Questions tagged [bathroom]
For questions regarding the room where one bathes or uses the toilet.
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What wall material should be used behind the Kerdi system in a tub/shower?
I know from my previous question that in most cases a cement board of some kind needs to be used. However, when the Kerdi membrane system is being used behind the tile, is it still necessary to use a ...
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Will my pocket door affect my installation of a tub surround?
My wife and I have decided to install a tub surround around our tub (best place to put it!). We are planning on removing the tile and the drywall behind the tub and installing one of the surrounds ...
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Which home improvement projects produce the highest return on investment when selling?
I am looking to put my home on the market in the next few months (in Ohio). Which home improvement projects produce the highest return on investment when selling?
Should I invest in exotic ...
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Will an exhaust fan made for ceilings work in a wall instead?
Does anyone know whether a bathroom exhaust fan designed to be installed in a ceiling would have any problems if installed in a wall instead? From a mechanical, ball bearings, noise perspective. Not a ...
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Why is water leaking near my bathroom's exhaust fan?
This weekend when the snow started melting on my roof, I noticed a small water spot developing around all three bathroom exhaust fans in my house. I'm guessing the water leaked in around the exhaust ...
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What is causing the minor leak in flex supply line under sink?
I had new shutoffs and new flex supply lines installed by a professional plumber a few months ago. Today, I installed a new faucet because mine was very old and starting to fail. I installed ...
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Bathroom faucet drip
I had a faucet drip in my bathroom sink. I determined it was the hot water (confirmed by the warm drip and it stopped when I shut off the hot under the sink). I assumed that the stem went (which ...
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Is "bronze and silumin" mix actually possible in a ball cock?
In my apartment bathroom there's a thick steel pipe with hot water going from the floor beneath through my bathroom and to the store above. There're two pipes welded into that vertical pipe and a ...
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How do I remove a frameless glued mirror?
I have an ugly giant frameless mirror glued to a tiled wall in my bathroom I want to remove.
It's probably been there > 20 years.
How do I get rid of it? I'm thinking of just covering it in tape ...
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Bathroom Vent is tied to ceiling vent in adjacent room
I live in a bungalow with a bathroom on both levels. The bathrooms both have exhaust vents. Outside of each bathroom is a ceiling vent. The previous owner stuck towels in these to block them off. ...
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What are the pros/cons of using porcelain over ceramic tile in a bathroom?
I'm planning on tiling a bathroom floor and a walk-in shower (including the ceiling). I haven't looked into pricing yet, but I've heard that porcelain would be a better, yet more expensive material to ...
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Why is my third floor hot water pressure so low?
The hot water pressure in our 3rd floor shower is very low. The 2nd floor shower however, has very good pressure. The problem is not the shower head, which actually produces great pressure when ...
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How do I seal a leaking plughole fitting?
The plughole in my bathroom basin is leaking. The leak is between the plughole and the basin (i.e. through the circular hole in the basin in which the metal plughole is fitted), and it seems to me as ...
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Shutoff in shower very tight all of the sudden
I have a Symmons hot/cold shutoff in my shower. Normally, when I shut it off it goes a little beyond "12 o'clock" (more like 12:30/1:00). Anyways, I've noticed lately that it stops at exactly "12 o'...
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Product recommendations for clearing a drain connected to a septic system?
Our shower drain appears to be clogged and is draining slowly. What product can I use to safely clear the drain without damaging our septic system?
According to Drano's site (http://www.drano.com/...
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How can I easily fix or replace the broken knob handle on bathtub faucet control?
DIY amateur here. The single handled plastic knob that controls the bathtub faucet recently fell off, along with a screw from its interior and a cap covering the screw. I wish I could post a picture, ...
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Is a timed electrical switch causing vent fan to run slower / with less power?
I bought this timed electrical switch and used it to replace a standard switch that turned on my bathroom vent fan (I'm always forgetting to turn it off and it often will run all day.) after the ...
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Tub re-glazed and re-caulked, drippy residue from caulking
I recently had my bathtub re-glazed and re-caulked by a company that specializes in this. The tub was re-caulked 3 days after it was re-glazed by the specialist. Everything looked ok. We waited ...
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How should I handle bare wooden posts in a wet area?
In a post-and-beam house (built from Douglas Fir), I will have a bathtub right next to a couple of the posts.
Should I be worried about the effect of water on the longevity of the wood?
The other ...
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Is installing crown molding a DIY project?
My wife has lately been thinking about ways to improve our home, and has settled upon installing crown molding in our 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms as one of the things she would like to do. My ...
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Should I put caulk/silicone at base of toilet on hardwood floors?
When installing a toilet in a bathroom with hardwood floors, should I put a bead of silicone or caulk around the base to finish things up? Is this necessary, or is it merely aesthetics? I have heard ...
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Should a bathroom fan vent to a separate duct system?
Is it acceptable to route a bathroom exhaust fan to the return of a central air system? I'm afraid this will cause mold to grow in the air return ducts. There is currently a fan in our bathroom and ...
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What is the order of tasks when refitting a bathroom?
I need to completely refit my bathroom, including the following tasks:
Replace an old boiler (involves removing an immersion heater from the first floor, adjusting gas supply and changing pipe work)
...
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What do I do when a horizontal rod for a popup drain is too short?
My contractor just installed a Delta Arzo Two Handle Widspread Lavatory 3586LF into a Kohler Persuade Curv top and basin lavatory, K-2956-8.
The problem is that the horizontal rod for the popup drain ...
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How do I run new water lines from the basement to the second floor through a finished wall?
I am redoing an upstairs bathroom that has galvanized steel pipes currently running to it for water supply that run straight up from the basement. I am debating between using PEX or copper for the new ...
