We have just been informed by Consortias (the UK importers of Decos panels) that Orion Byzantium panels are going to be discontinued and that current stocks are almost depleted.

This is a shame as this was one of the most distinctive panels in the Decos range with a crackle finish and subtle colouring. The rest of the Orion panelling range (Amarante, Carrara, Lugano, Pompey) is unaffected and will be available as normal - these designs being a marble effect rather than a crackle effect.



If you have any queries regarding remaining stock levels of this panel please contact the sales office.

Summer Shutdown Dates

We will be closing at 3.00pm on Friday 20th July and will re-open on Monday 5th August.

We would recommend orders be placed by Monday 16th July to ensure any problems with delivery etc can be sorted out before we close.

Any orders placed over the holiday period will be processed on our return on the 5th.

Ceiling Panels and Spotlights

We get asked quite regularly whether it's alright to use spotlights with wall panelling. Unfortunately there is no clear cut answer as it depends totally on the temperatures involved.

The panels are designed to withstand temperatures up to 60deg C which is sufficient in most spotlight installations but we have had 2 occasions where the lights have generated temperatures in excess of this and caused the panels to degrade.

The first instance was where a customer fitted the lights in a room with an attic space above. The attic was lagged and the lagging was placed on the back of the lights so that there was no ventialtion space behind the lights.

The second instance occurred when bathroom rated spotlights were used which were fixed to the surrounding flange (as opposed to the pivoting kind that only touch the outer flange at the pivot points) . The flange is the only part of the light in contact with the panels and temperature generated by these lights caused the panels to degrade and melt slightly where the flange made contact with the panels.

It is impossible for us to guarantee that panels will not be adversely affected by using recessed spotlights as it it is purely down the heat generated by the lighting in-situ.

There are now LED recessed spotlights available which generate hardly any heat - check with your lighting supplier as to the suitability of your chosen lighting for use in your room, paying particular attention to bathrooms and shower rooms, where extra regulations apply.

More Changes To The Grosfillex Range

The French wall panelling manufacturer Grosfillex has decided to make some more changes to its range of decorative cladding products.

The panels affected that are offered by The Bathroom Marquee include

Mineral Natural Patchwork
Mineral Brilliant White
Evol 3000 Baltic Blue

There are still reasonable stocks left of Brilliant White and Baltic Blue and a smaller quantity of Natural Patchwork - please check with our sales office on 029 2056 0949 before ordering online so that we can get you up-to-date with the stock situation.

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

Can An Outasight Be Used With A Corner Bath

Outasights can be used with a corner bath but they are not ideal - the Outasight was designed to be used with a straight bath.

If you do fit an Outasight on a corner bath the shower curtain can end up dangling in mid-air - depending on how straight the side on the bath is before it starts to curve.



The above diagram shows the arm in the open position and highlights the problem: if you fit the unit nearer to the outside of the bath it gives you no protection; if you fit the unit inboard (as shown) the curtain end up dangling in mid-air. A power shower would make this type of installation more problematic as the force of water would cause the shower curtain to flap.

There are some folding shower screens available that are suitable for use on corner baths. Their hinge mechanisms allow them to open to more than 180deg so that they can follow the curve of the bath. Most folding shower screens cannot do this but there are some available on the market that can.

Outasight - Silver Delivery Dates

The Outasight concealed shower curtain system is currently out of stock in the polished silver finish. Outasigfht have informed us that stock will be available for delivery during the week after Easter for delivery on Friday 13th April.

If you wish to order a silver Outasight please order via the shopping cart but choose the "Pay Offline" option. We will then contact you when they back in stock to arrange payment and delivery.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

Easter Opening Times

The Bathroom Marquee will be shut on Good Friday (6th Apr) and will re-open on Wed 11th April.

Any orders placed while we are closed will be processed on our return.

The warehouse for Grosfillex products will be closed on Good Friday and will re-open on Monday 16th April which will result in delays on any Grosfillex wall panelling ordered during this period.

Silver Outasight - delivery delays

Outasight are still waiting for confirmation of a delivery date for the silver casing. It looks as if it will be in with them this week (w/c 18th Mar) but this means that completed stock is not going to be available for delivery until next week (w/c 25th Mar).

Once we have a confirmed date we will post it on this site. All customers with outstsanding orders will be contacted directly once we know a definite delivery day.

Sorry for the continued delay but it is outside our control.

