A bidet can make a convenient addition to your bathroom, provided you've got a large enough room to comfortably accommodate it.  There are two sorts of bidet. A rim supply bidet fills up from under the rim, which in doing so warms the seat.  Because of the chance of back siphonage occurring, this type of bidet requires its own dedicated hot and cold water supply, which means there is quite a lot of plumbing work involved in installation.  The other type is an over-rim supply bidet, where water comes from taps above the rim.  This is more straightforward to install.

Installing an over-rim supply bidet follows a similar process to fitting a bathroom sink.  You should ensure that you route the hot and cold water supplies correctly so they are suitable to connect to the bidet.  Your bidet waste pipe can either be connected to the soil pipe directly, or to a waste outlet pipe from the bath or sink, using a T-connector.  You might want to fit shut-off valves as well, so it's easy to isolate the water supply in an emergency.  It's important to make sure your waste is at the right height.  If it's too high, there's a chance of waste water from the sink running into the bidet pan.  Or waste from the bidet could run into the bath.

Once your plumbing is in place, it's time to prepare the bidet for installation.  Insert the top part of the pop-up waste outlet through the hole in the bidet.  Either fit an appropriate gasket or use silicone sealant to create a watertight seal.  Then screw the top and bottom sections of the waste together.  Next, attach the monobloc faucet, remembering to use a washer or silicone as a seal.  You'll need to screw the copper hot and cold water supply pipes to the faucet base and fit the threaded bolt that's necessary to keep the faucet in place.  Then pass the copper pipes through the hole in the bidet and use washers or backnuts to fix the faucet assembly in place.  Tighten a locking nut onto the threaded bolt by hand, ensuring you don't over-tighten it.

The next step is to attach the pop-up waste lever.  Do this by screwing it into the base of the waste outlet by hand or with an adjustable spanner.  Put the pop-up waste rod into the waste lever and secure it with the clamp, using a screwdriver to make the fitting secure.  You may need to fiddle with it to get the waste bung in exactly the right position - the waste bung is designed to be adjusted, so this should be straightforward.

Now it's time to put your bidet in position and connect it up to the supply pipes, waste outlet and trap.  Once everything's connected, screw the bidet securely to the floor through the pre-drilled holes in the base.  You can then turn the water back on.

Here, we describe how to install a shower onto a stud wall.

In preparing your site, you will need a secure surface to mount your shower on.  In the case of a stud wall, you'll need to add an extra nogging.  If you're building the wall as part of your bathroom remodeling, you can add this during the construction stage.  However, if you're using an existing stud wall, you will need to strip the plasterboard and fix a nogging in a suitable position.  It needs to be at a height and depth that will enable the shower unit to sit behind the surface of the wall, but with the controls protruding out.  You will also make the necessary adjustments to route your hot and cold water supply pipes.

Fix your shower unit to the supporting nogging, marrying up the water supply with the connections on the unit.  You may need to use a pipe cutter to adjust the pipe length.  Tighten the connections with an adjustable spanner.  You may need to connect an extra pipe from the unit to the shower head, in which case you should follow the instructions that come with your shower.

Once everything's connected, you'll need to finish off the wall.  You could use plywood or plasterboard for this.  Plywood is good because you can tile onto it, but as long as the plasterboard is plastered, it's also suitable.  Now screw the shower head supply pipe into the recessed section of pipe.  It's important at this stage to use collars and/or washers over the unit and supply pipe, which you should be able to push into place.  Lastly, attach the shower head retaining bracket to the wall and connect up the hose to the supply pipe.

Wooden floorboards can really add character and a natural look to traditional bathrooms, but they do need to be finished properly to prevent water damage.  Depending on the condition of your floorboards, it might be more economical, not to mention quicker, to replace old or damaged boards with new ones, as there is a lot of work involved in preparing floorboards.

