Bathroom renovation, the practical guide
What does renovate mean? Renovate means to change something for aesthetic reasons. Renovate does not mean restore (repair damage), nor does it mean modernize (change with improvement). Of course, this distinction is not prescribed anywhere, but it helps to plan and calculate time and costs.
Good planning saves time, costs and nerves
Of course, all three terms often intertwine, but prioritize them. Typically, bathroom renovations are concrete:
- New cladding of the wall and floor
- Painting over wall coverings
- Decor for embellishment
- Replace or refresh bathroom furniture
- Replace valves
Today, new faucets usually also mean modernization. Many help to regulate water and energy consumption and thus save costs.
Start planning at this level. In the process, it is also worth thinking about how often you fundamentally change your bathroom. As a rule, you can assume about every 10-15 years.
For anything beyond the renovation, consider whether there may be other work to be done in the bathroom during this time, such as on the piping or heating system. Or are there still copper pipes installed in the piping system that will be replaced sooner or later? In addition, think about the electrical wiring. Therefore our advice:
- When working on electrical lines, it is better to hire professionals.
- If you replace plumbing fixtures such as sinks, toilets, showers or bathtubs without professional assistance, you may void warranties and insurance coverage.
- If you do your own work on fresh and waste water pipes and heating systems, you may also lose insurance coverage in the event of damage.
How much does a bathroom renovation cost?
Although many specifications make no distinction between renovation, refurbishment and modernization, you can assume the following orders of magnitude.
- 10,000 to 25,000 euros - costs a new or modernized bathroom.
- 6,000 to 15,000 euros - invest homeowners on average for a new or modernized bathroom. This note is relevant for tenants.
- When pricing, labor accounts for approximately 60 percent of the budget.
- 5,000 euros - is a generous budget, which can be applied to a complete renovation of the bathroom (from 5 square meters).
- It will be much cheaper, for example, if you do without new wall and floor coverings - perhaps as an interim solution, because in the medium term a modernization including a piping system is due anyway.
Scope of bathroom renovation
Before buying bathroom furniture, accessories, paint or even wall coverings, it is worth defining the scope of the renovation.
- What is the lighting situation in the bathroom - with and without natural light (windows)?
Do I need or want to change anything here - like new lamps, mirrors or curtains, etc.? - Do I make color changes and do they match the color scheme?
If you are a particularly colorful person, the seasonal color scheme is a good one to follow. Four seasons = four color groups. - A material scheme can also be brought in well. For the look and feel of the bathroom, you can focus on a particular material in addition to colors. Especially with CERAMIN cladding instead of tiles, you can achieve tremendous effects with different, wide-ranging surface textures.
- If I want to buy new bathroom furniture, do they have enough storage space?
- Spacing: You should always allow 70 cm of space in front of the sink, toilet and shower tray, otherwise it will be too cramped. This also applies if there is a washing machine in the bathroom.
- Before using the drill, be sure to locate the water pipes and power lines running in the walls and mark the appropriate places.
Tools for DIY in the bathroom
Gloves
Safety goggles (respiratory protection if necessary)
Waterproofing gun
Silicone sealant
Hammer
Measuring tape
Spatula
Drilling machine
Pry bar
Bucket
Chisel
Wrenchs
Slotted screwdriver
Cutter knife
Angle measure (made of metal)
Extension cable
Plaster (tested for you)
Bathroom renovation on a small budget
Colors, shapes and materials can make a huge visual difference to a bathroom. Small rooms often benefit from light tones, as they make them look larger. This applies not only to wall colors, but also to bathroom furniture. Freshening up older bathroom furniture with varnish or foil is often worthwhile, provided the furniture does not have any major damage.
For scratched surfaces made of ceramic, enamel and acrylic, you can get appropriate repair kits. The gloss effects are usually convincing.
Today, old faucets can be easily cleaned with descaling agents, both externally and internally. However, it is often advisable to replace them. Modern fittings help to regulate water consumption and thus also energy consumption (hot water). For this, the budget would have to be increased somewhat, but the costs are quickly amortized.
Wall and floor
Paint tiles
Repainting unloved tiles - you can do. However, they should not have any damage.
Our tip: Take a look at privately, as far as possible, in home work overpainted tiles and consider whether this is really a solution with which you are satisfied for at least the next 10 to 15 years.
Bathroom walls shape the room like nothing else. They are the largest surfaces and simply brush over them quickly is not. The old tiles must be carefully cleaned, primed, painted and then sealed.s
We have summarized everything on the special topic of "repainting tiles" here.
Temporary solution instead of painted tiles
Painting over unloved tiles is out of the question for you? In addition, a renovation or modernization of the bathroom is planned in the medium term anyway? In that case, it might be worth waiting for it.
An interim solution until then could include the following:
- For dirty joints between tiles in the bathroom, you can use a grout refresher.
- Dirt and mold prefer to settle in silicone joints. In this case, it is advisable to scrape out thoroughly, clean, allow to dry and then apply new silicone. It is essential to ensure complete sealing.
- In the last resort - not in the immediate wet area of the shower - hang a picture. After all, it's only for a foreseeable period.
CERAMIN instead of tiles
Why not simply paste over the old tiles, e.g. with CERAMIN Tiles? Of course, you can remove the tiles beforehand, but with CERAMIN this is not necessary. Tiles are comparable to a tile, but with the difference that you can buy them not only in prefabricated sizes, but in formats of any size.
The design of CERAMIN Tiles reproduces surface textures of various mineral coatings in different brightness levels, from slate to natural stone, sandstone and marble.
The texture is applied to a base layer by digital printing and is permanently durable. Of course, you can also cut tiles to your own dimensions - directly on site and with a cutter knife.
CERAMIN Tiles consist of ...
- a robust wear layer
- a digitally printed decor
- and a polymer carrier plate (CERAMIN).
CERAMIN Tiles are a wall and floor covering that you can actually install easily without professional craftsmen.
The advantages of CERAMIN at a glance
CERAMIN Tiles …
- are 100 percent waterproof and non-slip (flooring),
- are ideal on hot water underfloor heating due to their thermal conductivity,
- are about two-thirds lighter than ceramic tiles for the same size,
- can be laid easily and dust-free,
- can be easily cut to any desired size with a cutter knife,
- can be installed glued or floating,
- are very thin (3 mm) compared to tiles,
- are extremely robust,
- durable and do not break,
- are 100 percent free of PVC and hazardous plasticizers and
- do not need joints = less potential for contamination.
Step by step guide
View and download the detailed instructions for laying Ceramin Tiles:
