Bathroom work in progress.

[plasticpigeon]

I have a working indoor toilet, or water closet, or wash down closet, or whatever period pedants would have it called. Marvellous after 4 weeks of using the outside privvy. A period lifestyle is not one to be emulated!! Anyway, i'm not sure what style i've gone for. Probably a restrained art deco, but perhaps it would pass as Edwardian. The sanitary ware is from the early 50s, but I'm sure it is based on earlier designs. Tiles were expensive, but the room is tiny so not a big area to cover. Sink is just resting there and I need to put in a towel rail and bath panels and a myriad other jobs, but today was the first day i could get an idea of what it will look like eventually.

 

[LadyArowana]

That looks great, you must be really pleased. Nice to see a proper cistern too, with a handle and a lid. I hate those nasty button thingies and tops that can't be lifted, they don't last well at all, even the expensive ones.

 

[88v8]

Blooming A plus
And the tiling. Wey hey! Especially the tiled skirting.

The screws holding down the loo pan... brass? They have a tendency to rust.

The basin presumably has proper squares for the taps, to stop them rotating. Great.

What happens next? Wallpaper?

Ivor

 

[mims&pip]

That's looking fab, PP......well done.....I especially love the tiling

Agree with Ivor about the brass screws oxidising and corroding. We have a friend with an award-winning bathroom showroom and Pip has helped him out on the design front when we lived closer. The perceived view is that stainless steel screws are the best, but not ideal with brass hinges etc. Obviously, if cleaned regularly oxidisation can be avoided :wink:

Look forward to seeing the finished article!

Mims x

 

[skier-hughes]

Looks fantastic, well done, I absolutely love the colours and the design!

 

[Feltwell]

Very nice indeed, love the tiles. Where did they come from?

 

[plasticpigeon]

Thanks for the kind words. Yes Ivor square holes in the basin, but the taps that came with have round shanks:-( I have used black japanned screws to hold the pan down with tap washers underneath. I could change them for brass or stainless. I will certainly use stainless for the towel rail.

Tiles are made by "Original style", luckily I have nice tile shop down the road from me owned by an Italian family, so we were able to look at lots of samples before buying any.

 

[88v8]

Taps...no squares.
Even 25 years ago, new taps were made in this corrupt and gormless fashion. Even if you use a lead washer underneath instead of the useless plastic, they will move.
I made a square on each tap, by threading two brass backnuts tightly onto the tap, Araldite on the threads, so they were locked in place. Then I cut and filed the nuts into a square - watch the orientation.

It doesn't have to be mathematically precise, so not hard to do.

Allow a teensy clearance between the basin square and the tap square, the space is taken up by bedding the tap in putty as you fit it.
As you know.....

Screws... the screws holding the pan to the floor can also rust.

Ivor

 

[Keithj]

Can brass screws rust? I thought that was an iron thing.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Lookin good there PP---can't wait to see the bath taps-- :wink:

 

[88v8]

Can brass screws rust? I thought that was an iron thing.

You're right. Bras can grow a sort of verdigris, but not rust as such.

The screws holding the pan to the floor would, one might think, be safe from corrosion, but the inevitable damp from even an occasional washing down seeps in and rusts them. The danger then is that they expand - as rusty things do - and crack the pan.
Both stainless and brass are available in slot-head. I am rather paranoid about cross-head screws - easy to drive but they look utterly wrong in the period house.

http://www.avonstainlessfasteners.co.uk/stainless-woodscrews/c-sk-hd-slot-woodscrews-2.5mm-up-to-8mm-din97

Raised head are also available.

Ivor

 

[Lime]

I saw the picture and thought to myself, Oh no! They haven't ripped this out have they?
Then I read the post.
I reckon from my reaction it passed the test!

 

[Mickey]

Bras can grow a sort of verdigris, but not rust as such.

Not in my experience :shock: :lol:

 

[Lime]

................

Both stainless and brass are available in slot-head. I am rather paranoid about cross-head screws - easy to drive but they look utterly wrong in the period house.


Ivor

Absolutely.
Cross head screws scream out at me whenever I see them in an old house, inappropriate! inappropriate!! inappropriate!!! inappropriate!!!!
in my opinion.

The brass screws on sale today are made of a brittle brass so I avoid using them wherever they are required for "work" rather than "display".
I use stainless screws and under them I make up small lead washers to soften the contact between the screw head and modern china fittings.
In the old days they put putty around the screw but then they used earthenware to make lavatories and basins which was so much more resistant to damage.

As for the taps I am resigned to filling the square hole with neutral cure silicone.
Leave the tap/s in place for a day or two and you will have considerable difficulty removing them again.

 

[plasticpigeon]

Thanks for the responses. I shall be changing the japanned screws for brass having read this thread, I wouldn't want them breaking the pan, although the screws are not a tight fit in the porcelain. I need a toilet roll holder. All the ones I like are crazy prices, for example this one.

http://www.priorsrec.co.uk/hexagon-toilet-roll-holder/p-41-42-207

I think £132 is a lot. Does anyone have any ideas for a similar style but more affordable?

I also need a shower screen to go by the bath, I am happy with a plain square glass one, as I know there is no such thing as a period one, but I'd like fittings in chrome, and it to be a decent quality. There are so many on the market, but few places with showrooms.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Oh no! Iv'e just binned our shower screen--this morning---

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Also, thank you for the link to Priors, it has exactly the heated towel rail I want. !!!!!!!!

 

[Me!]

I have used black japanned screws to hold the pan down with tap washers underneath.

I've used nylon shoulder washers around stainless screws on a couple of pans now. I find the washers do a good job of preventing any direct contact between metal and ceramic, as well as being quick and easy to fit and unobtrusive once in place.