Grosfillex Panelling - Deletions

It looks like Grosfillex might be culling a few more deisigns from the range of waterproof wall panelling.

We haven't had official notification yet but it looks like Baltic Blue (Evol 3000 Range), Birch (Ambiance Range), Beige Marble (Topline) and possibly Beige Wood (Topline) might be dropped - although this last panel might continue in 4m lengths( there is also a 2.6m length that we do not have on the site at the moment.

Usually when Grosfillex delete products it is to make way for new designs but we have haad no notification of this as yet. As soon as we do we will post the details on the Blog.

Outasight Back In Stock

The Outasight is now back in stock after a delay of two weeks with deliveries.

The manufacturers were waiting a shipment of gas struts (the bit that holds the arm open)



These are now back in stock and all back orders will be cleared tomorrow (Friday 8th Feb) All order received this week will be despatched next Thursday for delivery Friday (15th)

Blanca

Although we have only just launched the Blanca range of matt white ceiling panels from Decos, we have just been informed that two of the panel lengths will no longer be available in the Classic White. They will, however, be available in Ultra White so the range now reads as follows:

2.5m - Classic White
3.0m - Ultra White
5.0m - Classic White
6.0m - Ultra White

Previously the panels were only available in Classic White so at least customers looking for a matt finish panel for their bathroom ceiling have two choices of colour - even if the length options have been reduced.

Spaceline 333

We have been running a clearance promotion on Spaceline 333 wall panels (these are a wider version of the 250mm Spaceline but with a v-groove joint).

Spaceline 333 is being discontinued and stocks of the Silver Grey and Jade are now depleted. There may be some more of this product left with the manufacturers in Belgium but at present the UK warehouse has no more available. There is still some stock available of in Blue and Rose (42 packs and 44 packs at time of posting).

If ordering online please use our "pay offline" facility as we can check stock levels and arange delivery before processing your payment.

Spaceline 250 is not being discontinued and there are healthy stocks available of all colours.

replacement shower curtains - now available online

We have just added all of the Outasight spares to our shopping cart system.

Click here if you need to order a replacement shower curtain or any of the components that make up the Outasight.

We hope to add an exploded view of the Outasight so that you can see which bits are which - this should make product selection a bit easier. In the meantime if you have any problems please give us a ring.

Magic Black

The UK importers of Decos wall panels, Consortias, are currently out of stock of Magic Black panels. Decos in Belgium are running more of this profile next week and stock should be available in the UK for delivery week commencing 27th November.

Sorry for any inconvenience this might cause.

UPDATE 24.11.06 - now back in stock

Outasight Offer

We have a special free delivery offer running until Christmas on the Outasight cocealed shower curtain system.



This offer applies to deliveries to the UK mainland only - see the following page for more details or click the image above FREE DELIVERY

We're Only Human!

A customer has just pointed out that our website is out of date. We asked what she meant and it turns out that we have put the wrong graphic on our site for our November special offers - we had the April graphic showing.

This has now been ammended to show the correct image highlighting our extended offer on our Mosaic wall panels.

Sorry for any confusion caused - this only applied to the graphic, any orders placed during November have been charged at the correct sale price of £9.99

Cold Weather Conditions

As the temperatures are starting to drop we thought we'd remind you about keeping your panels inside to get to room temperature before attempting to cut them. This makes them less brittle than cutting them when they freezing cold.

Also, keep any panel adhesive at room temperature as it can start to get very thick when cold making it difficult to squeeze out and putting extra strain on your skeleton gun.

Christmas Closing

We're not too keen on mentioning Christmas in November but we've already been asked by our suppliers if we have decided on our Christmas shutdown period.

We haven't finalised the exact dates yet but we will more than likely be closing at 3.00pm on Wed 20th Dec and will re-open on Wed 3rd Jan (I believe Mon 1st & Tues 2nd are Bank Holidays).

If these dates change we wil post notification.

Gallery Update

We have added quite afew new images to our customer gallery including a very nice shower refurbishment by Mr Cave of Reading.



Mineral Beige Tile Marble was used from our Grosfillex range of waterproof panelling and it has transformed the room - see the gallery for more before and after shots.

Mould Free Grout and Sealant

We recently came across two products that looked interesting in that they both have been manufacturered to incorporate Microban, an antibacterial material that can be added to products to make them mould free.

The products in question were grout and silicone sealant - both products that can be adversely affected by mould growth (although faulty application/installation can also be a major cause of these types of products failing).