Old bathroom floorboards will need to be stripped first of all, to prepare the surface for the new finish.  It's a good idea to hire electric sanding machines for the day to get this job done efficiently.  Generally, you'll need a large drum sander for the large open floor, an edging sander to do the edges, and a corner sander for the corners.  Using a sander is a dusty job, so make sure you wear a dust mask and goggles.  Block the gap under the bathroom door to stop dust getting all over the house, and open the bathroom window for ventilation. 

With a drum sander, you will need to attach the sandpaper to the revolving drum or cylinder and hold it in place with the retaining bar.  You'll need to replace the sandpaper at intervals, as it gets used up.  As a general rule, start off with a coarse grade sandpaper, before using a finer grade to achieve a smooth finish.  Use your sander at 45 degrees to the floorboards.  When starting it, tilt it back, as if you start it flat on the floor you risk scarring the wood.  Repeat the process going at 45 degrees in the opposite direction.  Then follow the direction of the grain.

Once you've done the main central part of the floor, use the edging sander around the skirting board and the base of your bathroom fixtures such as your sink pedestal and toilet.  Edging sanders use an orbital action, so they are good for finishing off difficult areas and for slight depressions in the floor.  Finally, use the corner sander to get into those corners that the other sanders can't reach.  Corner sanders are small and handheld, giving your more control over these tricky bits.

The aim of sanding is to strip off all previous coatings of stain, paint or varnish, to get back to the bare wood and achieve a smooth finish.  This is important as you'll be walking on your bathroom floor with bare feet.  Once the tiring and messy preparation work has been completed, you can apply several coats of your finish - stain, paint or varnish - to create a watertight and attractive surface.  Begin by using a vacuum cleaner to get rid of all the dust on and between the floorboards.  Wipe the floor with a cloth soaked in white spirit to remove the last of the dust.  Then apply your finish with a paintbrush, following the natural grain of the wood.  You will need to apply several coats, so it's worth using an acrylic-based paint, stain or varnish, which will dry quickly, so you can do more than one coat in a day.
 

If you don't have fitted bathroom vanity units to hide your pipework, your pipes and connections are likely to be on display.  A nice finishing touch in your bathroom's makeover is to box in these unsightly areas.  Sections of MDF attached to a batten framework are commonly used for boxing in, as they can easily be painted or tiled to achieve a tidy finish.  Although it's relatively straightforward to box in your pipes, it's worth keeping the design simple as the whole process can be quite time-consuming.

Firstly, decide where on the floor to fix your first batten.  Remember to leave enough space for the MDF to cover the pipes, but at the same time you don't want the boxing to protrude any further into the room than necessary.  Fix the floor batten in place, then fix a batten on the wall above the pipework, using a spirit level to ensure it's totally level.  Measure the dimensions and cut your MDF to size.  You may have to scribe the edges to fit around obstacles such as a sink pedestal. 

Put the front section of MDF in place and nail or screw it to the floor batten.  Then fit the top section of MDF and nail it to the front section where the two sections join, making sure the nail heads are punched in below surface level. 

It may be necessary for you to incorporate an access hatch into your boxing so you can get to your sink trap or shut-off valves.  To do this, when you've cut your MDF to the required size for the boxing, use a template to draw round to mark where the hatch will go (a square wall tile is ideal for this).  Use a jigsaw to cut out the hole and screw two small blocks of wood on both inside vertical edges.  Using a workbench clamp to hold the MDF, secure magnetic catches to the wooden blocks.  Then cut out another piece of MDF, for the hatch, which will need to be the same size as the hole.  Fit the corresponding pieces of the magnetic catches to the hatch and attach a small handle in the middle before putting it in place.  You could use hinges instead of magnetic catches, if you prefer.  Or, if there are large sections of pipework that require access, it makes sense to make an entire section of the boxing removable, holding it in place with screws rather than nails.

A glass shower door is a more permanent and effective alternative to a shower curtain, and if it's installed correctly, should adequately prevent water from the shower spraying out into your bathroom. 

The first step when installing a shower screen is to use a spirit level to position the channeling for the frame vertically above the bath edge.  Fix the channeling in place.  If you're fixing it onto a tiled wall, take care not to damage the tiles and use the relevant drill bit to make pilot holes.

