterproof sheet and tape under the new concrete base because underneath, there was a timber sheet, which was getting soft from moisture. We then glued the new shower tray on top.
After that, we glued and screwed the new shower cubicle on top of the tray. This requires to be careful with measurements and to make sure its 90 degrees, otherwise the shower door wont close properly.
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