Plumbing is an integral part of your home, but it’s certainly not the most attractive. Things like exposed pipes, drains and bulky tanks can quickly turn what would otherwise be a relaxing bathroom or cozy living space into an eyesore. Although there’s not much you can do to rid your home of these unsightly components, there are a few tips even novice do-it-yourselfers can do to camouflage ugly plumbing problems.
Water Heaters
For those of you with a water heater that’s nicely tucked away in a closet or laundry room, consider yourself lucky! If your water heater is out in the open, say in a basement you’d like to use as living space, it can be a big problem to conceal. Heating appliances require a minimum amount of clearance to remain within safety code, so there’s not much you can do unless you want to pay the price to have the tank relocated.
What you can do is get creative with inexpensive, attractive home decorating techniques. Bi-folding doors or room dividers are an easy option to detract attention from the tank. You may also choose to hang a curtain rod from the ceiling. If your unit is nearing the end, check out tankless water heaters; they’re more energy efficient and don’t conflict with interior decorating!
Related: Learn more about your water heater options
Exposed Plumbing Lines
While most pipes and lines are inside walls and underneath floors, some aren’t as neatly tucked away as we’d like. In certain architectural styles, bare pipes are a design trend, but in others they’re nothing more than a major blemish. Unfortunately, unless you want to install new plumbing lines there isn’t too much you can do about exposed pipes.
However, what you can do is get creative with masking the appearance of intruding pipelines. Color is key—you can choose to paint the pipes a shade to help disguise them, or a contrasting color to dramatize the look. Another option is to wrap pipes with design tape. Available in many solids and patterns, tape can hide the ugliness of old, exposed pipes while adding a nice aesthetic to the room.
Bathroom sink pipes
This is one of the most common plumbing fixture complaints. Wall-mounted sinks are a space-saving technique in small bathrooms, and they’re often found in homes with older plumbing. No matter how well designed and decorated the bathroom, without a cabinet or pedestal underneath, you have exposed pipes in plain view. Depending on your skill level, and how important it is for you to make use of the space under your bathroom sink, there are a number of options. To simply hide the pipes, try attaching a sink skirt. If you want to create your own pedestal, use a tall cylinder shaped basket and cut an insert out to fit around the pipes. Another idea is to add open shelving underneath the sink to take attention away from pipes and add storage solutions.
Bathroom Fans & Faucets
Although exhaust fans aren’t central to your plumbing system, they provide the ventilation that bathrooms require. Tasked with preventing moisture, mildew and musty odors, exhaust fans should absolutely be used. To lessen the hideousness of your exhaust fan, you can do several things—remove the grill for a good cleaning, apply a fresh coat of paint or purchase a new cover. If they’re old or mismatched, faucets and other plumbing hardware can also take away from the appeal of your bathroom. Swapping out faucets, knobs, as well as showerheads and other bath accessories is an easy way to achieve a modern, fresh look. Brushed nickel is a popular finish for hardware, and you can get a new exhaust fan to match!
Don’t let plumbing problems take away from your home
Concealing your ugly plumbing problems doesn’t have to take too much time or money! These suggested home improvements are easy for most homeowners to achieve. However, if you notice any leaks, drips or clogs, don’t delay in calling on a plumber you can trust. Robinson’s Plumbing is here to help with all of your plumbing repairs, maintenance or installation needs.
To learn more about our residential services, contact Robinson’s Plumbing today!