Attaching a bathroom basin to a wall

[p.thorn]

The fittings that come with the basin are a pair of headless bolts (with a flat bit in the middle for screwing into the wall), two metal washers, a pair of polythene sleeves with 4mm thick polythene washers at one end, and two nuts.

I am assuming that the nylon washer and the metal washer go back to back so that the basin can be as flush against the wall as possible, or is there a reason to have the nylon washer between the basin and the wall?

On a separate note, the pedestal and the basin (both B&Q "Barcelona" brand) don't seem to be an exact fit. Are these tolerances usual? I mean, how difficult can it be to use the same mould for manufacturing the basin and the pedestal?

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

Probably to accomadate sliding a tile down behind the basin if tiling has not been done before fixing the basin to wall?

[Guy King]

The message from [e-mail] contains these words:

Wall - basin - polythene washer - metal washer - nut.

The plastic is there to even out the load from the metal washer which is there to spread the load from the nut.

[yuyuhjkdsuyy]

dont you guys need to install sinks with wall hung brackets?

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

No man,that was in victorian days. ;-)

[daddyfreddy]

Screw the headless bolts in. Hang basin onto them then place on the nylon washer followed by the metal washer and nuts to secure.

Sounds about right. Most sanitaryware is like that.

[Christian McArdle]

That's how I intend to hang my new basin. The instructions had a diagram with exactly this order of components on it.

Christian.

[Wingedcat]

Make sure you use correct fixings for the wall against which you're attaching the basin.

IF plasterboard: If a stud wall chop out section of plasterboard, add a horizontal noggin, replace, tile over and screw into noggin. If breeze block behind then chop out plasterboard, attach a sheet of

18mm ply to the wall behind the sink, tile over and screw into plywood behind.

IF brick/plaster: No worries just drill correct size hole and using rawplugs supplied with fixing kit.

Others may say just use plenty of silicon to ensure good adhesion but I wouldn't like to trust it! For example at Uni a girl once pissed in her bedroom sink and it fell of the wall flooding the corridor.

Luke

[Guy King]

The message from "Wingedcat" contains these words:

Some people would pay to see that.

[Steve Walker]

And it's probably a good idea to put a thin layer of plumber's mastic or silicone in the wall-basin join, rather than tightening two ceramic surfaces directly onto each other?

[Owain]

... when things were put up to stay up

Owain

[Stuart]

I presume that the idea is that the pedestal takes the weight of the basin and that the screws holding the basin to the wall are there just to secure it and not to take any downward weight otherwise the basin screw holes would crack .??

Stuart

[Christian McArdle]

Not in my case. Mine has no pedestal.

Christian.

[Guy King]

The message from "Steve Walker" contains these words:

Unless you waited till it had set then any high points will just touch through the mastic anyway and you'd be back to where you started.

For all that, I do put a thin bed on the wall first but that's more to do with sealing thoroughly than stability.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Ah. That famous Mick Absalom song 'But she always took the dishes out first'

[Bob Eager]

She must have pissed an awful lot if it flooded the corridor...

[nightjar]

The moulds probably are the same. However, ceramics shrink appreciably during firing and it would be impossible to ensure that two separate parts shrink in exactly the same way.

Colin Bignell

[The Natural Philosopher]

I have never yet had a straight piece of basin china out of any manufacturer.

My latest basin has about a 10 degree slope on the waste trap..

And yet the toilets are never out that much..?

[John Stumbles]

Au contraire, with these continental style basins the fastenings will take the weight of the basin quite firmly and you don't actually need a pedestal at all (maybe they're made separately as an extra for the Brit market and that's why they're such a bog-awful fit?) I reckon you could stand on a basin thus fixed (though I never drink while I'm working so I haven't tried it :-)

Of course it depends on the fixings being in sound wall as opposed to a bit of crumbly mortar between old bricks etc, otherwise the pedestal is quite a good idea.