The grout is made by BAL - details can be found on their website at www.building-adhesives.com (look under rthe catalogue section of the BAL pages)

The silicone is Forever White by Everbuild - details on www.everbuild.co.uk

Discontinued Lines

There is still some product left with the UK importers of a few of the recently deleted Grosfillex wall panels.

Evol 3000 Satin White is still available at the time of posting as is Ambiance Natural Wood.

There are also some panels availble that we have never sold via the web site namely Evol 2000 in Grey Marble, Beige Marble, Peach Marble and Gren Marble. These are 250mm wide boards, 2.7m long and come in at £12.99 per panel. A flush effect version of Ambiance Pink Marble is also available.

Baltic Blue, Evol 2000 Dark Blue and Mineral Turquoise are now depleted and we will alter the web site to refelct this.

Outasight Spares List

We have now been selling the Outasight concealed bath shower screen for nearly three years. Up until now we have had very little call for spares for the product but obvioulsy nothing lasts forever and we know that customers are going to require spares for their Outasights at some point.

Following a meeting with Outasight last week we have now been given a price list for spares - we will be completely re-vamping the web site in the next few weeks and will be adding the spares to our shopping cart system. In the meantime just give us a ring if you require any spares.

Retail price incl. V.A.T.

Strut £25.00
Curtain £39.99
End cap £4.99
Strut bit £4.99
Hinge £7.99
Curtain clip £4.99
Magnet £5.99
Curtain pole £9.99
Plastic strip £5.99
(for end of replacement curtain if not saved out of original curtain)

Gallery Revamp

We've had a large number of Outasight customers that have sent in photos for our Customer Gallery so we have had to completely revamp it to fit in all the images and tidy up the appearance.

Some of the customers have done a superb job of remodelling their bathrooms as can be seen by the following examples.



The neat, minimal appearance of many of the rooms has not been spolied by installing a shower curtain or bath shower screen - the Outasight is certainly the right choice to maintain a clean, uncluttered look.

Tinto Wall Panelling Range Extended

We have just added two more colours to the Tinto range of decorative wall panelling.

This versatile panel is suitable for use in a variety of different rooms around the house. Its matt finish means it will not look out of place in the bedroom, living room or dining room while its waterproof structure means that it is still perfectly suitable for use in bathrooms and showers.

As well as adding two more colours we have introduced a special offer across the Tinto range with the panels now available at just £9.49 per panel (plus carriage).

Cork Tiles

A customer has just asked us if it is possible to fix the panels over cork tiles - I've never tried this so I'm not exactly sure.

The panels will go up over anything - the only thing you have to be concerned about in this instance is that you are relying on the adhesive sticking to the cork tile, and the the cork tile sticking to the wall. If they are still fixed solidly then there should be no problem. Also, each panel holds the next panel in place so it's not so much of an issue as it would be with other forms of wall covering.

You could also mechanically secret-fix some of the panels (staple gun on plasterboard, screws on masonry) to back-up the adhesive. Any bathroom accessories fitted throught the panels will also act as mechanical fixings.

Clearance Line

Decos have produced two versions of their Spaceline range of panelling: a 250mm wide flush fit board and a 333mm wide v-groove board.

The smaller board has proved to be much more popular than the larger panel and so decos have taken the decision to stop producing the larger size. We have therefore started a promotion on the Spaceline 333 range which will run until the current stocks are exhausted.



The 250mm wide panels will continue to be made (which is a relief as it is our most popular panel!)

If you are unfamiliar with v-groove or flush fit joints please visit our main website as there are pages highlighting the differences. They can be seen at:
http://www.bathroommarquee.co.uk/help-flush.php
http://www.bathroommarquee.co.uk/help-vgroove.php

Spaceline Jade Added

We have added a fifth colour to the Spaceline range of panels - Jade.

This is a green marble effect panel and ties in niceley with the other marble Spaceline colours and will be sold at the same low price as the rest of the range.



We are expecting this to be a very popular choice, at present the only other colour in the Decos range is the Firenze Jad and Orion Lugano.

Ceiling Panelling Infill Strips Added

We have just added Silver and Gold effect infill strips for use in conjunction with our Labo ceiling panelling.



These are narrow self adhesive strips designed to fit in-between each panel and give a reflective highlight, breaking up the large expanse of plain white. Being self adhesive they are easy to fit and are available in 2.7m lengths in Silver or Gold effect finish.