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How should I address my bathroom's flickering lights and GFCI tripping mysteriously? (Schematic included.)
So I inherited a bit of a nightmare for wiring in my bathroom. I'll be calling in an electrician, but wanted to have an understanding of the problem first, as not to be ripped off, lead astray, etc.. ...
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How do I replace a bathtub drain trip lever?
The trip lever for the drain in my bath tub is very old (I'm guessing 30+ years) and has begun corroding and rusting. It's definitely time to replace it. I plan to replace the entire trip lever along ...
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Is there a "standard" height for towel bars in bathrooms?
I'm hanging a towel bar on a wall in a newly-built bathroom (part of a major remodel). I would like to avoid placing the bar at an "awkward" height, but I'm not sure what the proper height would be. ...
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What kind of wall material should be used in wet areas in a bathroom?
I'm replacing a one piece fiberglass tub with a two piece (tub + surround) unit. In the bathroom right now, there's just drywall, no special material. Should I replace the drywall with greenboard, ...
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How can I finish this "peeled" drywall?
While doing some work in my bathroom, one thing led to another and paint started peeling. I found that under many layers of paint was some wallpaper so it seemed natural to pull...
I started peeling ...
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Can I vent a bathroom fan through the eaves?
I want to fit a fan in our bathroom. The easiest way to do this seems to be to drill down from the loft and put it in directly above the shower. I'm then considering running the vent (flex pipe) ...
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Fixing Curling Vinyl Flooring
I have vinyl flooring in the bathroom that has started to curl up a bit at the edge. It was suggested to me that I use contact cement to fix it. The problem is that there is not enough curl to allow ...
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In a brick layout for tile, how do I handle exposed cut edges?
My second in the line of "redoing a bathroom" questions. For our tub surround, my wife and I have picked out some very nice 16"x4" subway tiles, that we would like to arrange in a brick pattern. To ...
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Is there a home made solution that will clean drains?
Not sure if this counts as "Home Improvement", but it's worth a shot:
I'm currently in an apartment where I'm not supposed to use chemicals to clear drains, like in the sink/tub.
I've cleared out ...
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How can I straighten pipes behind a wall?
The original builders did a shoddy job when they installed the plumbing in the bathroom, causing the taps/faucets to come out of the tiled plasterboard wall at a slight angle - about 5 degrees - so ...
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Will I be able to replace the tub and shower fixtures in my apartment home myself?
I live in a roughly-50 year-old apartment building and would like to renovate the bathroom myself. I've tiled and replaced sinks and toilets in the past, but I'm unsure about replacing the tub and ...
Joe
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Do above counter bowl sinks require special cabinets?
I am currently renovating a bathroom. In the process, I'll be replacing the ugly 1970s vanity with a new craftsman style cabinet, solid surface countertop, and two above counter glass bowl sinks. ...
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How do I safely and cleanly remove sealant from a plastic bath?
I really need to replace the sealant around the bath, but I want to do a good job of removing the old stuff first.
The bath is a plastic one, and the walls are tiled.
What's the best way to get the ...
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Can a bathroom vanity be installed higher than 30 inches?
"Standard" bathroom vanities are 30", where as kitchen counter tops are typically 36".
For me (6' tall), the 30" vanity is rather low. Is there any reason to leave vanities that height, or can they ...
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What is the practical difference between cement board and greenboard?
When installing tubs I've mostly used cementboard. I find it a bear to work with though.
A guy I know uses the water resistant greenboard; he claims that for home applications it is entirely ...
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Why does my toilet intermittently run continually?
I've pretty much fixed up my bathroom since moving in. The last bit of annoyance now is this:
Not every time, but every 10 or so flushes, my toilet will run continually. It'll sound like it's water ...
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What is the best way to repair a cracked bathtub?
Close examination of the floor of my bathtub has revealed a long, thin crack in the bathtub itself. The bathtub is one of the common plastic-feeling variety (though I am not sure if it is actually a ...
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Sealing a cork tile floor?
I just finished installing a cork tile floor (US Floors brand). If I do say so myself, it looks gorgeous! Cork is not generally recommended for a bathroom, but we felt that a half-bath should be a ...
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Why does it take a long time for water to start draining from my tub faucet?
Sorry for the awkwardly worded title, I couldn't really describe the issue in one sentence.
My shower has a handle that controls both pressure and temperature. To begin showering, I turn the handle, ...
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Why won't my shower's temperature handle let the water get hot enough?
Whenever I go to take a shower, I have to turn the handle to the absolute hottest setting just to avoid freezing. I know the hot water works in my house, so that's not the issue. It just seems like I ...
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How do I secure a toilet bowl to a tile floor?
The bathroom in my house was redone right before I moved in. After moving in, I noticed the toilet is loose. It seems to only stay in place due to it's sheer weight, and it has quite a lot of jostle ...
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How do I build a wet room for a wheelchair user?
How do I build a wet room that:
Does not leek
Does not have water run out of its door
Is wheelchair accessible (e.g a very low slope)
It is very hard to get the slope right by hand and I have need ...
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What are the building regulations in the UK for fitting a light in a bathroom?
What designs of lights are allowed?
When do I need to get a building regulation inspection?
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Fire hazard of exhaust fan with heating bulbs in bathroom?
Our strata gave us permission to install an exhaust fan with 4x 250W heating bulbs into our bathroom. We are on the top floor and the roof cavity above us is the ceiling for the building. There are no ...
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How to have a free-standing bathtub resurfaced
I have a nice free-standing claw-foot tub. It was re-finished poorly by a previous homeowner and now we're getting white flakes in the water. There are also rust spots in a couple of places.
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