No stunning bathroom would be complete without an equally stunning bath. Of course, as the centre piece of the room you want your bath to be fitted with professional results both in form and function. This leaves many DIYers out in the cold, wondering whether or not they should cough up the roughly £200 or more it could cost to hire a professional plumber.

We’re here to tell you that there is another way. Fitting a bath, yourself may seem like challenge at first, but undertaken with the proper planning and preparation can be completed to a very high standard by most intermediate DIY enthusiasts. The simple steps below outline how to breath some new life into your bathroom with a fully fitted, plumbed and professionally finished bathtub.

Step 1. Check Your New Bath and Installation Area

After getting all your tools and materials together, you will first want to check the condition of your bath. Make sure it is the correct size and does not have any chips that may lead to more significant damage. You should also take the time to consult the manufactures instructions and make sure that all necessary parts for the fitting have been included.

If you are replacing an old bath the internal plumbing should not need adjusting, you just need to make sure that the new bath lines up with the current pipes. However, if you are moving the location of the bath or building a new bathroom from scratch the plumbing will very likely have to be rerouted/installed. This is a very difficult job to do yourself so we would suggest calling in a qualified plumber, at least for this first step.

Step 2. Turn Off the Water Supply

You will need to find your stopcock and turn it anti-clockwise to stop the supply of water. If you are removing an old bath, you will then need to disconnect the taps, waste and overflow as well as remove all other fixings. Whilst you are removing the cradle, take care to keep a hold of the fixing screws as these can be used for the new bath. The bath can then be removed and disposed of. We recommend getting a friend to help you do this.

Assemble New Bath Cradle and Feet

Consult your manufactures instructions for a list of the correct sized screws to use and then assemble the bath cradle and four feet. Making use of the screws you saved earlier affix, this cradle onto the new bath before finally attaching the central bath foot.

Step 3. Attach Bath Taps

If your bath has come pre-drilled with tap holes, this is a simple task. Just place your taps through the holes and affix as per their manufacturer’s instructions. It is important that you make sure your taps are suitable for your bath before ordering.

If your bath has not come with pre-drilled holes you will have to make use of a drill with a hole saw attachment. Baths can be difficult to mark with a pencil, so it is best to use some masking tape over the areas you wish to drill. Measure the size of the holes and their distance from each other in accordance with the size of your chosen taps and then carefully drill the holes.

You should aim for the holes to be a few millimetres bigger than the taps pipes to allow room for the washers and bolts. It hardly needs to be said, but triple-check your measurements before drilling. This is a crucial step and a mistake means, in worst case, the purchase of another bath.

Bear in mind that depending on your chosen taps, you may need some flexible tap connectors to easily connect the taps to your plumbing. 

Step 4. Attach Waste and Overflow

The waste can be connected by adding some silicone sealant around the supplied washer, pushing it against the underside of the bath and then securing the waste over the top of the hole with the supplied screws. The overflow can then be fitted as per the instructions for your specific bath.

Step 5. Mark the Baths Position on Your Walls & Attach Wall Brackets

The height of the bath can be easily calculated by measuring the height of the bath panel and adding that to the height of the bath rim. This height (the top of the bath) should be clearly marked on your wall with a pencil, as should the length of the bath.With these positions marked you can then attach the wall brackets to the sides of the bath that will abut your bathroom walls using the supplied fixings.

Step 6. Adjust the Bath to the Marked Height

Adjust the baths feet to get the top of the bath to line up with the marked lines. If you are not sure that your floor has the structural integrity to hold up under a full bath of water, you can also place two wooden battens undeath the feet, which will help spread the weight more evenly. Just make sure that the top of the bath still meets the marked lines. Once the bath is at the correct height, double check it is level using your spirt level.

Step 7. Fix the Bath to the Wall and Floors

Mark the outline of each of the bath’s feet onto the floor. If you are using battens mark their position on the floor instead and mark the feet’s position on the battens. Similarly, mark the position of the wall brackets as well as the guide holes for both.

Move the bath aside for now and use a pipe and cable detector to check that the marked fixing areas are not obstructed. Then move the bath back to the marked positions and drill through the guide holes using a drill bit suitable for your walls and floor. If you are drilling into tile, you should first cover the area with some masking tape to prevent the drill from slipping.

With the guide holes drilled, move the bath away from the wall and pipe a line of sealant about 1 cm down from the marked lines across all the walls the bath will connect to. Lift the bath back into position and check it is level again. Finally, secure the wall brackets, feet (and battens if used) to the walls and floors respectively, using self-taping screws and if needed, wall plugs.

Step 8. Fix Taps & Waste to Your Internal Plumbing

Connect the bath trap and waste pipe to the internal plumbing, ensuring that the compression fittings have been tightened. The taps can be connected using flexible pipe connectors and an adjustable wrench, whilst doing this you should make sure that any washers supplied are in place as per the manufacturer’s instructions. We would recommend wrapping some PTFE tape around any threaded connections to make them extra watertight. 

You can now turn the water back on to check for any leaks around the connections and overflow.

Step 9. Affix the Bath Panel

Hold your spirit level vertically against the bath's corners and mark where they are resting on the floor. Allowing for the width of the panel, move back in (towards the bath) and connect these marks to create your outline.

Use your pipe and cable connector to ensure there are no obstructions and then fix some battens to the floor where this outline is marked. These will provide an area to screw in your panel at its base. Actual methods for affixing the panels will vary so it is best to consult your manufacturer’s instructions again. Some panels may not require battens at all and will instead include clips to attach them to your bath.

Step 10. Apply Sealant Around the Bath’s Edges

Start by filling the bath with water, this ensures that the bath will not pull away from the sealant whilst it is in use. Next, apply masking tape around the edge of the walls, leaving a small gap between the bath and a portion of the tile. Load your sealant into a sealant gun and then begin piping a thin bead around the bath’s edges. If the bead is too small you may need to trim the nozzle. 

When this is done you can use a shaping tool to create a smooth finish and remove any excess. You can then remove the masking tape. Do drain away the water until the sealant has dried. Once it has and you’ve waited 24 hours, the bath installation will be complete, and you can have yourself a nice relaxing soak as a reward for all your hard work.

Looking for more inspiration? Take a look at our wide range of product and project guides - covering an array of subjects from garden renovations to painting and decorating, installing stunning lighting set-ups to building out a kitchen or bathroom from scratch and much, much more. Take the leap today and start your DIY journey right here. For direct help and advice, you can also contact our award-winning customer service team.

For this job, it would be ideal to have some knowledge of plumbing and how a bathtub fits together. You should also check your local building regulations to ensure your renovation work is in line with health and safety laws.