Often there is a need to raise the bath slightly above the level at which it is located. This may be due to the fact that for some reason the drain from it is not carried out properly, since the slope is small or completely negative. Another reason may be that the factory feet of the product are too short and the owners are uncomfortable with it. A high growth of household members can also cause such a decision. We offer you a choice of 4 ways to raise the bathtub higher.
Raised to a high altitude bath
What is the difficulty of solving the problem of lifting the bath
The weight of any bath is composed of various components:
- The bath itself.
- Water poured into it.
- Weight of the bathing person.
At even the most modest calculations, the total weight of a full bath with 1-2 people in it can exceed 300-400 kg. At the same time, the entire load is distributed to only 4 legs, and their total area of contact with the floor is unlikely to exceed 10 square meters.cm, which is 30 -40 kg per 1 sq. km.see This circumstance is perhaps the most important when choosing the option of raising the bath. An important role is played by the material itself, from which the bath is made.
Description of how to raise the bath
Depending on the above circumstances, you can choose one of the following solutions to this problem:
- With the extension of existing legs.
- As a result of the construction of a stand of solid materials.
- With a mounted metal frame.
- Construction of a pedestal for beautiful baths.
Let's consider in more detail each of these methods in relation to real conditions.
How to raise the bath by lengthening its legs
Most often complete with standard baths are provided for them legs, which are attached directly to the plumbing itself. At the same time, their length does not always suit users. What can you do if the standard legs for the font are very short? Everything is quite simple: you need to buy new screws that have a long length. To do this, you need to collect one leg at home and, together with it, go to the sales point where you can pick up longer screws. After this, instead of the factory studs, screw in the newly purchased ones and install the bath in place.
Lifting a cast iron bath by extending the studs on the legs
It is necessary to pay attention to their quality when buying studs, because they are destined to withstand half a ton of weight. This is the simplest method, which requires practically no knowledge and skills. It allows you to lift even designer baths without compromising their appearance.
Scheme for mounting the legs on the acrylic bath
Installing the bath on a solid and reliable support
To extend the legs of the bath is, of course, the easiest, but it is much safer to build under it a solid support made of some solid materials. For this purpose, wood, brick, paving slabs can be used. It should be remembered that none of these materials is able to withstand the load from the legs due to their small area. Therefore, to increase it, it is necessary to put metal plates of steel with a thickness of at least 3 mm and an area of 100 cm2 under the feet.
Bath installed on a solid support
In addition, it should be remembered that the bathroom has a special waterlogged "climate".Therefore, when choosing wooden supports, they must be treated with antiseptic substances and waterproofing. For this purpose, the blocks can be painted and covered with water-repellent varnish. These measures will protect wood from decay, stratification and the appearance on it of undesirable "life" in the form of mold and fungus. The only advantage of wood in this case is the convenience of its processing and, as a consequence, the speed of the task.
Installation scheme for baths on bricks
When choosing a brick or tile, it is necessary to be guided by the fact that the products must necessarily be whole without cracks, chips and other flaws. In general, these materials are much stronger than wood, but only on the condition that they are interconnected by a solution. It is possible to use a tile glue, but its reliability leaves much to be desired. When installing such a structure, it is necessary to raise the rear part of the bath approximately 1 cm above the front, if the configuration of its bottom does not provide a slope.
Installing the bathtub on the self-made metal frame
If you have already learned how to use the welding equipment, you can make a frame from the steel corner and pipes. This will require: a welding machine, a bulgarian, corners and pipes. The cross-section of the corners and pipes must be large enough to support the weight of the bath. The design of the frame itself under the bath should provide maximum stability and strength. The frame is made so large that the tub rests against it with all its facets, but it could not collapse inside. To keep the bath on a frame more stable, and the water in it does not cool for longer, you can use the mounting foam, which should fill the gap between the frame and the bathroom.
Metal frame for a tub of profiled pipe 40x25 mm
Bathing on a pedestal
Sometimes a bath carries not only hygienic functions, but is also the subject of design and decoration. Usually such products have original beautiful shapes, curved curves, and, often, very short legs. What is required to do in this case? It is clear that any of the above described methods will simply spoil all the beauty. There is only one way out: if you can not lift the bath, you should raise the whole floor under it. Of course, raising a part of the floor is certainly a more complicated task, but after completing all the repair work, the bathroom will have a royal appearance. The podium you built can go out from under the tub as a straight, or a figured step. They can even be done in the form of a ladder. This option will allow you to bring to the ordinary bathroom a special sophistication and incredible originality.