Once your channeling is in place, fix the hinging mechanism to it.  The design will depend on your particular shower screen, but generally hinges come in two parts.  One part needs to be attached to the channeling on the wall, the other is then fixed to this.  You'll then need to screw the hinge hardware onto your screen.  Be careful not to scratch the glass as you do this, and use gasket to act as a protective barrier between the metal hinge and the glass door.

The next stage is to place a retaining bolt in the hinge barrel to keep the door in place and for the hinge to operate properly.  Then place rubber sealant strips to the underside edge of the door to ensure it's watertight. 

Replacing a toilet is a fairly straightforward part of bathroom remodeling.  It's only when a new toilet is being fitted in a different location that it can become more tricky, as soil pipes need to be moved or lengthened.  Most modern toilets have a close-coupled design, which means the cistern sits on top of the pan, and a benefit of this design is that it is simpler to install than conventional high or low level toilets.

If you're attempting to relocate your toilet to an internal wall, you will have more work to do.  In general, toilets are located on or near an external wall for a good reason - for easier access to the soil pipe.  It can be very difficult to fit a drainage pipe from a toilet on an internal wall, as it will be too large to run under the floor and would look unattractive if routed along the inside walls.  If relocating your toilet is essential to your bathroom's makeover, it's always best to keep it on an external wall if you can.

The first thing you'll need to do before you can install your new toilet is put together the internal cistern mechanism.  To do this, place the siphon unit inside the cistern and insert the threaded section at the bottom through the hole in the base of the cistern.  Slip the rubber gasket over the threaded section and move the connecting plate into place.  You'll need to use a large threaded collar and bolts to hold the connecting plate in position. 

Next, add the flushing mechanism or water control assembly into the cistern, passing the threaded end of the water supply pipe through the hole in the bottom of the cistern.  Use the washer or gasket supplied to fix it in position.  Tighten the collars for the supply pipe and siphon by hand.

Then, fit the flushing handle and double check that it's connected to the flushing mechanism.  Move your toilet pan gently into position, matching up the outlet pipe with the soil pipe.  Next, carefully lift the cistern up onto the pan, making sure the connecting bolts thread through the pan's retaining holes.  At this stage, you should put a gasket at the flush entrance and ensure the threaded section of the siphon unit is inserted through the gasket.

Using metal and rubber washers, secure the cistern in place by fitting nuts onto the connecting bolts.  Now it's time to use slip-joint pliers to connect up the cold water supply pipe to the cistern.  Once you've done this, screw the cistern against the wall, remembering to use metal and rubber washers.  Your cistern will probably come with pre-drilled holes in the back to enable you to do this.  You will also need to use retaining screws to hold the cistern firmly to the base of the pan.

The final job is to screw on the toilet seat, using the pre-drilled holes in the pan, and then switch the water back on.

Some types of laminate flooring are now suitable for bathroom use, as they have been developed to withstand the high levels of moisture in the atmosphere.  Before you buy, check that the laminate floor you want is suitable for bathrooms.  If you're installing a new floor as part of your bathroom remodeling, it can make it easier to lay the floor before installing fixtures such as a pedestal sink or vanity cabinet.  Another tip is to remove the skirting board and lay the floor right up to the wall, before replacing the skirting board.  This can help give a neater finish.  Laminate flooring can be laid onto dry concrete, chipboard, hardboard or plywood.

Laminate flooring comes in boards, generally about 3ft long, or longer.  The idea is to lay the boards in rows as you work across the room.  Rows are staggered, so the joints don't line up.  This not only looks good, but also adds strength to the floor.  It's best to avoid cutting laminate flooring where you can, and start with the longest bits first.  Unlike with tiles, you can start at the edge of the room, as if your walls aren't square it won't show up so much with laminate flooring.

