I would really like to fit a shower screen in the bathroom of my new flat but am wondering if it is OK to do so - the wall behind my bath is just a stud wall (I think), and the kitchen is directly behind it. Would the (tiled) wall be able to take the weight of the screen, and are there likely to be any dodgy pipe / wiring issues if I drill into the wall? The kitchen light switch is on the other side of it, but there are no kitchen appliances connected to the wall.
Also, is it a job I could do myself, given I have next to no DIY skills (though I did get a drill for Xmas )??
One more question - if I wanted to replace my kitchen tiles is it better to try and chip them off first or just tile over them?
hiya,
I can't help you about the shower screen but when i tiled my kitchen and bathroom i went straight over the tiles that were already there because at the time i was told by a builder that its an an ideal flat surface to tile onto.
Hope this helps
If you are attaching a shower screen to a stud wall then you must be careful that there are no water pipes or electrical cables where you are drilling though you can buy/ hire electronic indicators that tell you if anything is behind the wall you don't want to touch, although I've never used them.
the other important thing is to make sure that you have hollow wall bolts that will expand behind the stud wall and hold it firmly to take the weight of your screen.If it is a new stud wall and made of plaster board that should be fine,retile and then drill the holes,you will need to use a special drill bit to get through the ceramic tiles.
My bathrom was an old lath and plaster stud wall it was easier and better to remove the crumbling old plaster and old tiles , have it replastered and then retile (but a hell of a mess!)at this point, I inserted a wooden baton to the stud frame where a shower screen would go , so could attach it using ordinary wood screws.
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