I hear you on the “creative” plumbing. I once had a vanity where the drain was almost hugging the left wall, and whoever installed it before me just ran a flex line at a wild angle. Every time I opened the doors, it bugged me. Ended up spending half a Saturday rerouting everything—wasn’t pretty, but at least it looked intentional after.
Honestly, moving the vanity is always my last choice too. The one time I tried that, I found out the old floor tile didn’t go all the way under, so then I had to patch that up... which turned into a whole other project. Sometimes you just gotta pick your battles.
Curious if anyone’s ever just boxed in the pipes or built a little false back to hide the mess? I’ve thought about it but never actually tried. Wondering if it’s worth the effort or just another thing to dust behind.
Curious if anyone’s ever just boxed in the pipes or built a little false back to hide the mess? I’ve thought about it but never actually tried. Wondering if it’s worth the effort or just another thing to dust behind.
- Had a similar situation with my first bathroom reno. Pipes were all over the place, and I seriously considered boxing them in.
- Decided against it after reading a few horror stories about leaks going unnoticed behind false panels. I’m a bit paranoid about water damage, so I’d rather see the pipes, even if they’re ugly.
- Instead, I just painted the exposed pipes to match the wall. Not perfect, but at least I can spot any drips right away.
- Also, dusting behind a box or panel sounds like a pain. I already forget to clean behind the toilet half the time...
- If you do go for a false back, maybe make it removable? That way you can check for leaks or issues without tearing everything apart.
Honestly, I’d rather have “intentional ugly” than hidden problems. Just my two cents.
Yeah, I get where you’re coming from. I’ve seen boxed-in pipes look super tidy, but I’m always a little nervous about hiding stuff that could leak. Painted pipes aren’t fancy, but at least you know what’s going on. Removable panels sound like a decent compromise if you want it neater, but honestly, I’d rather deal with a bit of ugly than a surprise flood.
Honestly, I’ve seen some boxed-in jobs that look awesome, but the second you need to get at a leaky joint, you’re cursing whoever built it. Painted pipes might not win any beauty contests, but at least you’re not playing plumber hide-and-seek. Removable panels are the sweet spot if you want tidy without the headache. I’ve had to rip out some “creative” boxing before and it’s never fun.
- Couldn’t agree more about the “creative” boxing—some folks must think plumbers have x-ray vision.
- Painted pipes aren’t pretty, but at least you know what you’re dealing with when things go sideways.
- Removable panels are a lifesaver, especially when you’re crawling around at 2am trying to stop a drip before it floods the place.
- I’ve seen some jobs where they boxed in everything so tight, you’d need a chainsaw just to check for leaks... not ideal.
- Honestly, I’ll take function over form any day if it means I’m not tearing apart half the bathroom for a five-minute fix.
