Archive for the ‘Taps / Bathroom Fixtures & Fittings’ Category

Within your bathroom, there are a number of accessories that you may need in order for the room to be functional, these include things like a towel ring, or rack, toilet paper holder, toothpaste and tooth brush holder etc.  Today we are going to show you a good way to attach the lighter of these items such as a single hand towel ring, a soap dish, a toilet paper holder or toothpaste holder to your tiles without the need to drill.

When you purchase the items they will probably come with screws already in them, unless they are the new suction cup items, though my experience with these is they just do not stick.


So what do you do? Use silicone and stick it firmly into place.  Silicone is a great solution for attaching lighter items to a tiled wall.

1. Take the backing plate provided with the accessory and if you have a sticker (provided with the plate to hold it in position and away from the tile), apply this to the backing plate, then before you remove the sticker, apply a generous squirt of silicone to either side of the sticker on the backing plate (around where the screws would go).

2. Remove the backing of the sticker and attach to the wall positioning it as required.

3. Use the silicone to fill up the the screw holes, and apply a small amount into the gap around the sides of the backing plate.

4. Leave your siliconed backing plate for 24 hours to dry, and then fix your item to the wall.

Remember this will only work for lighter accessories, but is a great way of attaching things without having to risk drilling the tile.

For all your bathroom accessories, check out the DIY Bargain Bin Bath Taps, Bathroom Fixtures and Fittings section to find everything you need.


Fixing a leaking tap, photo courtesy of Alex Evans

The sound is drumming into your brain, drip, drip, drip, and no matter how you try to shut it out, it is still there.  So if you want to fix it, we here at DIY HQ we can help, because it really is very simple!

Leaking taps are usually caused by one of two things, washers that are no longer performing as they should or that your tap needs to be reseated!

Replacing the washer

First thing is first, turn off your water at the mains and put the plug in the sink, to stop any bits being lost.  Then using a screwdriver, flick off the tap’s cover which will reveal the screw.  Undo this and remove the handle.  Remove the handle, being careful not to scratch the surface.

Now unscrew the tap bonnet using a spanner or a wrench. From here you can remove the o-ring, the jumper valve and the washer.  You will now need to get replacements, measure the washer and items using a ruler, and then rummage through the DIY Bargin Bin Plumbing / Pipes / Irrigation / Hydroponic section to see if we have the parts you need.

Replace each of these then reassemble in the same way as you took it apart.