How do I refit a bath panel that keeps falling off?

Bath panels are treated as trim and fitted like trim, which is why so many of them sag, bow and fall out. Ten minutes spent on a batten turns it into a panel that stays put and still comes off when you need it to.

What you'll need

• Treated timber batten
• Screws and plugs suited to the floor
• Domed screw caps, magnetic catches or panel clips
• A saw and a spirit level
• Sanitary silicone

Step by step

1. Work out what is holding it now.Most failed panels are held only by a groove in the bath rim at the top and nothing at all at the bottom, so they bow outwards and drop.
2. Check the panel is the right height.Panels are usually cut to fit. One that is too short rattles in the rim groove; one too tall bows. Trim to fit with a fine-toothed saw.
3. Fit a floor batten.Cut treated timber to the length of the panel, set it back from the finished face by the panel's thickness, and fix it to the floor. On tile, drill and plug carefully.
4. Add a vertical batten at each end.Short uprights at the ends, plumb and set back the same distance, stop the panel bowing and give a fixing point at each corner.
5. Fix the panel with something removable.Domed mirror screws, panel clips or magnetic catches. All of them come off in a minute when you need to get at the trap or the taps.
6. Do not glue or silicone the panel in place.Everything behind a bath panel needs access at some point. A glued panel means cutting it out and buying a new one.
7. Consider an access hatch for the tap end.If the panel is long or awkward, a small purpose-made access panel at the tap end saves removing the whole thing for future work.
8. Seal the top edge only.A thin bead of sanitary silicone where the panel meets the bath rim keeps splashes out. Leave the bottom and the ends unsealed so any leak behind shows on the floor.
9. Check ventilation behind.A completely sealed void behind a bath stays damp. A small unsealed gap at the bottom lets it breathe and lets a leak announce itself.

Tips

• Magnetic catches are the tidiest solution — no visible fixings, and the panel comes off with a pull.
• Leave the bottom edge unsealed. A sealed panel hides a leak until the floor is ruined.
• Cut panels face up with a fine-tooth blade and masking tape over the cut line to stop the surface chipping.

Common mistakes

• Siliconing the panel in all the way round — You lose access to the trap, the overflow and the taps, and any leak behind is trapped and hidden until it shows on the ceiling below.
• Fixing straight into the floor tile with no batten — Screws through a panel edge into tile crack the tile and pull out. A batten spreads the load and gives the panel something solid to sit against.

If it doesn't work

Questions people ask