Bathroom makeover

It is a well-known fact that updating the bathroom is a great way of adding value to your property. Potential purchasers will pay close attention to the condition of your bathroom before deciding whether to put in those all important offers. Here, a B&Q adviser gives you a few handy hints and tips on how to give your bathroom that all important pre-sale touch-up – it could make all the difference.

New fixings

You may want to take the opportunity to change your fixtures and fittings completely. B&Q do a wide range of fixtures and fittings for sinks, baths and showers, helping you achieve your desired look whatever your budget.

Instead of just having a simple bath, why not bring your bathroom up to date with the addition of a contemporary mixer shower? A basic mixer shower is cheap and easy to install with no new plumbing or electrical connections. The supply of hot and cold water is controlled simply by turning both taps. Adding such a shower above an existing bath tub will give your bathroom an extra dimension of flexibility. Once you have installed the mixer taps onto your bath all that remains is to fit the lever and holder to the slider rail. Once these are fitted, you will be able to adjust the height of your showerhead.

Place the brackets on the end of the rail and mark the position of the fixing hole for the lowest bracket. Check that there are no hidden pipes or cables with an electronic detector, then drill where you have marked the position of the lower bracket. Insert a wallplug and squeeze onto it a spot of sanitary silicone sealant. Remove the bottom bracket from the bottom hole using the screw supplied.

Place the rail back onto the bottom bracket to find the location of the top hole. Use a spirit level and mark the top fixing hole. Remove the rail and drill as before. Screw the top bracket in and fit covers onto both top and bottom brackets.

Dripping taps

The sooner you tackle a dripping tap, the easier it will be to fix and the less damage will be done. Quite often, it will simply be a case of replacing an old washer.

Turn off the water supply and open the tap to drain water from the system. Put the plug in the plughole, in case you drop any small nuts or screws into the sink. Unscrew the top plate (which says hot/cold on it). The remainder of the handle will have its own way of removal but this will usually be by unscrewing a retaining screw. Once this is off, undo the headgear nut using an adjustable spanner. The headgear assembly will then be loose allowing you to remove the old washer. Reassemble with the new washer, adding a little silicone grease to the threads on the base of the headgear.

All that remains is to add those all-important finishing details. Instead of having unsightly bottles along the side of the bath, put up shelving and have only your prettiest toiletries on display. Mirrors are a great way of making the most of all available light, as well as appearing to make you room look bigger.

If you want to introduce some accents of colour to your bathroom, tiled splashbacks are an inexpensive, but effective, way of doing this. All of these items are available from B&Q in ranges to suit all tastes and budgets.

If you need additional advice, you can ask one of B&Q’s staff at your local store. Alternatively visit the B&Q website: diy.com for further info on water and energy efficiency, gardening, and DIY projects.