Bathroom Fittings and Wall-Mounted Accessories

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Bathroom Fittings and Wall-Mounted Accessories

Fixing into tiled walls, adhesive versus drilling, finishes and layout

Bathroom accessories are simple to fit and easy to get wrong, because tiles, plasterboard and damp all behave differently from an ordinary wall.

Drilling into tile

Mark the point, cover it with masking tape to stop the bit wandering, and start slowly on a low speed with the hammer action switched off. Use a tile or diamond bit until you are through the glaze, then switch to a masonry bit.

Drill into the tile rather than the grout line where possible, since grout is weaker and the fixing has less to hold.

What is behind the tile

Check for pipes and cables before drilling, particularly near a basin, a cistern or a shower valve. Vertical and horizontal runs from fittings are the usual danger.

In plasterboard, use proper hollow-wall anchors rather than plastic plugs, and remember tile plus plasterboard needs a longer fixing.

Adhesive mounting

Modern adhesive mounts hold light items well on smooth sealed tile and fail on textured, porous or freshly cleaned surfaces. Clean with isopropyl alcohol rather than a bathroom spray, which leaves a film.

They are fine for a soap dispenser and unsuitable for a grab rail or anything load bearing.

Finishes and corrosion

Stainless steel, brass and properly plated fittings resist bathroom humidity. Cheaper plated steel corrodes at the fixing points first, which is where water sits.

Matt black and brushed finishes show water spots less than polished chrome in hard water areas.

Layout

Put the towel rail where a wet person can reach it, the soap dispenser beside rather than behind the tap, and check a cabinet door clears the basin before fixing anything.

Refillable dispensers

Wall-mounted refillable dispensers remove a plastic bottle from the shower every few weeks, which adds up quickly. Check the pump handles thicker products such as conditioner, since many struggle.

Clean the pump periodically by running warm water through it, since soap residue clogs the mechanism.

Buying for a rented bathroom

Adhesive fittings avoid drilling entirely and need a genuinely smooth sealed surface. Get the landlord's written permission before drilling tile, since replacing a tile is not a simple job.

Keeping a bathroom dry

Ventilation is what prevents mould and damp, and an extract fan run during and for a while after showering does more than any cleaning product.

Wipe down tiles and screens after use and leave the door open, since standing moisture is exactly what feeds mould in the grout lines.

Sealing

Apply a little silicone behind any fixing that penetrates tile in a wet area, which stops water tracking into the wall.

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