Making A Bath Panel From Cladding

Many modern acrylic baths make using bathroom cladding a doddle as there is a slot that accepts the panels under the rim. We always recommend making the bath panel out of cladding as this will look great and offer several advantages over standard bath panels: acrylic bath panels can be liable to cracking if leant against as the vast majority have no reinforcing at all and therefore flex when pressed; MDF panels can get damaged if exposed to water which results in them swelling and blistering.

Bathroom cladding is pretty rigid so there is little or no flexing once it is in place and being made from PVC it is impervious to water. If you want a totally rigid panel then the cladding can be fitted to sheet of thin plywood and installed as a one-piece panel.

We do not recommend installing our wall panels down behind baths - we would always suggest that you fit the bath first, making sure it is rock-solid and totally sealed, and then run the wall panels down onto the top surface. This will mean you will have off-cuts of cladding that can be used to make the bath panel and give your bath that "built-in" look so it is an economic use of the cladding as well.

New Bathroom Ceiling Panel

We have recently added a new panel to our range - Belmont Grey Ash:



This is a white woodgrain effect panel available in two lengths: 2.7m and 5m. Its lightweight construction, matt finish and availability in a choice of lengths make it ideal for use on a bathroom ceiling but could work equally well on bathroom walls or inside a shower cubicle as it is totally waterproof. The woodgrain effect is a printed finish so the panel is smooth and easy to wipe over. The above image shows Belmont White Ash used in conjunction with Decos Mosaic wall panels in Glacier Grey and Decos Coving Trim.

Using uPVC panels on a bathroom ceiling has many benefits over more traditional methods. Paint, plaster, texturing compounds or timber finishes are all susceptable to mould problems which can require extensive maintenance is not cured. Our ceiling cladding products are warm to the touch and waterproof so they do not allow mould to grow. Couple this to their good looks and easy to installation and you have the perfect solution to any problem bathroom ceiling.

Cheap Wall Panel Alert!

Our importers have a large quantity of Celupanel waterproof wall and ceiling panels that they want to move quickly so we have put a special offer up on our website.

This is an attractive range and a very attractive price - with the cladding starting at just £5.75 per panel at the time of posting.




Unusually they are sold in 5's rather than 4's but they still offer superb value for money, even with 5 in a pack they are cheaper than virtually all of our other panels.

We are cannot offer any guarantees about the long term availability of these panels so we would recommend they are bough on a "when it's gone it's gone" basis and make sure you have enough to complete the job.

Wet Room Floor

We are asked quite often about the best way to install our waterproof wall panels in conjunction with a wet room floor.

Fitting the panels to the wall is no problem - our wall cladding is ideal for use in these enviroments - but the question that always gets asked is "Which trim do we use at the bottom of the panels?"

At present the two manufacturers that we deal with (Decos and Grosfillex) have no trim specifically designed for use in these situations but having spoken to the importers we have come up with what, we think, is the best way to deal with situation.

The answer depends on the type of flooring that is being installed. If ceramic floor tiles are being used there are 2 options:

1. if the tiles are to be run on the floor only - seal the tiles to the existing wall using silicone, run the panels down on top of the tiles and seal again
2. if the tiles are to return up the wall to form a skirting - ensure the adhesive bed gives an overall depth of 10mm for the skirting, apply a bed of silicone on top of the skirting and run the panels down in the silicone

If you are using a cove-formed vinyl flooring in your wet room then we would recommend the following method:

• fit the wet room flooring first and return up the wall
• run the panels down over the flooring
• finish the edge of the panel with a tile edge trim stuck into place using silicone sealant
• use an 10mm trim for decos panels and 8mm for most of the Grosfillex range*

*except Evol 2000 and Topline

May Special Offer

This months special offer is for Tinto panels from Decos.

These are very good looking panels with a matt finish rather than gloss which is the more common finish on waterproof cladding - but they are still perfectly suitable for use in bathrooms and showers.



The above image is taken from a recent cloakroom refurbishment we carried out using Tinto Desert. This is a light beige/stone effect panel, which coupled with some modern sanitaryware and chrome fittings resulted in a very clean, minimal design but with the all the advantages that cladding brings:

• totally waterproof
• no grout to go mouldy
• easy to install
• no maintenance
• no condensation

All in all, a very pleasing result.

To find out more about this and other special offers click here