How to hide pipes in the bathroom

The presence of open pipes in the bathroom can disrupt the overall design concept of the room. To correct the current situation, it is necessary to make high-quality masking of the elements of communication systems.

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The communication system is an integral part of the bathroom. At the same time, the presence of open pipes can spoil the overall appearance of the room, as a result of which there is a need to resolve this issue. You should first take care of how to hide the pipes in the bathroom. It is also necessary to consider further maintenance of the system. The presence of a small door or the installation of a collapsible structure can significantly facilitate access to the communication element. Before you hide the pipes in the bathroom, you should think very carefully about this point.

How to hide the pipes in the bathroom with drywall?

Drywall is a very affordable material that can be used for a variety of building purposes. Excellent performance characteristics allow the use of drywall when resolving the issue of how to close the pipes in the bathroom. At the same time, attention should be focused on the need to use a variation of the material with a high moisture-resistant potential. In order to close the pipes in this way, you may need:

• moisture resistant drywall;
• screws;
• mounting strips;
• dowel;
• screwdriver;
• paint knife.

Before you close the pipes in the bathroom with drywall, you should first take care of preparing the frame. The base will consist of a guide and rack profile. It is best to use a metal variation of the frame, which is made using galvanized sheet. Here we can talk about maximum resistance to negative corrosive effects.

At the initial stage, the future location of the main frame elements is marked. A guide profile is installed along the drawn contour. To mount the rack profile, small screws are used - bugs. At the final stage, the prepared frame is sheathed with drywall. For fixing sheet material, ordinary screws are used. They are screwed in such a way that the surface of the cap sinks no more than 1 mm.

Before you hide the pipes in the bathroom with drywall, you can take care of installing a shock-absorbing tape at the points of contact between the profile and the work surface. The presence of this element will help increase the stability of the entire structure, since the tape absorbs the resulting vibrations and does not transmit them to the frame.

Vlad Zhitin, expert

Thermal holes

Provided that the drywall box is mounted to mask hot water pipes or heating elements, then care must be taken to prepare the heat holes. Their presence allows thermal energy to freely enter the room.

To install the heat holes, you may need an electric drill with a special nozzle. Subsequently, special swivel covers can be installed that allow you to adjust the heat supply.

Finishing work

If we close the pipes in the bathroom with drywall, then one of the mandatory installation steps will be finishing work. When resolving this issue, it is necessary to close up the places of fastenings and seams very high quality. Also at this stage, the strengthening of internal and external corners is carried out using a special metal profile. This will provide reliable protection of the structure from various mechanical damage.

Finishing work also includes the application of primer and putty layers. After the putty has dried, you can resort to grinding the surface using sandpaper. Subsequently, the finished box can be painted or wallpapered.

Do-it-yourself installation of pipes in the wall

Masking pipes in the thickness of the wall is a fairly popular way to resolve this issue. It is very important to know the communications wiring diagram and have a special tool at hand. In addition, care should be taken to purchase special fasteners.

Before you hide the pipes in the bathroom in this way, you need to make small strobes in the wall. Their size must correspond to the pipes. At the same time, the prepared ditches for the hot water supply system should be somewhat larger, since possible thermal expansion should be taken into account.

It should be remembered that wall chasing in a panel house is strictly prohibited. It is also recommended to refrain from a similar procedure if the thickness of the brick wall is minimal.

At the final stage, facing works are carried out. The main advantage of this method is that the bathroom is not reduced in size. However, in case of pipe damage, it becomes necessary to completely dismantle the facing layer to identify the place of failure. This is not to say that this method is extremely practical.

How to hide pipes in the bathroom under the tiles?

Covering pipes with tiles can take a long time. This is a rather laborious process. It should be noted that this material is ideal for the bathroom. This is due to its high resistance to high humidity.

Here you will also need to install the frame. A wooden frame or a metal base can be used as a base. In the latter case, we can talk about practicality, since there is no need for pre-treatment of the surface with special compounds.

Before you hide the pipes in the bathroom under the tiles, you should initially sheathe the frame with moisture-resistant sheet material. Subsequently, a mesh is glued to the surface, which will be the basis for future tile installation.

First, the front side of the structure is tiled. After that, the tile is laid on the end sections and the horizontal surface. At the end, the uppermost part of the structure is lined.

