Recess in a partition wall

[DazJWood]

I am redoing my bathroom at the moment and will shortly be installing a shower cubicle. I was hoping to put a recessed shelf in the cubicle. It will be on the wall that seperates the bathroom from the landing and as such is a partition wall of about 100mm thick. My bathroom side currently has not got the tile backer on it yet so I was thinking of adding a few more wooden noggins / batons to the wall to create a square and then add the back board and cut a hole to create the recess. I would then add some backer board to the internal parts of the recess, add some waterproof membrane and then tile.

Is this type of recess in a partition wall ok or is it not a recommended practise?

Thanks in advance,

Daz

 

[basshunter]

yes sounds good ....tank it and allow for run off

 

[diamondtiling]

It looks good when tiled, there are some recent pictures of one with a light fitted in the top, cant remember where though...😳

 

[Rich]

As above. Looks great and is really handy but just make sure it is water proof and it has enough of a run on it so you dont end up with a little pond.

 

[Sean fsy]

just a few ive done.

 

[DazJWood]

Hey Sean they look great!

I was thinking of putting lights in myself. I've already bought some outside deck lights I was going to use for below the bath and shower cubicle.

What lights do you use and where can you get them? Have you got a link?

Thanks,

Daz

 

[Sean fsy]

Hey Sean they look great!

I was thinking of putting lights in myself. I've already bought some outside deck lights I was going to use for below the bath and shower cubicle.

What lights do you use and where can you get them? Have you got a link?

Thanks,

Daz

the single light was one i had left over from my old kitchen and i fitted it for the lady as a free bee, the other ones i use are from a firm called robus.
Robus LED Decking Light Kit - Large Kits @ e-tradecounter.co.uk

i get them from a local electric wholesaler about £50 for the 10 light kit. about £30 for the 5 light kit.

 

[strummerman]

the single light was one i had left over from my old kitchen and i fitted it for the lady as a free bee, the other ones i use are from a firm called robus.
Robus LED Decking Light Kit - Large Kits @ e-tradecounter.co.uk

i get them from a local electric wholesaler about £50 for the 10 light kit. about £30 for the 5 light kit.

Now that i like recessed ceiling must try that

 

[DHTiling]

Looks good dunnit bruv.....deffo one to try..

 

[strummerman]

Looks good dunnit bruv.....deffo one to try..

Yep sure is gonna push that next time

 

[Colour Republic]

the single light was one i had left over from my old kitchen and i fitted it for the lady as a free bee, the other ones i use are from a firm called robus.
Robus LED Decking Light Kit - Large Kits @ e-tradecounter.co.uk

i get them from a local electric wholesaler about £50 for the 10 light kit. about £30 for the 5 light kit.

This is the same kit that i use a lot of as they are great value for money compared to most but it must be said that this kit is not water proof or of marine grade stainless. So great for putting in kicker boards and above shelves but not anywhere that is going to get water spray, above a recess in a bathroom is fine but on the sides or the bottom I would use some others.

I put some spare ones I had of these on my boat and they lasted about year.

 

[Diamond Pool Finishers]

nice one sean, i can see its your little touch,

 

[DazJWood]

All looks great stuff!

Just another quick question:

How have you wired these in? Are they on a switch outside the bathroom?

I've been looking at all sorts of options to wire these in. I was going to have the transformer under the bath and wired in to a fused spur that I could take off my landing plug. Is it acceptable to actually have the fused spur on the bathroom side (as opposed to the landing side? I'd rather not have another plug socket on display if I could help it). It would be under the bath on the partition wall and I could use an outside waterproof fused spur to protect from any moisture / water. It could also by wired to an fm remote then.

Hmm maybe I'm making it too complicated. I just didn't want it on the same switch as the main lights but then again I didn't want two pull cords.

Thanks in advance,

Daz

 

[Sean fsy]

straight forward enough, just replace switch with a double and link the live wire across from the original switch supply. then just put a single socket/box for the transformer to plug into at the other end of the cable, 1.5mm cable is enough.

 

[Sean fsy]

Before:my own work

After:

 

[user123]

Now that i like recessed ceiling must try that

So why didn't you do that in our bathroom then, Mikey dear?? :lol: Kidding!!... like the ceiling as it it is.... really...:lol: same stuff though, isn't it, and yes, this does look good...

 

[DazJWood]

straight forward enough, just replace switch with a double and link the live wire across from the original switch supply. then just put a single socket/box for the transformer to plug into at the other end of the cable, 1.5mm cable is enough.

Excuse me for being thick (which I am with all this diy stuff! 🙂), but I don't understand how this is working? Where are the switches? on the outside wall of the bathroom? I only have the normal pull cord and I wanted the deck lights to operate seperately to the main lights.

