Storage by Material
Wood cabinets are the most sensitive to the site environment. They stay sealed in their factory packaging until the day of installation, on pallets off the floor, in a space that is dry and does not swing between damp and hot. A cabinet unpacked early and left with wet plaster or a heater will move, and doors that fitted at the factory will not fit on site. Solid surface bathtubs and basins are vulnerable to point loads and to being used as a shelf or a step; they stay in their crates, flat, with nothing stacked on them.
Glass stays in its crate, upright, on the packing supports it arrived on. A panel leant unbraced against a wall can slide, and a panel that slides is written off. Tops lie flat and fully supported, or stand on edge in an A-frame with edge protection; a top supported at its ends only is waiting to crack at the cut-out. Hardware kits stay taped to their units, and plated and PVD hardware stays wrapped against plaster dust and cementitious splashes.
- Wood cabinets: sealed, on pallets, dry, opened on the day of installation
- Solid surface: crated, flat, nothing stacked on top
- Glass: upright in the crate, never leant unbraced
- Tops: flat and fully supported, or on edge with protection; hardware kits with their units
Protecting Installed Units
Once installed, a fixture is in the way of every trade that follows. Protection is applied on the day of installation, not when damage is first noticed. Cover vanities with rigid protection over the top and a breathable sheet over the cabinet; a plastic sheet taped tightly to a wood cabinet traps moisture. Cover bathtubs with a rigid board on the rim and soft protection in the bowl. Film or sheet enclosure glass, and tape the door closed with a tape that will not mark the hardware.
The materials to keep away are the ones that do not clean off: paint, tile adhesive, grout, silicone smears and grinding dust on plated finishes. A site rule that no wet trade works in a room with an uncovered fixture is easier to enforce than a cleaning claim later. Tools set down on a top and drills used above an open basin are the other common causes.
- Protect on the day of installation, not after the first damage
- Rigid protection on tops and bathtub rims; breathable covers on wood cabinets
- Glass filmed or sheeted; doors taped closed with a non-marking tape
- No wet trade or grinding in a room with an uncovered fixture
Labeling and Handover
Storage is organized by room, using the labels the factory applied from the fixture schedule. A unit stored by room type and moved once, to its room, is handled the minimum number of times; a unit stored by model number is handled several times, usually by someone in a hurry. A storage log records where each unit is, when it was inspected and when it left storage, so that a missing unit can be traced rather than reordered.
At the end of the fit-out, walk each room with the installer and the operator's representative before the protection comes off, then remove it and inspect: finish, hardware operation, door and drawer alignment, glass and seals, drain and overflow. Record what is found on a handover sheet by room, and route any damage to the responsible trade while they are still on site.
- Store by room using the factory's schedule labels; move each unit once
- Keep a storage log: location, inspection date, date out
- Walk each room with the installer and operator before protection is removed
- Route damage to the responsible trade while they are on site
