BATHROOM RENOVATION

Consider why you are renovating your bathroom and keep your goals, intent, and purpose on track to help you make the best investment choices. Read more →

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WHAT ARE BATHROOM & WASHROOM TERMS?

BATHROOMS RENOVATION KEY FACTORS

A bathroom, washroom, & powder room all serve the purpose of personal hygiene activities.

In typical Canadian housing, a powder room refers to a smaller washroom generally located on the main floor, available for guest use, and usually containing a toilet and sink.

The terms bathroom and washroom are used interchangeably and usually refer to a more equipped facility hosting a toilet, sink and either a bathtub or a shower stall or a combination of both. Larger washrooms may also have room for a double-sink vanity, a bidet, and often a small storage cupboard.

Generally speaking, bathrooms (as well as kitchens) require periodic care & updating because they are high traffic areas and generally reflect the style and design of either a previous owner or previous era.

Bathrooms and kitchens make the home. This is where personal space and style converge, where all the available choices of tiles and mirrors, vanities, knobs and handles, colours, fixtures, countertops, paint, flooring and lighting come together to make your unique statement. And when those design elements become dated and stale, it might be time to brighten your home with a fresh bathroom renovation.

When beginning your project keep these key factors in mind:

A clean looking and spacious bathroom might require repurposing some floor space from an adjacent area, such as your bedroom, to make the bathroom larger. Consider your needs carefully because determining the basic footprint is the first decision you’ll need to make.

A licensed & skilled plumber will be required to ensure your project is carried out safely, and with appropriate attention to doing it right the first time. Some handymen will try and convince you of their great plumbing skills, but that’s like asking the receptionist at your doctors’ office for a diagnosis and treatment plan. Professionals know how to build it right to help you avoid future problems with leaks, clogged drains, and low-pressure faucets.

Consider why you are renovating your bathroom and keep your goals, intent, and purpose on track to help you make the best investment choices. For example, you may want something for your personal use that’s a little higher-end than what the local housing market has available. That may be great for you, but you need to remain cognizant about overspending if you’re prepping the bathroom as part of a rental space unit, or if you’re intending to sell your home.

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Common terms you should know

Here you can see common terms about bathroom renovation service:

Shower pan

A shower pan is a single-piece insert that’s installed on the floor of the shower and has the required shape and slope to lead water into the drain. Shower pans are typically made of composite or fibreglass and are themselves waterproof. Ensuring you have a good seal around the edges and a properly installed drain kit will result in a cost-effective method to finish your shower floor. Shower pans come in several standard dimensions and are ideal for a lower cost, neutral appearance solution.

Shower base

Shower bases refer to the substructure underneath the shower floor, made of cement or mortar. In a regular shower, a liner is installed first then a shower base is built on top. The shower base is topped with either tiles or a shower pan insert.

Building a shower base requires specialized skills to create the proper slope towards the drain. This traditional method of building shower floors is performed less frequently today because of the ease of installation and lower cost of shower pans, as well as the long-term wear and tear considerations. If tile grout cracks, water will eventually find its way through resulting in possible shower base mortar cracks and/or moisture & mould problems, and the consequential damage to the floors, ceilings and walls affected by the leak.

Shower waterproofing kits

Due to the cost of repairs related to leaky plumbing, the market trends in recent years have shifted toward more reliable shower water-proofing methods. Market leaders in this space include Schluter, Wedi, and Redgard, all of whom have products designed for this purpose.

Tiling the floor

Before the tiler begins working, the bathroom floor should be as solid as possible. Screwing down the subfloor (plywood) into floor joists every 6 inches will give the floor the extra strength and stability needed to prevent lifting, bulging, and other common problems associated with cracked tiles & mortar. Failure to secure the subfloor properly can contribute to tile-pops and cracks. If your subfloor is damaged or worn, consider replacing it now during your renovation project to protect your investment in your newly renovated bathroom.

Heated floors

Built-in heated floors are becoming more common in new and renovated bathrooms because they are an appealing feature for homeowners and homebuyers too. Heated floor elements get installed between the subfloor and the top layer (tile, hardwood, other). It is reasonably inexpensive to install a floor heating system in a typical master bathroom because it’s a relatively small area requiring coverage. Some renovators opt for heated flooring in other areas of the house as well, with the key consideration being budget.

Framing

To ensure a professional, crisp look to your finished bathroom, you must start with professional, crisp angles in the framing. 90⁰ stud installation with sharp corners and straight lines ensure the tiling that goes on top is properly fitted, without resorting to pizza-slice tile cuts to cover ill-fitting corners and seams. Before tiling check the framing with a Level and a Square to make sure your framing is square, and fix it if it’s not. Using the straightest and healthiest studs in your bathroom installation will help you get that “wow factor” in the finished product.

Plumbing installation

Whenever possible it’s recommended that plumbing and faucets be installed on interior walls to reduce the risk of water pipes freezing and bursting inside your walls.

If you must use an exterior wall it is recommended that the wall be built out by doubling the depth of the framing, insulating with 5 inches of 21lb spray foam, and ensuring the water pipes adjacent to the wall are adequately wrapped in additional insulation as needed.

If your shower is below the attic and you intend to use a rain shower, make sure there is sufficient space in the attic space to properly insulate your water pipes which will enter the shower through the attic space. Attic spaces in Canada often reach sub-zero temperatures. The same is true if you are running plumbing through any other unheated area of your home (crawlspace, garage, attic and adjacency to or egress through an outside wall).

Wall-mounted toilet seats

Before running out and buying that beautiful brand-new toilet that hangs on the wall instead of sitting on the floor, consider this if you’re planning a renovation. Wall-mounted toilets require proper framing as they must be able to accommodate and fully support any person. Make sure your framer puts up a heavy-duty wall frame with solid backing, preferably made of 2×6 studs with blockings in between. It is also recommended to double the members immediately behind the seat for additional support.

Bathtub framing

When framing for a bathtub, make sure to leave a minimum ¼” extra space than the length and width of your bathtub. This enables a quicker, easier installation with less risk of damage to the wall surfaces, and allows for proper spacing for tiling on the walls. Remember, if the bathtub is being installed by an exterior wall, be sure to insulate the lower portion of framing at a minimum, before installing the bathtub.

Shut off valves

It is a good idea to have a shutoff valve that controls your bathroom faucets, and a separate shutoff valve for your toilet. This enables you to turn off the water supply for a specific faucet or group of faucets in a room, without having to shut the main water supply valve off. This way, if there’s a leak in a bathroom, you will still have water available to other parts of your home, leaving you slightly inconvenienced but not at the mercy of emergency plumber rates.

Fan

Bathroom fans are essential for maintaining good indoor air quality, circulation, and humidity levels. It can also help to prevent damage to ceiling paint and to suppress mould growth. Get the best and quietest fan you can afford with sufficient CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) of air circulation power for the size of your bathroom. Consider 1 CFM for every square foot of your bathroom floor area, including tub, shower, and vanity space. Bigger bathrooms may benefit from two fans – one in the main area of the room and one dedicated to the shower area where the greatest moisture is generated.

Make sure to properly insulate the fan vent within your attic space, and extend the venting out through the roof to prevent venting into your attic. Excessive humidity will cause condensation and moisture buildup inside the attic space, making it a prime growing environment for mould. It is always recommended to leave the fan to run for 10 to 15 minutes following a shower, to help evacuate the moist air. Some people recommend running the bathroom fans for 2 hours every day to help circulate stale air in the home.