The first step is to lay out your underlay over the sub-floor.  Underlay comes in rolls and is easy to roll out.  Butt up the joining edges and don't leave any overlap anywhere.  You can cut it with scissors or a craft knife.  Then put your first piece of laminate against the skirting board where you intend to start.  The groove should be facing the skirting board, and the tongue side should face into the room.  Use spacing blocks to leave a gap between the skirting and the laminate board.

With the second row, cut out a shorter length of board to create a brick bond pattern, so the joins in each row don't line up.  Put wood glue or similar adhesive along the tongue of your first row and line up the groove on the cut board with the tongue of the first row.  Tap it into position using a hammer and knocking block.  Make sure you clean any excess adhesive off the laminate surface before it dries.  Carry on across the row, using a jimmy at the end of the rows to knock the boards into place.

When you've finishing laying the floor, it's time to remove the spacing blocks from around the edges and stick quadrant moulding around the edges.  This will probably come with self-adhesive tape to fix it to the skirting junction.  You will have to mitre the ends to fit them into the corners.

If you've got a large enough bathroom, a separate shower stall can be a convenient addition to your bathroom's function.  You'll need to install a watertight enclosure that's fully sealed around the drainage tray, to ensure no water sprays out into the room.  When preparing your site, you'll need to route your drainage outlet and water supply pipes to the new position.  These guidelines presume you are installing your shower stall onto a hardwood subfloor.  Having your shower stall slightly higher than floor level makes it easier to run the drainage pipe beneath it.

To make the best use of space, shower stalls are generally fitted in a corner, which means you'll have two tiled walls and two screen walls.  The shape of the cubicle varies according to the design you choose, but the basic principles for fitting a shower stall are the same regardless of the shape.

Put your shower tray on the floor where it's going to go, and draw round the outside.  Then cut out a section of the subfloor through which you will install the drainage pipes.  It's important to leave room to add an access hatch on the outside edge of the tray.  In the hole you've cut out, nail wooden batten under the edges and cut out a piece of hardboard the same size as the hole to sit on top of the batten. 

Using 4 parts building sand to 1 part cement, mix up some mortar and spread it on the floor where your tray is going to be fixed.  Put your tray in position on the mortar and use a spirit level to make sure it's completely level, from all angles.  This may take a bit of time.

Once your tray's in place, in the hole that you made beneath you'll need to connect the trap to the waste outlet and join it up to the waste outlet pipe.  You're then ready to fit the cubicle.  There are lots of different styles of shower stall, but here we describe how to install one with a hinged design.

The shower enclosure sections need to be fixed to the walls using special channels.  Use a spirit level to position the channels vertically on the wall at each corner and fix them to the wall using the fixings supplied.  Place the section of screen that's not going to open into the relevant wall channel, before slotting the opening section into place.  It makes the job easier if you enlist the help of another person at this point, to hold the sections in place so they meet at the appropriate point in the corner.

You can then drill holes through the wall channels into the frame of the shower stall sections and use self-tapping screws to secure them.  Make sure you use drill bits that make pilot holes smaller than the screws you're using.  You can then attach the door handle, then finally seal all the joints and internal edges using silicone sealant.  Do not rush this stage, as if you don't do this properly your shower stall won't be watertight!

Although roll top baths don't require a bath panel, most standard modern baths do need some kind of panel to cover up the underside of the bath and hide the plumbing.  It makes sense to make sure whatever panel you fit is removable, so you can access the plumbing as necessary.  Moulded wooden panels are commonly used, but bath panels can also be made from MDF, which can then be tiled. 

First of all, you'll need to construct a frame to attach your panel to, unless you're using an acrylic panel, in which case the framework will be inbuilt.  If you're using a wooden bath panel, wooden batten is great for making your frame.  Take a piece of 2in x 1in batten and lay it on the floor parallel to the rim of the bath.  Then place a small block of wood, which is the same depth as your panel, next to the batten and put your spirit level vertically on the outside of that so the top touches the top of the bath.  Then move the block and the spirit level accordingly until the batten is completely in line.  Use a pencil to draw along the batten and mark on the floor where it needs to go.

