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A freestanding bath tap can be the perfect finishing touch for your bathtub, and indeed your whole bathroom.
However, installing a freestanding bath tap isn’t as straightforward as a standard one. The biggest hurdle for many homeowners is routing the water pipes through the concrete floor.
I recently installed a freestanding bath tap and know firsthand how challenging it can be, especially when dealing with a concrete floor.
If you’re considering a DIY installation, this guide will walk you through the step-by-step process.
Table of Contents
Tools for Freestanding Bath Tap Installation
You can install a freestanding bath tap with a lot of the tools you likely already have in the garage. There are some specialists plumping tools you may want to get to make the job easier.
Before you dive into the installation, ensure you have these tools ready:
- Adjustable wrench: For tightening and loosening pipe fittings.
- Rag: To wipe away excess water and sealant.
- Drill with Masonry Drill Bit: For drilling a hole through the concrete floor.
- Pencil: To mark the drilling spot.
- Screwdriver: For securing the tap to the wall or floor.
- Thread seal tape: To prevent leaks at pipe joints.
- Silicone sealant: To seal gaps and prevent water damage.
- Angle grinder: To create a clean cut in the concrete
- Demolition Hammer: To breakout the concrete
- Repair Mortar: To cover the pipes once they are placed
- Optional – Core Drill: Easy way to drill larger holes in concrete
Tip: Some of these tools can be hefty, make sure to lay a thick rag or old towel on the floor to rest the tools on. If you don’t, you may end up with a few cracked tiles to replace after the job is done.
Freestanding Bath Tap Installation on a Concrete Floor: Step-by-step Instructions
Installing a freestanding bath tap on a concrete floor can be a bit tricky, especially considering the risk of damaging the floor. However, with careful planning and the right technique, you can successfully complete this task. This guide will walk you through each step, ensuring a smooth installation process.
Step 1: Planning and Preparing
This first step is the most important one of the lot, finding the right location for the bath tap. Ensure that:
- The body of the tap isn’t going to be in the way when walking around the bathroom
- The spout can easily reach the bath so the water doesn’t hit the edge
- Any handheld shower attachments can be easily reached when in the bath
Use a pencil to mark out the location. I recommend tracing the base of the freestanding bath tap to make sure there is enough room without overlapping with the bath or sink.
Step 2: Trace Water Supply Line
A freestanding bath tap requires direct plumbing to the water supply. As concrete floors typically lack space beneath them, you’ll need to drill through the floor or create a channel to accommodate the pipes.
Starting from the main water supply, use a pencil to draw the pipe layout leading to the tap placement. Keep these lines straight and use as few corners as possible to make the installation easier. Make the width of the markup at least an inch bigger than the diameter of the pipes for perfect installation.
If you can, I recommend running as much of the supply line across the internal of the walls first before running it through the ground. The intention is to have the least amount running through the concrete as possible so there is less concrete breakout in the next step.
Tip: Before drilling, it’s important to assess the concrete slab’s thickness and integrity. Tap on the slab to determine if it’s solid or hollow. Hollow slabs are more prone to cracking, so avoid routing pipes through them if possible.
Step 3: Create a Channel in the Concrete Floor
This will be the most labour-intensive part of the job. If you followed out last step, most of the supply pipe will be in the walls, making this part easier.
First use the angle grinder to cut along the edges of the channel, this will make sure you have a clean edge when breaking out the concrete. If you don’t, chunks of concrete will break off at random jagged angles, making the patching work harder and messier.
Next use a small handheld demolition hammer to break out the concrete to create a channel. Don’t use one that it too big as they are harder to control. You will end up breaking out much more concrete than you need to.
Step 4: Connecting the Pipes
Now that you have created the channel, it’s time to connect the copper pipes. Lay the pipes within the channel, ensuring you have enough to go from the main water supply to the taps location.
Once the pipes are in place, connect them to the main water supply using the isolation valves and compression fittings. Tighten all connections securely with a wrench.
Make sure to use thread take when connecting the pipes to create a water proof seal. You can also reinforce this with silicone.
Step 5: Install the Tap Base
Position the faucet body over the pipework, ensuring it aligns correctly with the pipes. From here you can mark the locations of the base screw locations. These will need to be drilled out using a drill and masonry drill bit.
Secure the base of the tap to the floor using the provided mounting bracket, anchors and screws. Once it is secured, connect the copper pipes to the spout, following the manufacturer’s instructions.
Again, I suggest using thread tape and silicon to prevent any leaks. Make sure everything is lined up properly for tightening any of the screws.
Step 6: Test it Out
Time to see how you’ve done. Test out the tap, ensuring:
- Water is flowing at a consistent rate and pressure. It may be slow initially after the water main is turned back on.
- Check for any leaks in your pipe work, best to fix any problems now before they become a big hassle
Step 7: Patch up the Concrete Channel
Your work is not quite done yet. Now that you have the tap operational, it’s time to clean up.
I suggest getting any form of dry mix concrete or repair mortar. It is easy to mix and apply to the concrete channel. Completely cover the pipework and try to get it level as possible to the surrounding concrete. It doesn’t have to be 100% flush as you can make up the gaps when you do your tiling.
Finish by cleaning up the rest of your gear and you are done. Time to enjoy a well-deserved bath using your newly installed freestanding tap. Well done!
Tips for a Smooth Freestanding Bath Tap Installation
After doing a bit of plumbing work in the past myself, including installing my freestanding bath tap, I know there are a lot of rookie errors that can be made. Here’s a few tips to help you out.
1. Shutoff the Water Mains Before You Start
If you don’t want to get the soaking of a lifetime before you start the works, make sure to turn off the water main. Turn a tap on in the house the release the water pressure from the system.
I also suggest letting the rest of the house know before you do so as it will be some time before their next toilet break. Once the water is turned off, the toilet works once and once only, best make it count.
2. Wear Protection and Get a Water Sprayer
Cutting concrete can be a messy job. Make sure you wear gloves, a mask and eye protection to prevent debris from getting into your eye. I also recommend getting a small water sprayer to wet down the concrete before cutting. Wetting the concrete minimises the amount of dust you make during concrete cutting.
In the past, I’ve used my weed sprayer which works just fine.
3. Create a Waterproof Seal
I know I’ve mentioned this twice already in this guide, but thread tape and silicon are a must. Metal pipes are not the best at creating a complete seal so these items will do it for them. Water damage is no joke, best to be on the safe side.
4. Get a Plumber If You Need To
Don’t be afraid to get a professional involved. Plumping work might seem straightforward at first but often requires a bit of technical knowhow to get it done right.
You can safe a bit of money by cutting the channel in the concrete yourself and leave the pipework to the professionals.
