Construction - Bathroom

Comfort above all. Its main purpose is to use a larger area of ​​the house for bathrooms. Standard is at least one bathroom on each floor, and in a larger house in the program is an extensive bathing salon.

Bathroom equipment

New space - new products

The comfort of using the bathroom is not dependent on its surface today - thanks to the equipment specially designed for small bathrooms, you can comfortably equip even the smallest room without compromising ergonomics and comfort. Solutions for comfort go also towards greater specialization - in addition to standard bathroom equipment, you can buy equipment for children's and business bathrooms, as well as double washbasins, bathtubs and shower enclosures designed to be used by two people at the same time.

Modern technologies. They are applicable both to the generation of new generation materials and to their special protection (eg nanotechnology used to cover glass surfaces or self-cleaning glaze of ceramic equipment). They also allow you to enrich the functionality of the equipment, for example, installing lighting in the interior of the shower enclosure or equipping the toilet seat with a bidet function.

Ecological approach. It manifests itself mainly in the pursuit of reducing water consumption without compromising the comfort of using the bathroom. Water saving is primarily served by the more frequent use instead of the shower tray, water-saving batteries are increasingly replacing the standard or dual-flush toilet seat. Environment-friendly activities are also energy-saving. You can buy a bathtub that holds the heat for longer, allowing the water to cool down more slowly.

Complex solutions. Many models of bathroom equipment can be purchased in a set - there are series containing even all the equipment. The bathtub can also be selected with a suitable housing, headrests (available are even adjustable or foldable), as well as handles and railings. The latter can also be purchased for some washbasins. A convenient solution are basins integrated with cabinets or countertops.

Bathroom patents for health. This is another direction in the development of bathroom equipment. Streams of water or air massaging our body during hydromassage are beneficial when we undergo rehabilitation, also serve to regenerate our stressed body.

Comfort to keep clean. It is favored by hanging equipment on racks, used more often instead of traditional standing ones, and special coatings that cover shower cabin doors, basins, shower trays and bathtubs.

The oval tub is the easiest to enclose with ceramic mosaics.

BATHS

Modern market offer allows you to choose a bathtub for a variety of spatial solutions in the bathroom and for the most sophisticated projects. In addition to wall-mounted models, where the long side of the bathtub is placed against the wall, we can buy corner bathtubs, free-standing, and even those designed for entry into a special platform or floor. The range of bathtubs is also diversified in terms of materials - today they are made of acrylic, enamelled steel, cast iron, and even glass, copper, wood or artificial marble.

Acrylic bathtubs. They are quite light, eg a bathtub measuring 150x100 cm weighs only 20 kg , so it is not difficult to move, carry or mount it. Acrylic is pleasant to touch, has a smooth and warm surface. Because its structure is uniform, damage is hardly visible and it is easy to polish it with the right paste. The acrylic advantage is also the resistance to discoloration. Unlike acrylic steel bath tubs, corrosion is not likely. Acrylic bathtubs are extruded from 4-8 mm thick boards , they can be two- or three-layered. The thicker the acrylic layer, the more durable the bath is, but also the more expensive. Bathtubs with reinforced bottoms and side walls are the most durable. They also suppress noise better and keep heat longer. The top layer creates a thermosetting powder coating that reduces the spread of microorganisms and facilitates cleaning. A modern solution is an acrylic bathtub with an antibacterial coating - on its surface, not only are bacteria growing slowly, but also less dirt adheres to it.

The advantage of acrylic bathtubs is also the possibility to achieve a variety of shapes: bathtubs can be rectangular, symmetrical and asymmetrical corner (left and right), as well as round or oval - these are usually free-standing. Individualists will also find something for themselves - you can buy five, six or octagonal bathtubs or in the shape of tears or hearts. Acrylic bathtubs can have a differently contoured interior, so models with the same shape can have different capacities. The comfort of use is favored by contoured hollows on the elbows, head and cleaning agents. Acrylic bathtubs can have different colors, but those in colors other than whites are usually bought only on order.

Steel bathtubs. They still have their supporters. They are heavier than acrylic - a bathtub measuring 150x70 cm weighs 30 kg .Modern steel bath tubs are covered with enamel resistant to impacts, scratches and detergents. Much worse than acrylic ones, they keep heat, but this parameter can be improved by covering the bathtub thermally and acoustically insulating the styrofoam housing. A steel bathtub also has a poorer design than acrylic - usually a rectangular bathtub is found. They are usually in white.The offer of many companies also includes steel bathtubs with self-cleaning enamel, on which dirt is more difficult to settle. In addition, the enamel has no pores and is not static, so dust and dirt are more difficult to collect and its surface is easier to wash.

