How to beautifully hide the pipes in the bathroom without mounting them into the wall

In Soviet-built prefabricated houses, communications in bathrooms are most often external, which spoils the appearance of the room. However, it is not always possible to hide pipes in the wall. This article will discuss ways to disguise how to hide pipes in the bathroom without mounting them on the wall.

Rules for summarizing communications

When carrying out independent work on the supply of water, sewer or heating communications, several rules should be followed:

• The layout of communications should be planned so that the pipes have a minimum length, the number of bends and connections.
• For connection, you need to use products from the same material as the pipes.
• During installation, it is imperative to provide access to all cranes and other items of equipment.
• To prevent corrosion and mold, it is recommended to provide thermal insulation of pipes.

Ways to mask outdoor communications

• Changing the communication scheme.
  A rather difficult way is to transfer or change the configuration of the line in the bathroom.

For competent and high-quality redevelopment, it is better to invite a specialist. It will not only help to draw up the right plan, which will subsequently have to be coordinated with the relevant services. A good master will do the job in such a way as to avoid unpleasant surprises in the future.

If there is a niche in the walls of the room, this method is the most optimal. All pipe strings are transferred to a niche where related devices are mounted: water meters, filters, valves. Outside, a construction of drywall sheets and a portal with a special door are installed, which will provide unhindered access to all communications.

• Masking pipes with furniture.

One of the easiest ways to mask communications is to hide them with the help of various pieces of furniture: cabinets, shelves, cabinets. So, for example, the pipes leading to the sink can be hidden in a stylish cabinet, and the drain from the bathroom and washing machine is neatly covered by a screen.

This method will not require large expenses, while maintaining an attractive appearance of the room. However, there are some inconveniences associated with the impossibility of moving these pieces of furniture in the bathroom. In addition, you will need to make holes in the shelves, side and rear walls of the cabinets, fill their space with pipes, siphons, filters. This will make it impossible to use the furniture for its intended purpose.

Decorating pipes with a box

To date, the installation of a box is the most common type of masking for drainpipes. For this, different materials are used, most often waterproof drywall, plastic panels and multilayer plywood.

Each of these materials has its own advantages and disadvantages. Drywall is a very easy material to work with, it is easy to cut and install, forming a fairly strong surface, which is then covered with plaster or ceramic tiles.

As a result, the design harmoniously fits into the interior of the bathroom, without breaking out of the overall style. The disadvantage is the difficulty of dismantling if it is necessary to completely replace the pipeline. Even if there is an access window to communications, repair work will require a complete or partial disassembly of the structure, and this is tantamount to a new repair.

Sheets of multilayer plywood also have the necessary hardness and are suitable for mounting a rigid and reliable structure. However, cutting the necessary fragments from this material is much more difficult; this will require special tools.

In addition, for rooms with high humidity and constant temperature fluctuations, it is important to choose only the highest quality plywood. Cheaper options, when heated, will release phenol, which is poisonous to humans. In addition, if the waterproofing is not of high quality, the plywood will get wet and deform.

Sheathing the box with plastic will eliminate the possible inconvenience associated with the need to dismantle the box. Any of the plastic panels can be easily removed and put back into place without much damage. The disadvantage is the appearance and fragility of this material.

Siding and screed to hide pipes in the bathroom

If the area of ​​the bathroom allows, pipes can be masked with siding. This finishing material is made of various materials: plastic, wood, aluminum. In addition, it comes in various shapes: lining, slabs, panels.

Sheathing with siding involves the installation of a frame structure around the entire perimeter of the bathroom or most of the visible sections of the walls. This is a very time-consuming process that requires the complete release of the premises, marking, drilling, profile installation. Also, part of the usable area will be lost.

The advantage of this method is the ease of dismantling such structures and replacing damaged fragments. For the bathroom, plastic lining is best suited. The range of this facing material today will satisfy every taste, and caring for it does not require much effort.

Wall chasing can be avoided by hiding the pipes under the screed on the floor. This method is quite simple and allows you to run pipes to any part of the room along the shortest path. Hiding the pipes under the screed, you will have to fill in a layer of such a thickness as to block the pipes, having previously protected them with corrugation.

It should be noted that in apartments this will lead to a heavier floor, which means an additional load on the floors. Another disadvantage of this method is the impossibility of carrying out repairs - if a leak occurs, the floor will have to be hammered. Therefore, this method is most often used in private homes or for installing underfloor heating.

Before you hide the pipes in the bathroom without mounting the walls, and in order to avoid the troubles that may arise during the operation of the bathroom, you should know that you can completely hide only those pipe sections that do not have metal-plastic connections in the form of fittings.

It is these areas that are most susceptible to depressurization and water leakage. In addition, it is impossible to tightly close pipe sections with insulation, filters, meters, connecting elements, taps or valves.

It is also worth noting that only pipes made of copper and polypropylene are subject to complete insulation, which do not have threaded connections, but are securely soldered to each other.

When choosing a material for the box, preference should be given to materials that are resistant to moisture, protected from decay, mold and corrosion.

For the installation of boxes, apartment owners should choose lightweight materials that will not create additional load on the floors.

After reviewing all the options for masking communications in the bathroom without strobe walls, everyone has the opportunity to choose the most suitable method for themselves, and following the suggested recommendations, you can do all the work yourself.