More On Fixing Spotlights

Up until this week we had never had a problem with spotlights being fixed through our ceiling panels but one customer has experienced a problem with his particular installation.

He had fitted the panels to an upstairs ceiling but had not allowed any ventilation behind the spotlights. This meant that the heat generated by the spotlights had nowhere to dissipate and as a consequence was starting to degrade the panels. He is in the process of ensuring the lights have adequate ventilation behind them and we are awaiting his report on whether this has cured the problem.

Spotlights can be fitted to our panels providing they do not subject the panels to more than 60deg c. Unfortunately this is not the kind of information that spotlight manufacturers tend to provide so we can only state that apart from the case mentioned above, we have never had a problem reported to us regarding the installation of spotlights (and we have been selling this type of panelling for over 15 years).

More Gallery Photos

The first of several updates of our customer photo gallery has just been undertaken - and there are quite a few more to come...

Mr Walters of broxbourne sent in some photos of his shower cubicle. This particular installation is very typical use for our wall panels and a lot of our sales are to customers using the cladding for this purpose.

The following images show a before and after shot of Mr Walters' shower cubicle highlighting the very neat finish that you can achieve using this form of shower wall panelling.



We have just created a new shower wall panelling page with more details on this particular type of installation.

Outasight Back In Stock

The Outasight is now back in stock - although there is a bit of a delay due the amount of back orders generated while the item was out of stock, due to the shower curtain material delay from Germany.

This situation should be remedied within the next week or so (just in time for our Summer shutdown!)

Fixing Ceiling Panels

When fixing ceiling panels it is usually best to use a combination of adhesive and staples (if the sub-surface if suitable for staples). To make sure the first panel stays in place you can apply Gripfill / No More Nails etc using the "contact adhesive" method using .

Test your panel to make sure it fits, put blobs of adhesive on the back of the panel, fit the panel into place and then remove it. You will then have some adhesive on the ceiling and some on the back of the panel. Leave the adhesive go tacky and the re-fit the panel - you should get an instant "grab" from the adhesive.

Alternatively you can use laths or bamboo sprung into place to hold the panels while the adhesive sets (use a piece of scrap panel or plywood to ensure the wood doesn't mark the panel).

Bathroom Marquee Summer Shutdown

The Bathroom Marquee wil be closing on 3pm on Friday 21st July for two weeks. We will re-open on Monday 7th August.

Please ensure orders are placed well in advance of this date to ensure any problems that arise can be dealt with before we close.

Our online store will still be up and running while we are closed if you want to place any orders - they will be processed on our return.

Outasight Summer Shutdown

Outasight are now on their Summer shutdown and will reopen in the last week of June.

The outstanding delivery of the curtain material from Geramny is expected during the stop and they will be working flat out on their return to clear the backlog of orders.

Outasight Summer Shutdown

Outasight are now on thir Summer shutdwon and will reopen in thelast week of June.

The outstanding delivery of the curtain material from Geramny is expected during the stop and they will be working flat out on their return to clear the backlog of orders.

Photo Gallery

We have been busy with several site updates recently and while concentrating on that a pile of new images has built up from customers sending in their photos for our gallery.

We shall be wading through them later this week and adding the photos as soon as we can.

There some very nice additions to our already large collection includinh some very nice Outasight photos and loads of wall panelling shots.

Wall Panelling Uses

As well as being used extensively in bathrooms and showers wall panelling can be used in other rooms - and not just in the house.

We regularly get request from people looking to fit it inside caravans, motor homes and boats. Its lightweight construction and ease of installation make it the ideal choice n small confined spaces and the fact that it is maintenance free comes as an added bonus. We shall be adding some photos from a customer who used in in the head (shower room) and galley of his boat.

We have also sold wall panelling for use around swimming pools and one customer used it for the surround of a hot tub. The hot tub was sited indoors - this was important as our panels are designed for interior use only and can suffer from UV damage if used outdoors.

Outasight Delivery Delays

Due to delivery delays from the German shower curtain material supplers and huge demand following the Ideal Home Ehxibition the Outasight is currently out of stock.

We have been told that stock will be made available as soon as the material arrives with the manufacturers but the situation is further compounded by the fact that Outasight will be shut themselves 16th June until 3rd July for their Summer shutdown. This could result in orders not getting despatched until week commencing 3rd July.

We are very sorry for any inconvenience caused by these delays but unfortunately they are outside our control.