The main thing, if you live in a multi-storey house, then do not forget about the weight of this podium. To him should be added the weight of the bathroom with water and people. The load on the floor should not be too large, especially for old houses with wooden ceilings. To facilitate the weight of the catwalk, it is worthwhile to make it not monolithic, but to use frame structures that finish with the material you like. Note that if the frame is made of wood, then it can not stand the weight of a full bath. Therefore, in addition, there must be racks inside it that evenly distribute the weight of the bath over the entire area of the podium.
The process of installing a podium for a bath of plywood and bars
In order to build a skeleton podium you will need the following:
- Saw or jig saw.
- Hand screwdriver or drill.
- Hammer.
- Plywood and bricks.
- Self-tapping screws, corners and other fasteners.
- Construction level.
- Polyethylene film.
Work on the construction of the podium will be as follows. If your pedestal is adjacent to the wall, and not in the middle of the bathroom, you need to use the building level and an ordinary pencil to mark out the top edge for the future pedestal. The main floor under the bathroom is carefully waterproofed with polyethylene or a more suitable insulating material for this purpose. You can additionally use a cork substrate.
Then you need to lay plywood on the floor in the place where you want to build a podium, and nail it to the floor with nails or dowels. After this, it is necessary to assemble a solid frame from the timber, which corresponds to the dimensions and configuration of the future pedestal. Details are fastened with screws and corners for greater rigidity. For a bath equipped with legs make special metal supports, increasing the area of impact on the podium. The frame is covered with plywood and made out by any material suitable for the general style of the bathroom.
Podium from bars and plywood under the bath
Raising a bath of acrylic using bricks or lightweight blocks
In private houses, it is possible to build a podium not only from wooden parts, but also from bricks that are bound with cement mortar. Such a pedestal is very easy to decorate using tile or mosaic tiles. It is done quite simply. On the floor draw a contour of the future podium and spread on it a brick or foam blocks. Then fill the entire internal area with the same material. The whole structure is poured with concrete and leveled. After full drying of the screed, you can overlay the podium tiles. To create a similar design makes sense in the complex repair of the bathroom or during the initial construction.
Beautiful multi-stage podium under the
bath. Some nuances when lifting the
bath. As already mentioned above, the baths are different, so depending on the material from which they are made, several different approaches are required in implementing the idea of raising them to a higher level.
Cast iron baths, for obvious reasons, are one of the heaviest products. The only thing that can compete with them is stone baths made of natural rock. It is because of the very high weight, to cast iron baths should be taken particularly carefully.
As for baths made of acrylic components, they can be raised above the floor only with the help of single corners that are simply mounted in the wall. The steel bath can be raised above the standard level using a cement screed. And such a screed is done only where the bath itself will be. In this case, it is necessary to make the correct bias for the water flow. To do this, you can put any square pipe, or conventional channel, under the back supports of the sanitaryware. In addition, you can use wide round washers, and studs with thread length of a meter. In this case it will be enough to drill holes in the brick support to the very floor. The hairpin is cut into four equal parts. They are inserted into the prepared holes and filled with mortar. After it dries, the bath is set with legs on these studs. Such a design ensures high reliability and immobility of the sanitary device.
When installing the bath on the brickwork, it is important to know that by raising the bath above the floor level, it is very important to monitor compliance with its unshakable stability. She should not under any circumstances wobble and wobble. The legs themselves must have very high reliability. Lifting the bath to a very high altitude( more than 10 cm), you should make several steps, and in no case not one. The catwalk, which is covered with tiles in a wet state, can be very slippery, which is fraught with injury when falling. To prevent such trouble, it is enough to think up and install some reliable handrail near the tub, for which you can grab in a critical situation. You can also use porcelain stoneware instead of tile, which is safer because it is not so slippery.
We very much believe that this article helped you gain the necessary knowledge in how to raise the bath above the floor level. It does not matter which option you choose, most importantly, remember that you must strictly follow the instructions and apply only high-quality and convenient materials in your work. This will allow you to avoid various "unforeseen", and self-made lifts, frames or fastenings can be safely operated for many years.