Can you clarify?

thanks,

Daz

 

[user123]

Excuse me for being thick (which I am with all this diy stuff! 🙂), but I don't understand how this is working? Where are the switches? on the outside wall of the bathroom? I only have the normal pull cord and I wanted the deck lights to operate seperately to the main lights.

Can you clarify?

thanks,

Daz

Nope, not thick, I think that's a really good question, I'd like to know, too! Can't know if it's new to us, can we... :smilewinkgrin:

 

[simhopper]

We have been doing this a lot recently

Collingwood make the best LEDS anything less than £30 per light will not last,On average you need to spend £45 per light for it to last 5+ years, Collingwoods are guaranteed to last 7 yrs

The warm white or cool white look the best, Blue deck lights look too much imo

 

[DazJWood]

Anyone comment on the best way to wire these in?

Thanks

 

[Sean fsy]

if you want to wire them in independant to your normal main light then you are going to need another switch fitted some where, if its not much hassle i would fit a new switch on the outside wall of the bathroom. if you dont want the switch to be seen you can always put the switch inside a airing cupbnoard or somewhere similar. all you need is a permanent live off your light ring main leading to a switch, then from the switch to a normal single socket on a pattress box to plug your transformer into it. easy enough for a competent diy'er, if not sure then ask someone who knows then last resort phone a sparky. ive never had a problem with robus lights(some fitted 4 years ago) and on their site they state the led's have a continuos life span of 50,000 hours. you would have to replace all 10 lights at the same time X10 to feel the benefit of a £50 a shot light. i fitted cheapy £20 for 6 deck lights in my old house over 3 1/2 years ago and i know they are still all working perfectly.

 

[Colour Republic]

These are the same lights as mentioned in this thread, fitted Jan 2004, picture taken last month:smilewinkgrin:

 

[simhopper]

These are the same lights as mentioned in this thread, fitted Jan 2004, picture taken last month:smilewinkgrin:

Shows they last then!

Most bathrooms we do are in excess of 8k so a few £50s make no difference, I would only ever fit a ip68 rated fitting in or around a shower area with the drivers fitted into the ceiling space.The cheaper drivers can also not be dimmed and some of the collingwood lights are suprising bright for LEDS

 

[Colour Republic]

Shows they last then!

Most bathrooms we do are in excess of 8k so a few £50s make no difference, I would only ever fit a ip68 rated fitting in or around a shower area with the drivers fitted into the ceiling space.The cheaper drivers can also not be dimmed and some of the collingwood lights are suprising bright for LEDS

I sort of agree....

Most of our bathrooms are in the same price range, the en-suite in the picture was £7.5k in 2004 and at the time not many people were using them as accent lighting and even though it is a growing trend not many people are asking for it today, it seems it's almost always us that suggest these enhancements.

The bathroom above had 8 LEDS although the pack came as 10 (the other 2 ended up on my boat:smilewinkgrin🙂 (£57 + labour) so given that it is an extra I know most of my customer would not have it done if we pitched it at £500+ labour. I agree that the single units are better but in most applications are they really 10 x the price better? If budget is not a factor and also if the LEDs are on show (or in zone 1) I too would opt for the single unit option.

It has to be said that the Robus LED packs are also pre-wired so will not suit every installation due to its limitations but will suffice in most cases

I too prefer the warm white LED's but these have only become readily available in the last 3/4 years as the demand has grown and technology advanced.

In addition I think we will see an increase in the use of LED's as a direct replacement of GU10's as the bulbs coming on to the market are brighter and warmer than in years past. So this is also a cheaper way to incorporate LED's albeit in a larger size but with less initial outlay and massive savings in energy bills

 

[DazJWood]

if you want to wire them in independant to your normal main light then you are going to need another switch fitted some where, if its not much hassle i would fit a new switch on the outside wall of the bathroom. if you dont want the switch to be seen you can always put the switch inside a airing cupbnoard or somewhere similar. all you need is a permanent live off your light ring main leading to a switch, then from the switch to a normal single socket on a pattress box to plug your transformer into it. easy enough for a competent diy'er, if not sure then ask someone who knows then last resort phone a sparky. ive never had a problem with robus lights(some fitted 4 years ago) and on their site they state the led's have a continuos life span of 50,000 hours. you would have to replace all 10 lights at the same time X10 to feel the benefit of a £50 a shot light. i fitted cheapy £20 for 6 deck lights in my old house over 3 1/2 years ago and i know they are still all working perfectly.

