Help on making Sliding bath panel

#1

Hello! I’ve been busy moving into my new house and need to spruce up a few rooms until we get around to redecorating.
The bathroom has a ‘space saving bath’ 1500mm long. It was poorly installed with a weird wood and fabric bath panel and the sides were gummed up with moldy silicone laid ontop of kitchen towels stuffed down the 4cm gap which took me ages to strip out and replace with a more engineered solution. We also laid a nicer looking vinyl floor down for now.

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I’m looking at making a panel for the bath with some access to the space for storing cleaning products etc. There seem to be off the shelf solutions for full size bath but not a mini bath.

I was initially thinking a sliding drawer with push to open/soft close runners ala:

7-CREATE-STORAGE-BENEATH-THE-BATH-pull-out-niche-under-bath-Cue-Co-of-London-PRICE-AS-PART-OF-WHOLE-ROOM-DESIGN-hi-res
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But think more realistically a sliding panel might be best
like this one https://www.plumbworld.co.uk/croydex-unfold-n-fit-white-storage-bath-panel-6340-20056?utm_source=GoogleBase&utm_medium=GB&utm_campaign=GoogleBase&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIq5768JeL2wIVh_dRCh1gZw2mEAQYASABEgI9W_D_BwE

I wonder if anyone can advise on what materials to use.
I was thinking that a sliding door plastic track could do the trick, something along the lines of this https://www.diy.com/departments/white-sliding-wardrobe-door-track-l-1800mm-pack-of-2/1824428_BQ.prd?rrec=true#icamp=recs
But any suggestions on material for the frame and the panels? Would pine frame and plywood panels painted with bathroom paint work?

any thoughts would be appreciated.

#2

I used an IKEA drawer unit cut down to fit under the sloping end of the bath, and then neodymium magnets to hold an access panel on the rest of the length of the bath.

#3

2 new photos by Rich Maynard

#4

New photo by Rich Maynard

#6

New photo by Rich Maynard

1 Like
#7

Not sure these photos are working…

#8

one by one…the suspense is killing me

#9

I like the sliding idea. There’s multiple solutions including tiny wheels on the bottom of the panels.

There’s also stainless steel hinges probably at the bottom with magnets at the top.

#10

What could be neat (assuming there’s space), is using push catches like these mounted to a frame, so they’re fully extended when the panel’s closed. So then, you could click the panel in, slide it to one side, but still have it flush and somewhat hidden when you’re not using it.

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#11

Got something extremely similar and works well enough at £8 for 10 on Ebay

#12

People do weird things to houses. Our kitchen floor tiles were laid on top of two layers of old Lino which are now disintegrating, so all the floor tiles are breaking & coming loose.

1 Like
#13

Some old floor tiles can be asbestos

#14

Tell me about it.
Are they vinyl tiled or stone/ceramic?

#15

Looks good. What opening mechanism?

#16

The long panel is just held on with Neodymium magnets and the small panel is a cut down cupboard front. It’s held closed by the soft close mechanism on the drawer runners.

1 Like
#17

Great idea to use magnets for the bath panel - so simple and neat!

#18

Ceramic on top of two layers of vinyl. Fitted by someone from Magnet, who was clearly a cretin.

#19

I discovered the vinyl layers when we had mice and I was scrabbling about behind the kick boards trying to find entry holes.

#20

magnets good, Magnet bad.

(Sorry for post flooding, couldn’t resist!)

4 Likes
#21

Great. That seems like a good solution.
Good old neodidlium