Trade Users

We have completely re-vamped our trade page to account for the different stypes of trade user of our panels - you can see the page at http://www.bathroommarquee.co.uk/trade.htm

Theere are several different categories of trade customer split into the following sections:

Installers of our wall panelling
General Builder
House Builder
Property Developer
Plumber
Bathroom Installer
Kitchen Fitter
Double Glazing
Decorator
Tiler

Specifiers
Architect
Interior Designer
Bathroom Designer
Kitchen Designer
Housing Association
Drawing Office
Spatial Design

Trade Users
Hotel
Sports Club
Leisure Centre
Swimming Pool
Golf Club
Local Authority
Hospital
Schools
Guest House


Stockists
Bathroom Showroom
Kitchen Showroom
Builders Merchant
DIY Store
Plumbers Merchant

Distributors
Bathroom Disributor
Kitchen Distributor
UPVC Distributor
Flooring Distributor
Laminate Distributor

The Bathroom Marquee - Easter closing

The Bathroom Marquee will be shut on Good Friday and will re-open on Wednesday 19th April after th Easter Weekend.

Fixing Wall Panels Over Wallpaper

We regularly get asked if it is possible to install the panels over wallpaper. It is possible - but it depends on the underlying structure of the wall.

If you have plasterboard walls the panels can be attached using a mechanical fixing. The best way would be to use a staple gun and secret-fix the panels through the tongue:



If you stick the panels to the wall you are relying on the adhesive bonding to the paper and the paper bonding to the wall - so effectively you are relying on wallpaper paste! It would be better to try and scrape off some of the paper (you don't have to be very fussy about this) and stick directly to the wall.

Easter Shutdown

The UK importers of Grosfillex wall panels will be closed from Friday 14th April (Good Friday)until Monday 24th April.

Please order in plenty of time to ensure that this shutdown does not affect your delivery.

Gallery Update

There have been quite a few additions to our Customer Gallery over the last couple of weeks including this superb shower cubicle photo from Mr Lindsay of Dunfermline.



Mr Lindsay has used Decos Mosiac panels in Azure Blue for his bathroom makeover and has done a splendid job! You can see this image and more shots from Mr Lindsay together with many new images on the gallery.

Grosfillex Trims

As well as a raft of deletions from their range there are also some other changes that have been made by Grosfillex.

One that will make packing the panels ready for despatch a bit easier is the decision to change the length of the trims from 2.7m to 2.6m. This is mainly due to the fact that there will now be no 2.7mt panels left in the range - only 2.6m and 4.0m

At present these shorter trims are not available but start to replace the 2.7m trims over the next few weeks and we will alter the site as and when they are available.

Coving Trim added to site

We have now added a two-part coving trim to our web site.



This trim is very useful if you are installing ceiling cladding as, being two-part, the front section can be clipped on after the ceiling has been fitted, making installation much easier.

The trim is 2.7mt long and is available in white only. At the time of this post it is priced at £5.29

We will also be adding another coving trim to the site shortly. This one is made by Decos and is a one part trim making it ideal for use with wall panels (it is quite tricky to fit any one-part trim to ceiling panels)

Alternative Panels

We've had a quick look through our existing range to come up with some alternatives for the panels that Grosfillex have discontinued.

Evol 2000 Blue Marble - Tinto Sky Blue
Evol 3000 Light Blue Marble - Spaceline Blue
Evol 3000 Satin White - Decos Blanc
Evol 3000 Blue Wood - Ligno 10 Blue
Ambiance Natural Wood - Belmont Maple (coming soon)
Mineral Naugeux Beige - Tinto Desert
Mineral Turquoise Marble - Firenze Blue
Topline Beige Textile - Mineral Natural Patchwork

Waterproof Wall Panel Update

We have finally had a full list of Grosfillex recent changes to their range of waterproof wall apnels and there are quite a few products affected.

The panels that have been discontinued are as follows:

Evol 2000 Blue Marble
Evol 3000 Light Blue Marble
Evol 3000 Satin White
Evol 3000 Blue Wood
Ambiance Natural Wood
Topline Beige Textile
Mineral Naugeux Beige
Mineral Turquoise Marble

There is still some stock available at the time of this post but please check with the sales office for the latest situation.


There several new products added to the Grosfillex range and we will be adding these to the site once we have received samples of these panels.

Another panel bites the dust

We have just discovered that Grosfillex have discontinued Evol 3000 Satin White panels. This is a major blow as this was one of their best sellers and an extremely popular choice for those looking for a non-glossy ceiling panel.

