Over Bath Shower

If you are looking to use your bath for showering then the walls will need to covered in a suitable waterproof material. For many the first thing they think of is tiles but there are downsides in using these as can be seen in the following photo.



The main concern is the grout. Bathroom tiles frequently get wet and the grout used to fill the gaps between the tiles can retain moisture enabling mould to grow. Many customers are opting for our waterproof panelling as an alternative to tiles for this application as they use no grout in their installation and there is therefore nowhere to harbour moisture - no moisture equelas no mould.

The following image shows the same bathroom after the tiles have been replaced with our Bali Grey cladding:



The result is a bright, light, attractive surface that requires no maintenance and will look good for years to come after the installation.

Panel Range Changes

As has already been posted, the Tinto range is to be phased out and we have also been informed that Mosaic Rose and Mosaic Jade are to be discontinued.

The rest of the Mosaic range will remain, which is good news as this is one of our most popular panels! The great advantage of mosaic effect panels over ceramic tiles is that there is no grout - and mosaic tiles tend to use a lot of grout.

There is also news of a new tile-effect wall panel that will be available very soon - details will be posted as soon as we have them.

Tiled Bath Ends

Some baths are installed in such a way that the end of the bath does not fit against a wall. The "gap" is then taken up by boxwork with the surface covered in ceramic tiles. This can prove reasonably successful if the bath is used purely for bathing but less so if a shower is to be used over this end of the bath.

If a small masonry wall is created to fill the gap then this can work quite successfully but a timber framed box covered with plywood or plasterboard can be problematic. Any slight movement in the bath can caused the grout to crack. This can lead to water ingress and damage to the underlying area. The damage can take place for some time before it becomes aparent as the box effectively covers up what is going on underneath. Also water can remain on the surface without draining away which can mould to grow in the grout which can evetually lead to its failiure.

We were recently asked if an Outasight concealed shower curtain could be used in such a situation. It could, but there are few provisos.

The Outasight should be watertight along the tiled area. If the bath is slightly lower than this level there will be a small gap underneath the curtain where the tiled area ends and the bath begins. You could use a fillet of silicone to prevent water from escaping underneath at this point.

If the tiled is level with the bath the joint between the tiles and the bath will usually mean that there is a slight "trough" which can hold water and cause the grout to turn mouldy. It can also conduct water under the Outasight shower curtain and lead to leaks.

If the tiled area is lower than the bath then showring is not recommended at all as the water landing on this area cannot drain into the bath.

Our overiding advice would be to re-site the bath against the end wall rather than try and fill the gap.