Hey thanks for the detailed reply. Just a couple more questions:

When you say 'then from the switch to a normal single socket', where are you locating this socket? And if it's only the permanent live, how does it wire up?

I actually bought a transformer that specifically wasn't one of the ones that is built into the plug. I did it this way as my plan was to wire it directly in to a fused spur that I would install on the outside wall of the bath room and the transformer either sit in the partition wall cavity or under the bath. This would be on the ring main, but I hadn't quite sorted the switching aspect out (other than via the fused spur). Is it possible to install a fused spur on the bathroom side if I used one of those outside waterproof sockets? It would sit under the bath.

I like your idea of using the lighting circuit however and I could install this outside the bathroom too. I'm just a bit confused by the wiring side.

Has anyone tried those sensor type switches that can be installed behind tiles? Are they worth using or not?

Thanks again all,

Daz

 

[simhopper]

I sort of agree....

Most of our bathrooms are in the same price range, the en-suite in the picture was £7.5k in 2004 and at the time not many people were using them as accent lighting and even though it is a growing trend not many people are asking for it today, it seems it's almost always us that suggest these enhancements.

The bathroom above had 8 LEDS although the pack came as 10 (the other 2 ended up on my boat:smilewinkgrin🙂 (£57 + labour) so given that it is an extra I know most of my customer would not have it done if we pitched it at £500+ labour. I agree that the single units are better but in most applications are they really 10 x the price better? If budget is not a factor and also if the LEDs are on show (or in zone 1) I too would opt for the single unit option.

It has to be said that the Robus LED packs are also pre-wired so will not suit every installation due to its limitations but will suffice in most cases

I too prefer the warm white LED's but these have only become readily available in the last 3/4 years as the demand has grown and technology advanced.

In addition I think we will see an increase in the use of LED's as a direct replacement of GU10's as the bulbs coming on to the market are brighter and warmer than in years past. So this is also a cheaper way to incorporate LED's albeit in a larger size but with less initial outlay and massive savings in energy bills

I am yet to see a GU10 LED bulb that would produce enough light, The Megaman range are about the best and these are still too dim

I am not a fan of GU10 Halogen bulbs, Have recently been fitting the Halolite energy saving bulbs as these fit in reccessed spots, No good for a wc room but for a bathroom there fine as they have a warm up time of only a few minutes

 

[Deleted member 1779]

Recess or niche for storing things....

If its in a wet zone then as mentioned tank and run off

I didnt bother in the shower though... (lost my bottle!) Just put a glass shelf above head height.

 

[Sean fsy]

off topic, thanks for my new 115mm drill 365, came today.

 

[Deleted member 1779]

Thanks Sean!

I'll keep it on-topic with some more pics!!!

 

[DazJWood]

Hey thanks for the detailed reply. Just a couple more questions:

When you say 'then from the switch to a normal single socket', where are you locating this socket? And if it's only the permanent live, how does it wire up?

I actually bought a transformer that specifically wasn't one of the ones that is built into the plug. I did it this way as my plan was to wire it directly in to a fused spur that I would install on the outside wall of the bath room and the transformer either sit in the partition wall cavity or under the bath. This would be on the ring main, but I hadn't quite sorted the switching aspect out (other than via the fused spur). Is it possible to install a fused spur on the bathroom side if I used one of those outside waterproof sockets? It would sit under the bath.

I like your idea of using the lighting circuit however and I could install this outside the bathroom too. I'm just a bit confused by the wiring side.

Has anyone tried those sensor type switches that can be installed behind tiles? Are they worth using or not?

Thanks again all,

Daz

Anyone help with this?

 

[Deleted member 1779]

I've seen the sensor pads fitted behind the tiles of a kitchen wall.

Website
Like anything if they go wrong you have to take off the tiles. But thats no different than water problems etc.

Nice idea - but I personally prefer to switch everything electrical on and off outside the room.

This is my downstairs bathroom. Switches outside

Closer shot
1) Light switch for on/off of main light
2) Heating temperature control
3) Fused spurs for shower, washing machine, (inside cupboard), shaver socket

Upstairs bathroom
1) A double rocker light switch for main light and also switch for the cabinet
2) Large switch for the extract

When I wired both bathrooms I put the lighting onto the lighting ringmain via the loft and the extract fan I Tee'd off from the socket ringmain.

However I am not an electrician so in commercial work you need to be Part-P but this was my own home. But I would suggest that if you can do it outside the bathroom (and all the zones!) then you have the best options. Especially if it comes to fault finding later....

Tracey and John loved their new bathroom with its concealed lighting.
However Finding the on/off switch was a bugger. And so was finding the concealed
loo roll holder, towel rail and where are the bloody hot and cold taps....