Cheap but Good Bathroom Suite

[Ed_Zep]

Hello.

Can anyone recommend a decent white bathroom suite not much more than =A3300?

Screwfix seem to do some reasonable ones, e.g. the "Avenue Suite" but it's difficult to tell from the photos on the website. Likewise B&Q do a "Madrid Bathroom Suite" which seems to fit the bill.

Just wondered if anyone has any recommendations. I'm happy with a steel bath instead of the acrylic one. My concern is the taps provided. I'd rather not have to worry about buying replacements down the line.

Thanks very much.

Ed.

[Set Square]

I have recently converted part of my garage into a down-stairs bathroom for my 95-year-old father-in-law who has moved in with us. We bought a "Chamomile" Suite from Focus - the list price is £229 for the steel bath variety. The important bits are good and solid - and very good value (even better if you're over 60 and buy it on a Tuesday). The taps are chrome - separate hot and cold (not mixer) but are perfectly ok. However, the plastic basin and bath wastes are rubbish - so I replaced both with decent ones but that only added a few quid. Also the side panel for the bath is very flimsy. I mounted the bath a bit higher than standard anyway - so the side panel wouldn't have been any good - and I made my own side and end panels out of a sheet of material* which Focus gave me.

• We were looking in the racks of MDF and conti-board for something suitable to make the side and end panels out of, and came across what looked like a large sheet of laminate flooring - about 9' x 2' x 8mm (pardon the mixed units!)without any identication or bar codes on it. We took it to Customer Services to ask what it was and how much it was - only to be told "It's a piece of packing which came with some worktops. It's due to be chucked in a skip. If you want it, you can have it for nothing". It was absolutely ideal. If anyone is interested, I will post a photo of the finished job tomorrow.

[Christian McArdle]

Too right. I wouldn't touch the plastic one. The steel baths are so much better, and cheaper too!

I wouldn't dream of using the taps that come with the suite. They're just

1.99 specials thrown in to make the deal look complete. Buy a suite and then buy the taps. Throw the toy ones away. I would also usually buy new wastes, too. A proper chromed metal pop up bath waste with rotating control knob on the overflow is much nicer than the 99p plastic one with black plastic plug that is usually provided.

Christian.

[Oliver]

The screwfix one is pretty good, for a basic suite bought some designer taps from them as well at £50 each (Bath and Baisn) and they ended up doubling the order so if you wanted the taps would send them to you for £50

[The Natural Philosopher]

No specific names ffor you, but cheap loos and baths work well. Pay money for taps, loo flushing mechanisms, and tiles as the first two are a pain when they drip and the second make the room look expensive even when it ain't.

When using cheap acrylic baths, turn uside down and use bits of wood and fiberglass or car body filler to stiffen them up before installing, and to make more useable instalation points for e.g. the nice wooden bath panels you want to make...;)

A bit of DIY and nice tiles round a really chape set of china can make a room look very special indeed.

[John Stumbles]

I'd definitely go for a steel rather than plastic bath (unless you were spending many 100s of £££ on a good plastic one, which you're not). The best price I find is under £100 inc VAT for a Twyfords at my local Travis Perkins. Our local PTS has also for some time had a reasonable offer on a bog & basin. So try your local merchants.

[John Stumbles]

Some of Toolstation's wastes are very nice solid brass things at cheap pressed-tin prices. Can't remember if their plug&chain bath waste is, but their pop-up is OK.

[alexbartman]

I bought a Madrid Suite from B&Q - and am very pleased with it. I di replace the waste - which cost £25, but apart from that I have used al the standard fittings, which whilst is a bit flimsy. looks very nic indeed. I replaced the bath taps with a mixer and shower attachmen (bought on ebay) which matches the Swan neck of the basin tap). Although it is very plain, everyone has commented on how nice it look

- I do like the shape of the basin and the cistern. Finally, I wil get round to replacing the loo seat which is a bit flimsy but has no been a problem so far.....

-- alexbartman

[Ed_Zep]

Thanks everyone for the responses.

Ed.

[bruce_phipps]

The cheap bathroom suites offered by the sheds all seem to offer a "push button" bog flushing mechanism (excuse my use of technical jargon).

I imagine that such a mechanism would be flimsier and less reliable than an old-fashioned lever flush. However, push-buttons seem to be popular on the continent. So maybe I am wrong in my assumption...

Bruce

[Tony Bryer]

The one on my new B&Q WC seems OK save that to remove the cistern lid you need to unscrew a chrome ring that affords almost no grip - I can see that if not disturbed for a few years it could end up unmoveable. The plus is that you get a fairly intuitive short/long flush (no pull and hold), also you don't need an overflow.