The Bathroom of Your Dreams – step by step

Planning is everything

Are you a thinker, or are you fast and efficient? Our first tip is that you should let the planning stage take the time it takes, because there are many elements to be taken into account during a renovation. What materials will you use, what colour scheme do you want, what is your budget? There are plenty of questions you should ask yourself, so take it slow.

Important things to consider:

• Remember to carefully document all work with clear photos during all stages of the renovation.
• Will you need to move electricity connections and piping? This may be necessary if you plan to relocate the shower, install a new bathtub or install new electrical sockets.
• Check delivery times for your materials so that you can plan the renovation accordingly.
• Do you want underfloor heating, a towel dryer or new lighting? Most electrical installations must be carried out by a licenced electrician.
• It’s a good idea to consult a professional during the planning stage to make sure your project can be realised.

Step 1: Demolition

When renovating your bathroom, the first step is to get rid of the old, which is a relatively simple task. Before you start demolishing, determine what materials the walls and floor consist of. Old houses may contain hazardous materials, such as asbestos.

Before starting the demolishing work, make sure to shut off water and electricity. You can always request assistance from a plumber and electrician if you are unsure how to shut off and plug water pipes and drains. Also make sure you are fully aware of where electricity is routed in the walls.

Step 2: Drains and timber

If your bathroom has a suspended timber floor, it may need to be reinforced before laying new tiles or installing a new bathtub. The same applies to the walls; they may need new timber and may need to be reinforced if you intend mounting fittings on the walls. If you place plywood boards on all walls, behind the wet room boards, you will be able to attach a lot to these. Read through GVK’s latest industry regulations for wet rooms, Säkra våtrum.

If you have a concrete floor and are moving floor drains and other drainage, you need to create cavities for these. Keep in mind that floor drains must be secured to the joists.

Feeling unsure? Read Säker Vatten’s industry regulations on how plumbing installations can be carried out safely.

Step 3: Electrical, ventilation and plumbing installation

When walls and floors are exposed and timbered, new electrical cabling and piping can be routed. This is when you benefit from your earlier planning – where will the hairdryer socket be placed? And were you going to move the shower? Water pipes and electricity for this can now be routed.

If you install water pipes, these must not be jointed inside the wall but must be installed unjointed instead.

Hire an electrician for all electrical work. Electrical work that you are allowed to do yourself can be read at kopplasäkert.se.

Also, remember to have good ventilation in the bathroom, such as a bathroom fan with moisture sensor.

We have written more about electrical installations and what you are allowed to do yourself at home – make use of that advice!

Step 4: Floorboards & underfloor heating

Now it’s time to lay the floorboards! Screw them onto the floor timber and saw holes for floor drains and drainage. If you will be laying floor tiles, first lay floor plasterboard or wet room floorboards. At this stage, it is important to lay self-levelling floor screed to ensure the correct slope towards the floor drains. For flooring and wall structures, read the industry regulations for safe wet rooms.

Will you have underfloor heating? Then it can be installed at this stage.

It’s also time to fit new wet room boards to the walls and ceiling, after which they must be plastered.

You can read more about wet room boards on the Byggkeramikrådet website.

Step 5: Waterproofing

In wet zone 1, which includes the entire shower or bathtub, approved waterproofing must now be installed, extending at least one metre over the floor surfaces and wall surfaces of the entire wet room. Here you will find our Swedish-made and approved waterproofing and accessories. Make sure that you read the waterproofing installation instructions carefully.

Step 6: Tiling

All underlying work is now finished and it’s starting to look like a bathroom! It’s finally time to tile the walls and floor. Make sure you have a good tile cutter for the work and some extra tiles to be on the safe side.

Step 7: Final step

This step is the most fun! It’s time to install the bathroom fittings. Connect the shower, washbasin and lighting and watch your bathroom and vision take shape! When drilling holes in the wall to fit e.g. bathroom cabinets, washbasins or shower fittings, it is important to follow industry regulations on sealing and to maintain the tightness of the waterproofing. Instructions for this can be found in our waterproofing installation instructions.

Congratulations on your new bathroom! We know it has taken a lot of work but we hope you can now stand back and admire your masterpiece!

Waterproof bathrooms

Make sure that the materials you buy comply with industry rules and regulatory requirements. For example, you must use approved waterproofing systems, have the correct slope on the floor, and document your work in detail as part of a quality document. It’s also important that you document all the renovation steps with clear photos and videos, both overview images and detailed images.

As an appendix to your quality document, always include the installation instructions for the approved waterproofing systems you used. You must also save all receipts for the products you buy.

All this documentation allows you to show the insurance company, if necessary, how you carried out the renovation. The documentation shows that you have followed the industry regulations for wet rooms and it will also be to your benefit if you sell your home in the future.