Hot tubs. An additional feature of the bathtub may be a hydromassage function. A bathtub with a built-in hydromassage system requires proper electrical installation. Depending on your needs, you can choose a system that enables water massage, air massage (so-called pearl bath) or a variant combining these two solutions. Water massage is stronger than pearl. Massage can be controlled manually or electronically - it is a more expensive variant, but also much more convenient. Remember that a hot tub requires proper care after each bath, and periodic disinfection is also necessary. In more expensive models, disinfection is automatic.

SHOWER

Shower cabin is a screen, to which you can buy a shower tray or shape the floor of the bathroom and install a siphon in it. It will then act as a shower tray. When we want a shower without a shower tray, let's look for models equipped with an adapted mechanism, so-called smart open.

Material for the walls. Each cabin consists of walls and doors. The price of the cabin depends largely on the material of the walls - more expensive are made of tempered glass, which after breaking up breaks into small pieces with out of focus edges.The advantage of doors made of glass is also high durability, resistance to scratches and impact. In cabins built on the plan of a quadrant of a circle or a full circle, bent glass elements are often used, which is very effective but expensive. The glass is also affected by the thickness of the glass ( 4-8 mm ) - the thicker the cabin, the more expensive it is. Usually, the cab walls ( 6-8 mm ) are thicker , and the doors are 4-6 mm thick . The glass can be transparent, frozen or colored, and even with prints.

It is much cheaper and that is why cabins with plastic walls (polystyrene) are willingly chosen. They are light but less effective than those made of glass. Because the material is lighter than glass, the doors in the sliding cabins can be easily tilted and cleaned. Unfortunately, such walls are harder to keep clean. Polystyrene is easy to scratch or tarnish with unsuitable cleaning agents.

Cabin door. They can be sliding, swinging (swinging), folding or swinging. The most popular are sliding doors that move along guides on rolls or sliders. Guide rails and profiles can be aluminum or plastic, flat or rounded. Less durable, but the cabins are cheap with single plastic rollers, but sometimes the doors mounted on them jam when opening. Models with double ball bearings made of metal are much more reliable. If they are additionally adjustable, it is easier to level the cab during assembly.The rollers are normally mounted only in the top guide, the bottom part of the door is attached to a special hook. The most expensive and most durable cabins have rollers mounted in both the top and bottom guide, thanks to which the doors move lightly and effortlessly. The swing doors in the cabins are hinged. It is best to choose those equipped with a lifting mechanism,thanks to which they open slightly and the closed ones ensure complete tightness. They can be single or double leaf. Because they open like all hinged doors, they can only be installed where there is room for open wings. However, they provide a wider, and therefore more comfortable, entrance than sliding. The single-sway swing door operates on the same principle. Because their axis of rotation is shifted towards the center of the door, they also open to the inside. Folding doors consist of one side of the cabin and are built from one or two elements.

COMFORT SOLUTIONS

Hydrophobic surfaces

In the bathroom, we use the most water and time to clean the walls of the cabin. The glass has a porous structure, which makes its surface not perfectly smooth, as a result of which the mineral salts contained in the water are deposited on the walls, creating so-called stone. Cleaning will be improved by the hydrophobic coating that can be covered with the cab walls already at the production stage. Thanks to the coating, the drops of water combine and flow from the walls along with the impurities. The dirt does not stick so easily into the cabin, and the one that settles on it can be removed quickly. Each of the companies selling sanitary equipment determines the durability of coatings - it ranges from 6 months to 5 years. It is prolonged by cleaning the glass with appropriate means and removing water from the cabin walls with squeegee. To a large extent, it also depends on the water properties we have at home. Some companies offer a special impregnating agent that you can apply to the glass yourself.

It protects them for many months against excessive settling.

TRAYS

They are mostly made of the same materials as bathtubs, however, most investors choose acrylic shower trays. Acrylic can be specially strengthened, so that the padding made of it is stronger, the water cools down more slowly, and the sound of falling water is better dampened. There are also trays made of enamelled steel, ceramics, and for amateurs - wood, granite or marble conglomerate. Trays are adapted to the shower enclosure. They can be square, rectangular, quarter-circle shaped, they can also be polygonal. They can be very shallow ( 2-3 cm deep) or quite deep (even 35 cm ), but the most popular have a depth of10-15 cm .

Suspended toilet seats and bidets from one design line make it possible to maintain a consistent interior character.The purchase of several items in the set may also turn out to be less expensive

SEDES AND BIDETS

Standing toilet seat is so-called a compact-toilet bowl integrated into the flushing cistern. It can have a length of 60-70 cm and it is easy to mount it yourself - it is fastened with screws to the floor. Toilet seats and bidets standing, though usually cheaper than the suspended version, are however displaced by suspended models. They are mounted to frames that can be fixed with special holders for the wall and floor, the wall itself or only for the floor. The frames can be mounted to masonry walls (heavy construction systems are intended for this), as well as for partition walls with a frame structure (lightweight systems). The construction of concealed frames is a metal frame with a set of connections and assembly elements, and in the case of frames for toilet bowls, also with a flushing tank. After enclosing the toilet, a rectangular prism is most often created, which can be finished with ceramic tiles. The frame together with the drywall casing is 15-20 cm deep . Currently, manufacturers offer space saving models - you can buy a rack with a depth of 10 or even 8 cm .