To make access to the elements of the system as simple as possible, you can install a special hatch. Such a door is slightly recessed into the wall, and pasted over with tiles on top. This will help ensure that the hatch will not stand out against the general background of the wall.

Masking pipes with furniture

Using furniture to mask pipes is a fairly effective and very affordable way. However, it is predominantly decorative. Installing hanging cabinets or cabinets provides the easiest access to the plumbing system if necessary. Before you close the pipes in the bathroom with a cabinet, you need to pay attention to the location of these elements.

Provided that the pipes are placed vertically, it is most advisable to resort to installing a pencil case. In this case, the back wall of this furniture attribute is removed, and holes are made in the upper and lower parts of the cabinet. Additionally, such an attribute can be used to store various things.

Given the high humidity in the bathroom, you must carefully approach the choice of a headset. In order to increase the overall service life in such conditions, the furniture attribute used must be pre-treated with special compounds.

Seal pipes with plastic panels

When using plastic panels, it also becomes necessary to install a box. Such a finishing material is suitable for use in wet conditions, as it has a number of advantages:

• moisture resistance;
• minimum weight indicators;
• optimal thickness;
• environmental friendliness;
• ease of installation;
• price availability.

Before you hide the pipes in the bathroom under the panels, you must first calculate the amount of material that will be needed for this. After that, markup is carried out to install the frame.

The fastening of individual elements of the frame is carried out using self-tapping screws. Profiles are attached to the wall with dowels. Initially, it is necessary to mount the frame base to the wall. Before you hide the pipes in the bathroom under the plastic panels, you should take care of the possibility of access to the individual elements of the plumbing system. To do this, you can make a collapsible box.

At the end of the installation, the skirting board is installed, which can be removed very easily during dismantling. After that, the screws are untwisted and the panels are very easily removed from the frame. Here we can talk about the practicality of the design.

How to hide pipes on the floor?

If you are faced with the task of hiding the pipes in the bathroom on the floor, then this issue can be resolved with a screed. It is the floor arrangement of communications that is the most optimal option.

Before you seal the pipes in the bathroom in this way, it is very important to determine the most appropriate thickness of the screed. The implemented layer should freely contain communications with a small gap. In order to ensure the mobility of the pipe during expansion, it is laid in a corrugation.

The laying process must be carried out with the heating turned off. Moreover, starting hot water is prohibited until the screed is completely dry. Otherwise, cracks may form on the floor surface. This method of masking is not practical, since in case of damage to the system, it is necessary to completely dismantle the implemented layer.

Alternative methods of disguise

In addition to the above methods of masking, there are several more simple and affordable methods. Each of them has its own characteristics. Alternative masking methods include:

• stucco;
• mosaic;
• roller shutters;
• metal gratings;
• false walls.

Stucco. The use of such material does not require special skills. Stucco molding can be an excellent element of decor, which is characterized by maximum practicality. In case of damage to the pipe, the stucco molding is very easily removed and subsequently also returned to its place. The material is easy to process.

Mosaic. This solution can also be called exclusive. In order to disguise, it is enough to simply paste over the pipe to match the color of the tile. A feature of the mosaic can only be called that such material can be used exclusively for wide pipes.

Roller blinds. Plumbing shutters are a great option for masking pipes. They can be positioned as a decorative element. Roller blinds are very practical to use. They provide the easiest access to the damaged section of the highway. If necessary, roller shutters are equipped with a mechanical or manual drive.

Metal lattices. These elements are mounted on an installed frame or directly to the pipes. Their use allows you to bring variety to the overall design concept of the room.

False walls. The advantage of this solution is the possibility of simultaneous masking of several pipes at once. At the same time, the installation of so-called false walls is associated with a decrease in the total space in the room.

What is the result?

We looked at several options for how to close the pipes in the bathroom. With a sufficient abundance of ways to resolve this issue, it is quite possible to choose the most appropriate method. The final choice will depend on the characteristics of the bathroom and the characteristics of the pipes to be masked.

It is possible that you have your own ways to resolve this issue. If so, please share them in the comments.

Expertise - sewerage, water supply

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How to hide pipes in the bathroom under the tiles, how to cover them with drywall, how to seal them with plastic panels: photo, video - print version