bath sides plans

[Mark C Forsyth]

I'm in the process of having bathroom done, plumber did suite & shower last week which looks great. I have done the tiling and we are left with decorating and sorting out a bath side & end. I had ordered a side from additions direct and as it had not arrived when plumber fitted bath I gave him the measurements off the web site which stated 57cm high, plumber thought this unusual as most panels are 51cm approx, and when he set bath at

57cm it looked silly so he set it at 53cm as a compromise and we said we may have to saw a strip off to make it fit. Anyway....... bath panels duly arrived, measuring 51cm!!! with a flimsy bit of hardboard that was described as a plinth to be able to adjust the height - so the measurement on the web site was plinth and panel added together... aghhh! also the one delivered was diff design to one ordered so I sent it back - sooooo..... I am left with a DIY job to make side/end and my woodworking skills are basic to say the least. I sort of fancy tongue and groove, have been looking around online to see if any plans anywhere to make the job easier but no joy, anyone have any ideas? julia

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

T&G that shouldn't be a problem just make a 2"x1" framework around the bath, but have it so the panel can be taken away from bath should you need to get at piping in the future. There's all sorts of fixings out there, you just need to use your imagination as to how it will slot/clip in place.

-- Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

[Set Square]

We had a very similar problem when we installed a downstairs bathroom for my aged father-in law. The flimsy bit of plastic supplied with the bath was complete tat - and wasn't tall enough anyway, because we had installed the bath slightly higher than usual.

We trogged off to Focus to see what they'd got - looking for some pieces of Contiboard or similar. In one of the tall racks we found what looked like a large continuous sheet of laminate flooring about 3000mm x 600mm. It didn't have a label or barcode, so we took it to Customer Services to ask how much it was. They said "Oh, that's a piece of packing material which came with some worktops. We would chuck it in a skip - you can have it if you like"!

I was able to cut two pieces from it - on for the side and one for the end - which tuck under the lip of the (steel) bath, and extend down to the floor. There are battens screwed to the wall and floor to support it, and a vertical piece of wood about 40mm square where the two pieces join - and then a strip of L-shaped trim over the corner to finish it off. It is fixed to the battens with countersunk screws which are barely visible - and the whole thing looks fine, especially for the price!!

[Dave Jones]

I usually use 12mm ply cut to size, add a few moulding to make some sort of pattern, and paint. Looks ok with a gloss finish.

[Rob Morley]

Why not use plywood and tile it? Or something like this

you want to do it with T&G cladding all you'll need is a frame of 2x2 (or a bit less) with an upright at each end and a couple in between.

Here's some simple plans for the frame (view in a fixed-width font like courier):

SIDE VIEW ____________________________________________________________ | |________________________________________________________| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

[John Miller]

All the sheds sell MDF or plastic bath ends & panels to fit standard size baths, usually with a top lip to fit into a groove on the bath support frame (assuming it's a plastic bath). All that is required to hang these panels is a simple frame around the bath (in any old gnarly timber) but if you use dressed timber for the bottom rail, paint it white (or other appropriate colour) then the portion that shows after you hang the panel will look neat and tidy and will give a small recess between panel edge and floor IYSWIM. If you don't want a paint finish on the bottom of the frame, you could use a uPVC strip of some kind or you could turn the flooring material (if vinyl or carpet) up the side of the bath to meet the bottom edge of the panel.

When I did my bathroom, I used a plain MDF panel from Wickes primed and painted but they come in various finishes. Make sure you seal the edges!

John Miller

[David]

In our old house I had to do a similar job and did it by constructing side and end panels made of T&G cladding (light, thin) glued with waterproof woodworking glue to 1" x 1"(? probably a bit thicker) verticals. These were designed for a fairly tight vertical fit under the edge of the bath and the corner between the two was finished with an L shaped pine beading and brass screws with cup washers. Varnish (lots of it....) was waterproof and it was stained to match the floor. Hey, thinking back, I was very proud of that one! Lot better than the wobbly plastic alternative.

David