A quick and easy guide to installing a freestanding bath
Freestanding baths are one of those luxury bathroom features that never go out of style, providing a feeling of elegance and relaxation that make them equally at home in both classic and contemporary spaces.
Another positive when compared to built-in tubs is that freestanding baths are painless to install and if you’re handy you may even be able to do it yourself. You’ll still need to do some considered design and planning to ensure the bathroom you’re dreaming of becomes a reality.
To help you streamline the installation of your freestanding bath, check out these simple steps below.
How do you install a freestanding bath?
1. Choose your location and check the floor
There are both aesthetic and practical decisions to be made when it comes to choosing the site for your freestanding bath. Aesthetically, you want it to fit into the natural flow of your bathroom, particularly if you’re going for a particular style, like Scandi design, where clean lines and simplicity are key.
From a practical standpoint, there are three important considerations. Firstly, you need to check if the floor you’re planning to place the tub on is strong enough – freestanding baths typically weigh a lot more than their built-in counterparts. The section of floor you plan to install the tub on will also need to be perfectly level, no one wants a bathtub on a lean.
Lastly, you’ll need to consider the plumbing. While one of the great luxuries of free standing baths is their positional flexibility, you’ll need to make sure that you’ve got the correct plumbing placement , or speak to a plumber who can sort this out for you.
2. Mark the position on the floor
If you need to reroute pipes to accommodate the position of your new freestanding bath tub, you (or more likely your plumber) will need to get underneath the floorboards to do this. You can speed this process along by marking the intended position of the bath in pencil on the floor, and also where you want the drainage to go.
The good news is that, with freestanding baths, the pipes can often become part of the aesthetic, so you needn’t worry too much about the looks, as long as you make your product choices in line with your desired bathroom theme..
Once the pipes are in place, it’s a good idea to turn the water back on to test for leaks before you re-lay the floor. This will save you time, particularly if a leak is only discovered after the bath has been put in place.
3. Attach the feet or seal it (depending on the unit)
If your bath has feet, the next stage is simple – just screw them into place. You’ll need to invert the unit in order to do this, and we recommend putting a sheet or towel between it and the floor to protect the finish from scratches and scuffs.
If your bath sits flush with the floor, you’ll need to seal it to protect both the bath itself and the floor underneath. This is typically done with a silicone sealant, and should be left for 24 hours before you first fill the bath up to give it time to set.
4. Give it a good clean
Despite your best efforts, it’s inevitable that bits of dirt and dust will have gotten into the bath during the installation process, so give it a good clean before you use it for the first time. Be sure to read the instructions that come with the bath about the type of cleaning agents you should and shouldn’t use in order to keep it looking brand new.
For more advice about installing freestanding baths, or other features in your bathroom, get in touch with the knowledgeable team at Abey Australia today.
