How to arrange a pipe box in a toilet: a review of the best ways to disguise a pipeline

Are you planning to renovate your toilet and don't know what to do with the water pipes? Agree, a camouflaged pipeline looks much more aesthetically pleasing.

Various tricks and materials are used for this purpose. Often specialists from a construction organization are invited to work. Especially when you need to build a box for pipes in a plasterboard toilet. If the budget is limited and the pipes do not fit into the interior at all, then you can fix everything yourself by choosing a simpler option.

This article will discuss ways to camouflage a pipeline. We will tell you what tools and materials are required for this purpose. The material is accompanied by thematic photographs and videos that clearly demonstrate how you can disguise the pipeline in the toilet with your own hands.

The simplest way is decor

When the budget does not include repair costs, and the pipes in the toilet are quite annoying, you can get by with minimal expenses. We are talking about decorating visible parts of the pipeline.

This method can be a real salvation when the head of the family, instead of repairing, chooses other ways to spend his leisure time - for example, fishing or basketball with friends. Moreover, both women and men can handle decoration. The main thing is to have inspiration.

Remarkable imagination and free time on a day off will help turn your thoughtful office into a realistic jungle

Depending on preferences and mood, the pipeline can be disguised as anything - turned into a tree, into an animal, or decorated with beautiful decorative elements.

Main types of decoration:

• stick a film with a suitable pattern over the pipes;
• paint with waterproof paint to match the color of the walls in the toilet room;
• depict a unique pattern or reproduce a birch trunk, oak bark or other material using paints;
• use decorative stones, beads, chains, twine and other elements used for needlework.

The simplest and most convenient option is to paint the pipes with paint that harmoniously matches the color of the walls. Or stick a film with a pattern.

It is important here that the material can withstand a humid environment and high temperature if hot water enters the apartment through one of the pipes.

For the toilet room it is better to use water-based paint, choosing the most favorable shade that can harmoniously fit into the overall style of the room

The decorating method is also great for hiding pipes in the kitchen or bathroom. In addition to decorating pipes in these rooms, you can use other methods of covering communications.

We also recommend that you familiarize yourself with the best options masking gas pipes, used by inventive owners.

The second way is to buy a ready-made box

Another option is to use a pipe box. This could be the construction of a home-made structure or the purchase of a finished factory product. The second method is simpler.

The shape and size of purchased boxes allows you to choose exactly the option that will successfully disguise the outer parts of the pipeline not only in the toilet, but also hide heating pipes in other rooms.

A significant drawback is that ready-made boxes cannot be used in bathrooms with complex geometry of communication systems. This is when there are a lot of pipes and they are randomly located throughout the room.

As for the material and color of the finished structure, there is room for the buyer’s imagination to run wild - it can be chosen to suit almost any room design.

When the desired color is missing from the palette of the material you like, this can be corrected with the help of moisture-resistant paint and a brush.

The improved structure can be installed only after the paint has completely dried. You should look at the jar for the exact time - the manufacturer must indicate this information on the label of its products.

The plastic box has an aesthetic appearance and, if necessary, can be easily dismantled to gain access to the pipe

The installation process is extremely simple - you need to measure the required length with a tape measure and, after marking it with a pencil, carefully cut off the excess part of the structure.

Then attach the box to the wall with fasteners or liquid nails - it all depends on the type of material from which the structure is made and the manufacturer’s recommendations for its installation.

The third method is to assemble a homemade box

Often the option of decorating pipes is simply not suitable - there are too many pipes and they are not located in the most convenient way. Here another method of camouflage will come to the rescue - arranging a box, inside of which all the pipes will be located.

Stage #1 - decide on the design of the box

The option of installing a box to mask all pipes passing through the toilet room is the most popular among users.

This is not only an aesthetic, but also a practical solution - once you install the structure, you can forget about the pipes, at least until the next major overhaul.

Let's first take a closer look at the most popular types of box construction - with a solid wall and an opening one.

Option #1 - box with a solid wall

Boxes with a solid wall consist of a frame, walls and, if necessary, facing material. They must also be equipped with a hatch for carrying out an inspection - inspecting the external condition of the pipeline and shutting off the valve of the water supply to the house/apartment.

All the pipes are hidden inside this design, and also the cistern of a wall-hung toilet and bidet, a boiler and other unsightly communication elements can be hidden there.

Boxes come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Often a box the full height of a room is called a false wall. This solution is used for vertically running pipelines.

If the pipes run vertically, then you can build a false wall with your own hands by placing a profile and attaching drywall to it

Plastic panels are especially popular - they are easy to install and remove if necessary. And the price of this material is more than affordable.

However, even when making a plastic box, you should provide a hole that can easily open in the place where the valve is located to shut off the water supply.

If the false wall is made of plasterboard and tiled on top, then the presence of an inspection window is a necessity - in case of any problems with the pipeline there should be convenient access to the pipes.

The inspection window can be disguised by covering it, like the entire wall, with the same tiles. The main thing is that the door has a reliable mechanism designed for the weight of tiles + tile adhesive

Option #2 - design with an opening wall

The second type of boxes is with an opening outer wall. Moreover, the wall can open completely or a certain part of it.

The structure of these structures is similar to the structure of a box with a solid wall, but differs in the presence of shelves inside - the free space next to the pipes is often used as a cabinet.