Hanging toilet seats are 46-47 cm long . Most often their form is quite simple and modern. The toilet seat usually comes in the same series with a bidet and a washbasin. For aesthetic reasons it is more profitable to buy devices from the same set. We then have a guarantee that all elements from the series are made of the same material and have exactly the same color.

With or without a shower tray

The countertop washbasins take the most sophisticated shapes

WASHBASINS

They can be made of ceramics, glass, stone, conglomerate, composites, as well as stainless steel. The variety of shapes and sizes of washbasins allows you to choose both a small toilet and a spacious bathroom for two people. Smaller models are suitable for small bathrooms with a width of 30 cm , you can also choose a corner with a side of 265 mm . For the matrimonial bathroom, choose a double model or a width of eg 100 cm , which will ensure the use of the sink for two people at the same time. The shape can have a significant impact on the price. The cheapest are streamed washbasins, with the edges encircled.The more expensive are those with more cubic forms, eg rectangular, round, as well as polygonal, e.g. corner, and signed by well-known designers. However, as in any industry, new models also appear in a cheaper offer after some time.

When buying a washbasin, we should already be determined for a battery. When we choose the high-end, mounted most often in the sink, buy a model with a ready-made hole or a special incision on the battery. There must be more for a battery of two- or three-hole openings. When you choose a wall-mounted mixer, the basin must be without a hole for it.

It is becoming more common to mount it on a rack that allows you to arrange this device anywhere, eg on an island. The housing allows the water pipes to be drained to the battery and the sewage approach. It is also convenient to mount a washbasin on the countertop or the under-washbasin cabinet.

BATTERIES AND SHOWER PANELS

Cubistic raw shapes of ceramics, which dominates in the contemporary bathroom, are complemented by single-lever faucets with a very straight line. Their form is more and more simplified, which does not mean design monotony. The attention is attracted by the batteries reduced to a simple body and the same screed, they can take both oval soft shapes with an arched spout, as well as angular flattened forms resembling a right-angled flat. The batteries can be mounted on sanitary devices (so-called "row-type" batteries) or on the wall, then they are directly connected to the water system. There are more and more popular recessed batteries, which consist of two elements: flush mounted in a small hollow in the wall, to which pipes with water are connected, and surface mounted, which is mounted only after finishing the walls. It can be equipped with both a sink and a bathtub as well as a shower cabin. If this type of battery is installed in the shower cubicle, it is worth buying the so-called a rain shower that can be replaced with a traditional shower head. It has much larger dimensions and more openings, which significantly increases the water flow. It does not mean that we use more of it - thanks to the aerator installed in it, the water is aerated, which increases its volume. The shower enclosure can also be equipped with special jets for hydromassage - there are many ready-made nozzle modules in the flush-mounted version on the market. They are fixed on walls two or three in two parallel rows. Thanks to the movable joints, it is easy to set the direction of the water jet.

Modern shower panels allow you to integrate all the elements used for bathing, i.e. rain shower, shower head and hydromassage nozzle, there are also batteries installed on the board. It can also be a seat, shelf, mirror, lighting, and even a radio with an MP3 player. The panels take up little space and are easy to assemble. They are available in a wall and corner variant. Panel panels are usually made of aluminum or plastic.

AT THE WEBSITE OF ECOLOGY

Water-saving batteries

With aerators. The aerator has the shape of a ring filled with a fine sieve, applied to the spout. Water flowing through the sieve induces a negative pressure and draws in air, resulting in an air-water mixture with the same volume, but a lower water content.The most effective are the aerators used on basin faucets - you can reduce water consumption by up to 50%, and sink water saves up to 40% water.

With eco button. Placed on the back or side of the battery, the button allows reducing the water flow by up to 50%. There are models available, which together with blocking the water stream also reduce its temperature, which allows you to rationally manage not only the consumption of water, but also the energy needed to heat it. This solution also increases safety - we reduce the risk of scalding too hot water.

Water outlet limiter. It blocks the excessive flow of water. Its operation consists in blocking the head in such a way that we can move it only in a limited field. The blockade reduces the water flow by up to 40%. Modern batteries are also equipped with regulation inserts with gradual setting of the intensity of the water jet. It reduces water consumption by up to 50%.

Single-lever and non-contact. Thanks to mixers of hot and cold water, they can reduce water consumption by up to 30%. The more expensive non-contact batteries equipped with a photocell allow automatic control of water switching on and off.

Shower with reducer. They allow you to reduce water consumption by up to 75%. The reducer is a type of adapter to be screwed between the handset hose and the battery. On the market you will also find a shower with an eco button, as well as a traffic light.