If you need an end panel as well as a side panel, you'll need to repeat this step to determine the position of the end batten.  Measure the space between where the pencil lines intersect and the walls and cut your battens to the correct length. 

The next step is to fix the longer batten to the floor.  Then measure out a length of batten to go from the underside rim of the bath to the top of the base batten.  Fix this at right angles to the top of the shorter base batten, which you then need to fix to the floor.  Make sure the batten you've attached to it runs up to the corner of the bath rim so it adds extra support.  The last stage of building the framework is to fix battens to the walls at each end of the bath, which can be used to fix your panels to.

Bath panels come in standard sizes, which you will need to adapt to fit the space in your bathroom.  You will probably need to scribe your panel so it sits flush with the wall and the skirting board.  To do this, use a pencil to mark out where you need to cut in order for the panel to fit around the skirting board.  Carefully, using a fine cutting blade, use a panel saw or jigsaw to cut out this piece.  Then screw your panels in place, screwing directly into the batten frame.  Once they're in place, drill pilot holes through the end panel where it joins the main panel and use mirror screws to secure them together.  Alternatively, you could use magnetic catches in place of the screw fixings.

If you're replacing an old bath tub with a new one that will go in the same position, you should be able to use the existing pipe work.  However, if your bathroom remodeling plans involve rearranging the layout of the room and relocating the bath, you'll need to adjust the supply and drainage pipe connections accordingly.  Fitting a bath is done in two stages.  The first step is to put the feet and framework in place, the second step is to connect up the water supply to the faucets and connect the drainage system.

Standard baths come with feet that need to be attached.  The feet and supporting legs are designed to be adjusted in order to keep the bath level on an uneven floor.  Lay out a dust sheet on the floor and place your bath on it upside down.  Then fit the legs into the sockets round the rim.  Usually, they are held in place with a grub screw that goes through the outside of the socket into the leg.

Using nuts, attach the feet in the holes at the base of the legs.  Try to adjust each foot to about the same height, bearing in mind that the height can be altered again when the bath's been installed.  You will probably also be able to screws the leg frames into the base of the bath using the pre-drilled holes in the middle of the leg framework.  When using screws, it's essential not to use screws that are too long, as these might go through the chipboard and damage the actual bath.

Many baths come with an extra supportive leg and foot, which needs to be carefully screwed into the middle of the bath base.  Some more traditional style baths come with ready-fitted feet.  In this case, it may be necessary to place wooden wedges under them to make sure the bath is level, as a level bath is essential for safety as well as for aesthetics.

You can turn the bath back up the right way once you've attached all the legs and feet.  Try to get someone to help you do this to avoid damaging the bath in any way.  You know have to fit the faucets and waste before getting the bath in position and leveling it.  Fitting a pop-up waste to a bath is different from fitting one to a bathroom sink, as a bath waste is operated by a circular handle above the overflow, from which a cable runs to the waste.  You'll need to fit gaskets to the waste outlet and overflow.

Next, screw the second part of the waste outlet into the underside section through the bath outlet.  If you don't have a gasket for this side of the outlet, use silicone sealant instead.  Holding the back section in place, screw the visible section into place on the inside of the bath, making sure you use either a gasket or sealant to create a watertight seal.

Now, use screw fitting collars with rubber washers to connect to attach the overflow pipe between the overflow outlet and the underside of the waste assembly.  Lower the bath faucets into position in their holes and secure with a backnut, remembering to use a gasket or silicone as a seal. 

Gently move the bath into position.  You'll need to use a spirit level and adjust the leg heights several times until the bath is completely level, which can take a while on an uneven floor.  It's critical to ensure your bath is in a secure position.  There are a couple of options here.  One is to cut a channel in the wall to support the extreme edge of the tub.  The other is to attach some support brackets to the wall and bath rim and fit the rim over them.  Once they're in alignment you can screw them in place.

The last part of the installation is to connect the water supply and drainage system, before screwing the bath feet securely to the floor.