We do have an alternative available in the shape of Decos Blanc which has just been added to our web site and is available online.

Outasight At The Ideal Home Show

Outasight are displaying once again at the Ideal Home Show at Earls Court.



Lee Brown, above, will be on hand to answer any queries and demonstrate his invention. You can see the Outasight on the World of Water stand (1J31)

Evol 3000 Blue Marble Panel

We have just been informed that Evol 3000 light Blue Marble is being discontinued by the manufacturer, Grosfillex.

We predicted in an earlier post that there would be more deletions from their list. It is really annoying that they don't give a list of all of the colours they have targetted for deletion - instead they let the UK importer know one-by-one as and when they order more stock.

We have asked them to try to obtain an exhuastive list of panels that are due to be deleted but as yet the manufacturers have not been forthcoming. Obviously if they do let us know we will post a notice here with the details.

Blanc Panel

We have added a new panel to our range - the Blanc panel from Decos.

This panel is ideal for use on walls and is perfect for use on ceilings.




The panel size is 375mm wide 8mm thick and 2.6m long. They are available in packs of 4 at £57.96 per pack plus carriage.

Magic Grey Wall Panelling

Magic Grey by Decos has been discontinued by the panelling manufacturers.



There is some limited stock still available.

Magic White and Magic Black will continue to be made - it is just Magic Grey that is being discontinued. As noted previously Magic panels are curently on special offer this month.

March Special Offers

We have some excellent special offers for our customers in March.



Decos Spaceline wall panels are on offer at £7.49 per panel. Also from Decos, the Magic range is also on offer with prices at £9.99 per panel insstead of the list price of £13.39

We are also running a promotion on Beige Tile Marble panels by Grosfillex. Usually £19.49 these are now available at £16.49 . Beige Tile Marble panels are ideal if you want the look of ceramic wall tiles in your bathroom without the hassle of of hard-to-clean grout. See our special offer page for more details.

Satin White Panels

The UK importers of Grosfillex bathroom wall panels have just informed us that they are running very low on Satin White panels.

There is still some stock available but it will be two weeks before the new stock arrives from France.

In the meantime we will be adding a new satin finish panel from decos suitable for walls and ceilings.

Turquoise Marble Panels

We have just had notification from the UK importers of Grosfilex products that Mineral Turquoise Marble and Ambiance Natural Wood are being discontinued.


There is some stock of Natural Wood available but this is strictly limited and once it's gone that's it - so buy with caution.

Grosfillex do have a "cull" of their range from time to time so we will let you know as soon as we can of any further deletions (or additions).

Outasight Customer Gallery

We are in the process of adding a customers' gallery to the Outasight section of our web site.




We have uploaded the first batch of images, sent in by customers who have fitted one of the concealed shower curtain systems, and we will be adding more in the near future.

Go to the Outasight Gallery to see the current images.

Sealing wall panels to a bath or shower tray

We get asked quite regularly if there is a trim available to seal the panels to the top of a bath or shower tray.

There are some trims available on the market for use with baths/showers and wall panelling but they are quite bulky and rely totally on silicone sealant to form the seal - you will get a much neater finish by just using a good quality silicone sealant instead (we recommend Dow Corning).

Seal the bath or shower tray to the existing wall and smear the silicone up the wall slightly to form a "skirt" of silicone. Fit the panels over this and then run a neat bead of silicone where the panels meet the bath/shower. Should this front seal ever fail the seal behind the panels will prevent any leaks.

The bigget cause of seals failing and causing leaks or water damage is movement - either through poor installation or expansion and contraction. You must always ensure that fixtures such as baths and shower trays or rock solid as any movement in these items can cause silicone seals to fail (or cause grout to crumble if you are using tiles)

Wall Panelling Brochures

As well as providing samples of our bathroom cladding, and our picture gallery CD we now have brochures available for potential customers.



The brochure has some large glossy images of the panels in room settings and can be ordered via the web site.

Back in Stock

The delivery date for Beige Gloss Marble wall panelling has been confimed for Friday 20th January 06.

Deliveries should be despatched the same day depending on the time the shipment lands at the warehouse.

Beige Gloss Marble

There is no Evol 3000 Beige Gloss Marble wall panelling in stock at present.



The importers are waiting for the arival of a delivery from the panelling manufactuers in France - as soon as we get a confirmed delivery date we will post it up.

