4 Reasons to Consider Exposed Pipework in Your Bathroom
In the vast majority of bathrooms, all of the piping is kept behind the walls. However, it is now becoming more popular to bring the piping outside of the walls, leaving it exposed as it runs to your fixtures. It might sound like an odd idea, but going for exposed piping actually comes with a whole host of benefits, and here are just four.
1. Cool Appearance
If you have been looking for ways to give your bathroom its own distinct appearance, exposed piping can be the ideal solution. Not many bathrooms have any exposed piping at all, so using it can provide a unique visual note. It's also an approach that can work with very dissimilar overall styles. If you want to create a more old-fashioned bathroom, exposed pipework can be just the ticket, but it also lends itself to more modern, minimal designs. No matter the overall style, exposed pipework can perfectly accent your bathroom.
2. Easier Installation
One of the main problems with concealing piping behind the walls is that those walls will need to be broken into in order to install new plumbing. This can be particularly aggravating if you want to move around a shower or bath since the pipes will also need to be moved around, and that can mean having to tear down and rebuild several walls at once. When you bring the pipes outside of the walls and leave it exposed, that isn't a problem.
3. Less Costly
Renovating a bathroom does tend to add value to a property; unfortunately, the renovation work itself can be very expensive, and it can be tough to stick to your chosen budget. Since leaving piping exposed outside of the walls involves less invasive work, you won't need to worry so much about skyrocketing costs.
4. Easier Maintenance
There's one serious problem with having pipes kept behind the walls: leaks are very hard to detect. When asking to picture a leaking pipe, you might conjure up an image of one that is pouring out water by the bucketful. However, leaks will usually just start as small drips. The amount of water escaping might not seem significant, but it can weaken surrounding materials, even causing them to rot, and a smaller leak will be hard to detect. When some of the piping is kept exposed, you'll be able to spot any signs of a leak with greater ease.