Guides · Using KBB Go · Founder notes
The KBB Go blog
Practical bathroom design guides from 30 years in the trade, how-tos for KBB Go, and honest notes on building it.
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How many boxes of tiles do I need? The fitter’s sum
Area, plus wastage, divided by what one box covers, then round up. Here’s the sum the trade uses, what comes off it and what doesn’t.
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Boxing in a bathroom: pipe boxes, bulkheads and slopes
Most bathroom designs have something boxed in. A fitter’s guide to pipe boxes, bulkheads and sloping ceilings, and why the depth matters.
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Brick bond, stack or herringbone? Choosing a tile lay
The same tile can look like three different rooms depending on how it’s laid. What each layout does to the room, the fitting time and the order.
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Grout colour: the cheapest design change in the room
White, grey or charcoal grout can make the same tile look like a different room. How to help a customer choose, and what each one costs them later.
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Wet-wall panels or tiles? An honest comparison
Wet-wall is faster, usually cheaper and has no grout to clean. Tiles give more choice and a different finish. How to help a customer decide.
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Walk-in shower or enclosure? Helping a customer choose
Walk-ins look open and modern, but they need room. Enclosures save space. The questions that decide it, and the 500 mm rule.
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Left-hand or right-hand offset quadrant? The trick that saves a tray
It’s the most easily-confused name in a bathroom catalogue, and getting it wrong means a tray that doesn’t fit. One trick sorts it.
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Showering over a bath: which bath, which screen
A shower over a bath works best with the right bath shape and a screen that matches it. Here’s what pairs with what, and the one combination to avoid.
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Electric shower upgrades: the cable question to ask early
Going from a 7.5 kW or 8.5 kW electric shower to 9.5 kW or 10.5 kW usually means a new cable run. Ask about it while you’re still talking showers, not on fitting day.
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Chrome, brushed brass or matt black? Choosing a fitting finish
The finish on the taps, shower, screen and rail sets the tone of the whole bathroom. How each one reads, what to match it with, and how to let a customer see it.
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LED mirrors: backlit or front-lit, warm or cool?
An LED mirror can be mood lighting or task lighting, depending on how it’s lit. What to ask before you specify one, and the electrical work to price in.
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Towel rails and radiators: straight, angled or corner valves?
Where the pipes come from decides the valve. Plus boiler, electric or dual fuel, and the TRV pack that people forget to add.
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Bathroom floors: why vinyl click works and laminate doesn’t
A wood look is popular in bathrooms. Ordinary laminate isn’t up to it. What to offer instead, and the underlay detail to check.
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PVC or plasterboard ceiling? The maintenance conversation
PVC panels are water and mould resistant and low maintenance. Plasterboard costs more and needs repainting. How to explain it, and how ceiling panels are counted.
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Getting the room right: why the survey decides so much
A room drawn 40 mm out is 40 mm out in the elevations, the tile count and the pictures. What to measure, and the bathrooms that aren’t rectangles.
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Double vanity units: when they work and how to plan them
Two basins, one basin across two units, or one long vanity with storage? How to plan a double vanity run that fits the room and the way the customer lives.
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Designing a narrow shower room (1.3 metres wide)
A long, thin shower room is one of the trickiest bathrooms to design. Where things go, what to give up, and how to keep it feeling bigger than it is.
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