Shower Walls

Showers can be a problem area for many householders. Although it will look pristine when new a shower cubicle or over bath shower area can start to deteriorate and look shabby after a few years of use. The grout used between ceramic tiles can start to discolour, black spots start to appear in the silicone sealant and damp patches may appear around the outside of the glass enclosure.

What are the causes of these problems?

Grout is one of the main culprits. Although the ceramic tiles are totally waterproof the same cannot be said for all types of grout – especially if it is not correctly applied. One small gap or pinhole can be enough to start letting in moisture, and once this occurs mould can take hold and start to spread behind the tiles. The degree to which it spreads will depend on the level of moisture present.

Grout can also be a problem if the shower wall has been built out of plywood. Plywood expands at a different rate to the tiles and this can lead to the grout cracking and letting in moisture.
If grout is used as a sealant between the bottom of the tiles and the top surface of the rim of the shower tray or bath, this can also cause problems. Acrylic baths or shower trays flex very slightly during use whereas grout will not tolerate any movement, and so cracks instantly. Wooden joists and floorboards will also move slightly under load or due to expansion, which again can lead to grout cracking.

Silicone sealant should remain mould free in a well-ventilated shower area. If black spots start to grow in the seal it indicates the presence of moisture – usually trapped moisture behind the seal. This could mean that the silicone seal has lost adhesion to one or more surfaces due to high levels of movement or poor preparation prior to its application. It could also be a symptom of grout failure further up the wall, rather than any problem with the silicone itself.
Damp patches on the wall or floor outside a shower cubicle can be attributed to one of the above causes, leaking waste or supply pipes, or occasionally by excessive sealant inside the cubicle, causing water to well-up in side the frame itself.

So what are the solutions?

The solution will depend on the severity of the problem – and keep in mind that much of the damage may be hidden.

Ensure that the shower tray or bath is securely anchored in place and does not move when someone stands in it. If you have access to the underside check any supply and waste pipes for leaks.

Cut away old sealant with a sharp blade and replace with a high quality sanitary grade silicone sealant containing a fungicide. We do not recommend the use of cheap sealant as it has less fungicide and a lower silicone content.

Treat mouldy grout with a surface cleaner, initially, to see how deep rooted the problem is. If the problem returns, then you might need to think about raking out the old grout and applying new.

Alternatively you could do away with grout altogether and install shower wall panels in place of ceramic wall tiles. Each shower wall panel slots into the next one using a tongue and groove system, eliminating the need for grout. These are totally waterproof and can be fitted to any surface – including the existing tiles.

Faux Finish Ceramic Tiles

I was interested to read in a recent trade magazine that the ceramic tile industry is moving towards more diverse finishes for their products. Hessian, woodgrain and leather are some of the textures they are trying to capture along with the traditional marble and stone effects that we are used to.

Those involved in bathroom design sometimes overlook waterproof wall panels as they feel they are just an imitation of the real thing. Well, they are right - they are just an imitation but so are most ceramic tiles. They are painted to look like marble and although they may be made from a similar compound to the real thing, they are still just an imitation.



There are some panels that not only set out to emulate finishes such as marble or wood but actually aim to look like ceramic tiles - Beige Tile Marble being the best example above. This panel gives the appearance of butt-jointed marble tiles with the joint line being incorporated into the overall design.

Mosaic panels also emulate tiles but in this case the finish is simply a printed one - there is no relief to the panel. This does make it look a little less convincing but then it does have the advantage of being a flush, wipe-over surface with no grout to keep clean. The mosaic panels are particularly effective when used inside shower cubicles and enclosures although we have had plenty of customers that have decorated their whole bathroom using this type of cladding.

If you are thinking of a new bathroom design for your home then it might be worth giving our panelling a good look - you won't regret it!

More Images For The Gallery

Our customers' gallery has grown again with some recent additions to the site.



There are some new before and after shots from customers around the country with many of the smaller images hyperlinked to large , clear photos of the refurbished bathrooms.

Have a look for yourself to see how bathroom cladding can transform any bathroom.

Christmas Opening Times

The Bathroom Marquee will be closed from Wednesday 21st December 2005 and will re-open on Tuesday 3rd January 2006.

To ensure delivery before the Christmas shut-down we would recommend orders be placed before Friday 16th December.

Any orders placed over Cristmas will be processed on our return in January.

May we take this opportunity to wish all of our customers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Good Service

We are always pleased when people thank us for our excellent service. Good service used to be the rule in this country wheras now it seems to be the exception.

