Left and Right Handed Bathroom Furniture – Tips for Installation
Some items of bathroom furniture can be chosen in either left or right handed format to best suit your specific bathroom size and layout: this could be a basin unit, a WC unit, or a combination unit. When buying these items, be careful to choose the correct option for your bathroom.
When the time comes to install your new bathroom furniture, you’ll often find that it is flat packed for ease of delivery. As this keeps costs down for the buyer, it should be welcomed; indeed, there is no reason to fear flat pack furniture. All flat pack furniture should come with full assembly instructions, including numbered diagrams, and a list of tools you will need. Some manufacturers will also supply any specific tools you will require to assemble their particular item.
Whether or not you are a competent DIYer, and whether or not you’ve chosen to hire a professional to plumb in your bathroom components, assembling and fitting bathroom furniture is a job for anyone with a common sense approach and the correct tools.
Begin by turning off the water supply to the bathroom appliances that are to be replaced. You may be able to turn off each appliance in isolation, or you may need to stop the water supply to the entire house. Dismantle and remove old appliances and any old bathroom furniture; fit any new wall coverings or flooring, to ensure a seamless finish and to avoid tricky tiling work around the edges of your new bathroom furniture once it’s installed.
Now you can begin installing your new bathroom furniture. Assess the area: your existing pipework should line up with the orientation of your new units: a left hand combination unit, with the toilet on the right and the basin on the left as you look at the unit, will require the pipework for the toilet to be on the right of the pipework for the basin.
Cutting holes in your bathroom furniture to allow access for your water supply and waste pipes is all part of the installation process and – so long plenty of care is taken and measurements are carefully checked – can be undertaken successfully by an amateur. Moving pipework around is a job for a more experienced person, however, so if your pipes are way out of line with your new furniture for whatever reason, it is perhaps best to call in a professional.
You will need to cut your new furniture to accommodate water supply and waste pipes for the basin, and water supply and waste for the toilet. You may also need to cut a hole for the waste in the surface of your basin unit, if you have bought bathroom furniture for use with a vessel or countertop basin, as this hole may not have been pre-drilled in order to give you more freedom when it comes to positioning your basin.
Whether your bathroom furniture is fitted or freestanding, it will be fixed down in some way, either to the wall or to the floor – if you did not secure it, it could be knocked and shifted along the floor, no matter how heavy it is, and this could damage your plumbing and perhaps cause a serious leak. Check the manufacturer’s instructions: these will provide the best guidance on securing your bathroom furniture.
Remember in all cases to double check any measurements you make before you commit to them by drilling a hold: whether the hole is in the furniture or in your bathroom wall, it has the potential to look ugly or prove costly if you drill it in the wrong place by accident.
Similarly, take care when plumbing. You should follow any specific fitting instructions that are provided by the manufacturer of your bathroom furniture or bathroom sanitaryware, and always consult a professional if you feel out of your depth – spending money at the installation stage could save you time and money later on.