Toward the end of construction, the sanitary fixtures go in: the bathtub, the shower tray, toilets, sinks and so on. These fixtures are highly sensitive to scratches from tools and construction debris, exactly the two things every site has in abundance. Three measures protect them:
- Install the fixtures as close as possible to the apartment's handover date.
- Lock the main door and let in only trusted workers, who are also told not to damage the fixtures.
- Most important of all: cover the fixtures with plywood boards or plasterboard.
The bathtub and shower tray need special protection. Left uncovered, they quickly fill up with construction debris: cement, plaster and concrete residue, screws, rebar, and even work tools.
Needless to say, that debris scratches the coating on the bathtub and shower tray.
Here is an example from an apartment we inspected before handover, in March 2010:
When the bathtub or shower tray gets scratched like this, one of the companies that specializes in local coating repairs is called in urgently.
The repair sometimes works, but often it leaves a visible color difference, or peels over time.
The contractor must fully protect the sanitary fixtures, especially the bathtub and shower tray. If they were left unprotected and got damaged, do not accept the fixture even after a repair: had the contractor not been negligent, there would have been no damage in the first place.
There is, in fact, a standard for bathtubs that does not allow scratches.
The engineers of Arad Bedek Bayit, led by building engineer Ron Arad, whom courts appoint as their own expert on construction defects. The company has been inspecting apartments and buildings since 2001. Engineer Ron Arad · More about the company