We were therefore extremely impressed with the services of a local firm, Protex Security Sysytems, when we needed an emergency call-out for our alarm system. Not only did they fix the problem on the spot, they arrived within half an hour (as promised) and carried out some extra work - all for a very reasonable call-out fee.

So it looks like there are other firms out there that value the benefit of providing good service - it's just a pity that there aren't a few more.

Spaceline and Labo panels temporarily out of stock

Decos Spaceline Beige and Labo 4.5mt panels will be out of stock until 14th November.

The rest of the Spaceline panelling range is unnafected (Silver grey, Blue & Rose) as are 2.6mt lengths of Labo white panels (both Ultra White and Classic White)

The shortage has been caused by a sudden increase in demand and a delayed delivery due to a bank holiday on the continent.

Decos Magic range of wall panels added

We have just added the Magic range from Decos to our growing list of wall panel products.





There are three colours to choose from: white, grey and black. The black panel, in particular can make a very dramatic statement, especially if used as a contrast in a contained area - such as a shower cubicle.

The panels are 250mm wide and are 2.7mm long. They are available in packs of four priced at £53.56 per pack (at time of this post)

Visit our website for more information on the Magic range

Customer Gallery Update

We have had another bath of images in for our customer gallery and the first ones have been added to the site - see our gallery for more details.



Mr Simpson's shower room (above) looks amazing, having used Mosaic Beige Sand panelling for his shower room makeover.

We are also in the process of adding another gallery to our Outasight section showing the concealed shower curtain system in use by our customers.

Outasight closed for one week

The manufacturers of the Outasight shower barrier will be closed for an Autumn break on Thursday 20th October and will re-opn on Monday 31st Otc.

Have ordered extra stock to cover this period but should you require spares etc. your order will not be processed until the manufactuers return.

100% design

We attended the recent 100% Design exhibition in Earls Court to see the latest ideas from the design world.

The exhibition was not purely targetting the building industry but featured design ideas from all market sectors making for an interesting show.

One of the items that stood out that was actually from the bathroom industry was a flat sided perspex bath that gave the impression of a continuous line (click image below for expanded view).



This is a simple yet elegant example of bathroom design at its very best.

Other interesting ideas were wall panelling made from recyled plastic, in which the type and colour of the items recycled form the pattern of the panel, wooden baths and teak wall tiles.

Sapceline Offer Extended

The special offer on Spaceline wall panelling has been extended until the end of October.

The panels are still only £29.96 per pack of 4 (plus carriage) and are available in four colours:

• Silver Grey Marble
• Beige Marble
• Rose Marble
• Blue Marble

Buy Bathroom Cladding Online

If you are looking to buy bathroom cladding online you now have two different payment options via our shopping cart system.

You can pay online whereby you will be transferred over to the Paypal secure payment system to enter your credit card details. You do not have to open a Paypal account, although you can use your account if you already have one.

You can also chose to pay offline. You will be prompted to enter a daytime telephone number which we will then use to contact you and arrange payment. You can pay for your cladding by credit or debit card (we will process the payment ourselves) or you can arrange to pay by cheque.

Labo wall panel

We have been selling Labo wall panels from Decos for some time now and they have proved to be very popular with our customers.

Initially we sold the 4.5 metre length panels in two colours Ultra White and Classic White, but we have have now added a new size to the range - 2.6 metres.






The new panels are £38.12 for a pack of 4 panels plus carriage. They are ideal for use on walls and ceiling and are ideal if you want to clad inside a shower cubicle without adding any extra colour to your overall bathroom design.

shower wall panel

If you are thinking of installing or upgrading a shower cubicle in your home you might want to consider installing shower wall panels in place of ceramic wall tiles.

Each shower wall panel slots into the next one using a tongue and groove system ensuring a completely waterproof surface. They are easy to fit and can work out very cheap - in fact, you can cover two walls of a standard 760mm shower cubicle for just £78.90 - all you need is two packs of Spaceline wall panels and a corner trim (the above price includes carriage)



And once the panels are up, they stay looking good for years, without any need for scrubbing, bleaching or re-grouting.

Spaceline wall panel special offer

Spaceline wall panels are now on special offer.

These superb quality waterproof wall panels were already on of our best value products - and now they are even cheaper.

They were £9.85 per panel but have now been reduced to only £7.49


See our special offer page for more details.



Offer ends 30.09.05. Spaceline panels are only available in packs of 4 (£29.96 per pack)