Bathroom Buying Guide
Bathroom furniture, position, sizes and choices will be discussed first on the initial appointment and in further detail with the bathroom supplier.
From years of using local suppliers in south devon (and online suppliers), Seaway Bathroom Supplies & JP heating & Bathrooms has consistently been the best in customer service, quality products, price and choice. This makes it easier for everyone as quality products are easier to fit, will last longer and if any issue arises it can be addressed and replaced with ease.
Shaun Taylor Bathroom refuses to fit bathroom furniture from non specialist shops that sell everything under one roof and certain suppliers due to past issues with poor quality that are a nightmare to fit and we can not guarantee will last (and has not in the past)
Tile Buying Guide
The recommended tile suppliers listed in Contact, Info & Links page are all quality suppliers that have been used and tested for years and have consistently been reliable in cost, quality, and customer service. There are a few other tile suppliers in Exeter that are on par with these local suppliers and will be given details if requested.
Shaun Taylor Bathrooms estimates for tiling base time, materials and labour of porcelain or ceramic tiles on the walls and porcelain tiles on the floor.
These are the recommended type of tiles for all bathroom installations due to cost, ease of fitting and durability. Any change in tile materials (natural stone, porous tiles that need sealing, mosaic tiles, etc.) will incur further costs on labour materials and future maintenance and will be discussed as needed.
All tile suppliers have now and then brought out tiles and products that are to be avoided due to issues with fitting and future maintenance and cleaning. These include heavily textured tiles that can dramatically increase labour time with fitting, grouting and future cleaning and will be advised if asked.
Don't be afraid to ask questions to the tile supplier and mainly to Shaun Taylor Bathrooms. The advise and recommendation makes the installation, cost and future maintenance to suit each customers needs.
Paper and plastic fronted mosaic tiles are to be heavily avoided due to poor installation design and huge increase in labour costs. These details will be explained as needed. Mosaic tiles on a whole are a good tile product but try and go for the mesh backed mosaic as installation is quicker and more reliable in the long run.
All Natural stone tiles and polished porcelain tile that need sealing will incur further costs due to time cutting and fitting and time needed to seal the tiles and will need to be cleaned and resealed regularly in accordance to manufactures guidelines.
When looking at tiles the main question to ask is do these tiles need sealing, If they do try and avoid unless you are well aware of the excess cost in labour and materials.
Large profile tiles (thick and large sized tiles often need to be laid on either solid walls or if on studd walls will need to be dramatically reinforced (increased labour and materials) to hold the weight as some large and thick tiles are too heavy to fit directly onto plasterboard. Please ask the tile tile supplier and/or Shaun Taylor Bathrooms for advise.
mosaics or tiles with no or very small grout lines (less than 2mm) are not recommended inside shower areas as a minimum grout space of 2mm is (in our opinion) needed to have the best water resistance for the initial installation and future reliability.
*All bold text directs to links for examples or websites.
Other products
Shaun Taylor Bathrooms will only fit shower wall panels in certain circumstances and only in the shower area.
At the moment it is our own opinion as an installer (and ultimately the one who has to pay for and replace free of charge if any issues) that at the time of writing, shower wall panels are not suitably designed for installation and future reliability compared to tiles. If the small issues are changed we will whole heartily recommend these products as an alternative to tiles.
Shaun Taylor Bathrooms still fit shower wall panels, but only in situations where tiles are not suitable. In these circumstances over the top precautions are taken to guarantee no future issues arise.
If shower wall boards are wanted inside and outside of the shower area please contact other fitters to undertake the full bathroom installation.
Bathroom Maintenance
-
Don't use any cleaning products with bleach in it on anything in the bathroom.
-
It is highly recommended to clean the tiles with ph neutral tile cleaning products found in all recommended tile suppliers or online as non ph neutral cleaners will remove the grout protector.
-
Don't use abrasive cleaning products (like ajax) regularly as all modern bathroom furniture is not as robust as they where from 40+ years ago.
-
Treat all chrome products as delicate as glass and use a smooth cloth to clean or chrome wipes from supermarkets.
-
Most shower screens have an antidirt layer on them but will still hold dirt if not cleaned regulary. The best way to clean is glass cleaners and squeegees
-
With cleaning tiles (ceramic and porcelain only) the strongest cloth to use is those green pan scourers from supermarkets but keep away from everything chrome, silicone and glass.
-
All corners will be siliconed with hi molecular anti fungal silicone but if it is in constant contact with water or the bottom of shower gel/shampoo bottles it will go mouldy.
-
To help silicone last as long as possible, spray with bleach free bathroom cleaner and wipe off with a smooth wet cloth. Do not scrub silicone.
-
Sadly most baths,basins and shower trays don't have the outside rim slanted into the shower tray or bath enough in my opinion, so some times water will sit on the edge of the rim and if left there will produce bacteria that will eventually soak into the silicone and discolour it. If this os a common occurrence try and get into the habit of mopping up the water with a smooth cloth.
-
If hair is and issue with baths and showers oxo range of drain protector
Natural stone tiles
-
All natural stone tiles are porous and need chemical cleaning and resealing on a regular basis (1 or 2 year)
-
All cleaning products must be ph neutral specialised cleaner for the type of tiles (found at all recommended tile suppliers)
-
Always clean with a smooth cloth unless advised otherwise.