Designing Your Dream Bathroom: Tips and Tricks

Deciding whether to renovate or update your bathroom? Here are some helpful tips to confider ahead of your project.

Tile dimensions are key

One of the first things your builder will need to know is what size (including thickness) your tiles are.  This will determine the way they screed the bathroom and placement of floor wastes.  It should be one of the first decisions you make for this very reason.  Selecting your tiles nice and early will allow the builder to plan for the necessary falls and placements.

Tip: Suppliers rarely include the thickness of the tile on their quote or invoice.  Make sure you ask for this information so that you can share it with your builder.

Floor levels should always be flush

It’s always ideal to create a flush finish between your adjoining floor surface and your tiled wet area. In order to ensure this happens your builder will need to understand the tile thickness (refer to the first point) and the thickness of the adjoining floor.

Tip: Forward planning allows the builder to put the necessary plans in place to make this happen.

Aluminium angles are not your friend

There are plenty of old school tilers out there that love an aluminium angle (you know, the little metal strip that you see on tiled corners particularly on a niche).

These angles have no place in todays society (seriously) although from time to time the builder or tiler may tell you it will be a better finish, it won’t!

There’s often a better way and while tilers sometimes don’t love the idea of having to mitre the edge of a tile it can usually always be done. 

Tip: While the mitring will cost you a little bit more it will bring a premium feel to your bathroom.

Floor wastes shouldn’t necessarily match your tap ware

It can be tempting to choose a smart tile waste in the same finish as your tap ware.  We prefer to try to match the waste to the tile - after all the floor waste is not a feature that you want to draw your eye towards. 

Tip: Generally for most ‘neutral’ tiles, a brushed nickel is a good fit.

If in doubt use misty grey grout

Ok this one is a little bit of a joke, but 9 times out of 10 it’s a winner.  If you don’t have a designer specifying your grout colours then the next best thing is to have your tiler show you the grout samples up against your tiles. 

Tip: At the end of the day if you have absolutely no clue then relying on ‘If in doubt use misty grey grout’ motto tends to be a safe option.

Exhaust fans don’t need to be ugly

Gone are the days of needing an ugly plastic exhaust fan.  There are more sleek design options that can be set into your ceiling eliminating the need for an unsightly plastic grill.

Tip: Our favourite product is the Expella Linear Exhaust. 

Quality tap ware all the way

Investing in quality tap ware for your bathroom is a must.  We can all get caught up in the fancy finishes but at the end of the day if the purse strings are tightening say goodbye to the antique brass (I know, it pains me to say it) in favour of maintaining quality.  Stick with a quality tap ware brand in a more cost effective finish such as a chrome or a brushed nickel. Your future self will thank us.

Tip: Our favourite suppliers are (in no particular order) Faucet Strommen, Astra Walker and Brodware.

A good tiler is worth their weight in gold

There are tilers and there are tilers.  Get a good one.  There’s nothing worse than having dropped a tonne of cash on your bathroom renovation only to have an off centre grout line that bugs you every time you wash your hands.

Tip: You don’t know what you don’t know. If you need help, hiring an interior designer will ensure there is a level of detail in the planning that helps deliver a seamless finish.

We hope you found these tips helpful. For more ideas, or advice, get in touch via the button below.