Bath fitment - thanks

[Tim S]

OK - Based on lots of helpful advice, I have the bath in now.

As it's plastic, I took the advice here and screwed 3x3" and 2x4" battens (depending on whether there was a gap between bath and wall or not) all the way around bar the open side edge.

Even with the feet loosely down and the bath is not siliconed in yet, it is

*incredibly* firm - I was standing in it painting the ceiling (again for the 4th time - bloody Dulux Bathroom "no coverage" paint).

It is still to get a 2x2" frame to support the front edge and be a fixing for the bath panel, so it should firm up a bit more still.

Think I'll run some silicon between it and the back wall as suggested (the only zero gap side) and perhaps put a few dobs under the front and back end edges to assist with lateral stability (the bath is not actually *fixed* to anything), but fortuneatly the battens went in true and level so it's seated very nicely on the rim.

I don't regret getting plastic now - in fact given the contortions required to drop it in the awkward space, I'm bloody glad it wasn't steel - I'd be in hospital with a hernia and several broken fingers and booked for a spine replacement if it was.

Ta!

Tim

[1501]

Gimme cast iron every time.

[Jeff Gaines]

I stopped using Dulux years ago because if its lack of covering power. Does anybody locally sell anything else (pretty well anything is better)? If not any of the DIY store own trade brands will be better.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I'd agree if you want a long life. But many these days change bathroom suites as a sort of re-decorating item, so cast iron would be an unnecessary expense - even assuming you can get one in the resign you want.

[RedOnRed]

Were you using Dulux Trade 15 years ago which has superior coverage?

[Tim S]

Jeff Gaines coughed up some electrons that declared:

Dulux Endurance (or Durable Matt) seems to cover really well. And "Once" nearly does what it says, if you put it on generously enough.

That's why I felt caught out - this stuff was crap.

OTOH now the 4th coat has dried, it looks good. Glad it wasn't a big ceiling!

[TheScullster]

"Tim S" wrote

Tim

Be aware that baths do expand a bit with hot water in! I mention this from a tiling/decorating POV. I made a tiled shelf-type-thing to fill a gap between wall and bath at tap end, the edge of this "sitting" on top of the bath edge IYSWIM. The movement of the bath between hot and cold is just enough to disturb grout :(.

Phil

[Andy Dingley]

Gf wants shiny polished copper now, since we went to the Steampunk weekender in Lincoln. That's going to cost...

[Tim S]

TheScullster coughed up some electrons that declared:

Thanks for that Phil.

I hadn't considered expansion, but I was worried about flexing. So I'm of a mind to "grout" the edging strip tiles with silicone which should handle it.

[Tim S]

Andy Dingley coughed up some electrons that declared:

When retro 2009 acrylic becomes fasionable, I'm in. See, I'm merely ahead of the times...

BTW - who's going to polish the copper beast? Or do you lacquer them...