Also, often with vertically located pipes, the outer wall is assembled from different materials - for example, at the bottom there is a plastic panel, and on top there are sanitary blinds or a roller blind, behind which a cabinet with shelves is hidden.

Roller blinds as the outer wall of the box are more often used in America and European countries - they are not so popular here, because they look quite simple

Owners prefer to construct capital multi-level boxes from plasterboard or install plastic panels in their toilet rooms.Moreover, the choice of colors of the latter can please with its variety and low cost.

An opening wall is an extremely successful solution, especially when behind it there are not only pipes, but also other communication elements - a boiler, water meters, etc.

Roller blinds undoubtedly win here, having the main advantage - they rise, revealing the entire internal space of the box. And if necessary, they can be completely dismantled in a couple of seconds.

For lovers of original solutions, manufacturers offer unusual blinds - these are models with 3D images of animals, nature or birds

Stage #2 - choose the shape and size of the structure

The shape and size of the future box, behind which the pipes in the toilet will be hidden, completely depends on the characteristics of the pipeline. Each specific case will have its own nuances.

So, if the premises are undergoing a full-scale renovation with replacing pipes with the involvement of a construction team, you should immediately discuss with them the issue of constructing a box behind which the pipes will hide.

The number of pipes in each bathroom is individual. As well as their location - the placement of the box completely depends on this factor

The same applies to the size of the box - the fewer pipes, the easier it will be to disguise them.

The most basic condition is to maintain a distance of 3 cm from the outermost point of the most protruding pipe or water meter, if one is installed in the toilet room.

A convenient option is when all communications are located along one wall of the toilet - this way you only have to work with this part of the room

Placing the pipeline along one of the walls of the toilet is the most convenient option.If desired, it will be convenient to disguise all communications by installing a false wall made of plasterboard. And the top can be decorated with the same finishing material as the rest of the walls in the room.

In addition to the false wall, the shape of the box for masking pipes can be:

• rectangular or square extending from top to bottom or from left to right;
• angular or complex shape in the form of a polygon to maximize the usable space of the toilet room;
• steppedwhen several boxes of different heights are installed in one room;
• round.

The most difficult thing is to implement a multi-level stepped design - you first have to make a sketch on paper and calculate the length of each of the boxes.

Then calculate the amount of materials required and, having purchased everything you need, begin installation work.

Stage #3 - building a homemade box

You can make a structure for masking the pipeline in the toilet room yourself or invite craftsmen.

Regardless of the type of material chosen for arranging the box, one should not forget about the inspection window - access to the pipes should be as simple as possible

Among the materials used in the manufacture of boxes, the most often are the following:

• plastic panels;
• moisture-resistant drywall;
• moisture-resistant MDF panels or plywood;
• sanitary roller blinds, roller blinds, blinds.

If drywall requires additional finishing with tiles, wallpaper or other material, then all other options are used as a finishing coating.

To install panels or blinds, you need to build a frame. To do this, use a metal profile or a wooden block. Self-tapping screws, construction mesh and putty will also be useful for leveling joints.

Tools: level, tape measure, screwdriver, grinder, pencil

Before you start installing the walls of the box, it is better to cut out the parts from cardboard and check if everything is as planned

When the material is selected, you need to build a frame by securing metal profiles or wooden blocks with self-tapping screws.

Panels or sheets of drywall will have to be mounted on this base.

If the box is lined with plasterboard sheets, then it will have to be tiled on top, mosaic or wallpaper glued - the same material as on the walls of the toilet room

Each of the considered options for masking pipes is interesting in its own way. Which one to choose for your washroom depends on your needs and the location of the pipes.

As well as having free time to arrange things and the desire to do it. After all, masking pipes in a small toilet will take much less time than in a combined bathroom.

On our website we also have instructions for making a box in the bathroom and a selection of the best ideas that will help you securely hide pipes in a combined bathroom and toilet. And also useful recommendations for arranging plumbing hatches, which will be needed when constructing a box in the bathroom and toilet.

We recommend that you familiarize yourself with these materials:

• How to close the pipes in the toilet: how best to hide and hide the pipeline
• How to hide pipes in the bathroom: a review of the best ways to disguise a pipeline
• Making a box for pipes in the bathroom: selection of building materials + installation instructions
• Inspection plumbing hatches for bathrooms and toilets: types, placement rules, installation features

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

You can hide numerous pipes in the toilet behind a plastic box.

The video demonstrates how to organize this correctly:

A box for masking a pipeline can be functional - it is enough to equip the space with shelves on which useful household items can be conveniently placed. About this video clip:

When the features of the pipeline do not allow the cabinet to be fully used for storing household items in the toilet, it can be improved. The video will show you how to do this:

The box can be made from plasterboard. The stages of work and decoration of the finished box are shown in the video clip:

Plumbing blinds and roller blinds will help close the pipes. More details about this method in the video:

The choice of the optimal option for masking pipes in the toilet depends entirely on the characteristics of their location in this room. The more compact they are, the easier it will be to hide them.

If you wish, you can independently make a structure from plastic panels or install plumbing roller blinds - all this is easy to install, and if necessary, no less easy to disassemble.

Have you made an original pipe box with your own hands? Tell us what material you used for this, how long it took you and whether you are happy with the result. Write your comments in the block under this article, add a photo of a box you made yourself - your example will inspire many home craftsmen!