Bathroom Ceiling

One our customers recently refurbished his bathroom ceiling with Blanca Ultra White ceiling panels. He sent in some photos with the following note.

"Just to let you know, the delivery arrived as stated and all was in good condition. Finally got around to fitting the ceiling panels over the last couple of days and was amazed at how easy they were to work with and how smart they look. Went for a floating effect with remote controlled RGB LED backlighting, also added some speakers."


click the image to enlarge

I sked him how he achieved the effect and this is his description of the work he carried out.

"Hi Mark,It's pretty simple really; the ceiling was battened with 34mm timbers leaving an 8cm gap (5cm perspex around the edge, plus 3cm overhang for the trim to clip onto the panel edges) between the timbers and the walls. RGB LED tape such as this:

http://www.litewave.co.uk/rgb_led_tape_home.asp

was stuck around the perimeter of the battens. The tape is then wired back to my in-wall airing cupboard and connected to this controller (in an IP56 rated enclosure, just to be safe)

http://www.led-tech.de/en/LED-Controlling/LED-Controlling/MultiLine-RGB-Controller-V2.0-LT-1001_118_31.html

This is powered by an old 12v laptop power supply capable of providing 5amp (as required by the 8m of LED strip I used) To go with the controller I also use an IR extender which is mounted in the hollow edge of a ceiling panel with an aligning hole drilled in the edging trim to receive commands from the remote which allows mixing of around 16 million colours, all of which can be dimmed in 100 step increments.:

http://www.led-tech.de/en/LED-Controlling/LED-Controlling/MultiLine-IR-sensor-LT-1003_118_31.htmlhttp://www.led-tech.de/en/LED-Controlling/LED-Controlling/MultiLine-IR-Remote-Control-LT-1002_118_31.html

I left a 5cm gap around the edge of the ceiling panels to allow the light from the LED's to show, to diffuse the light and give a soft glow I used strips of 050 white opal perspex (this just looks like an extension of the edging strip when the LED's are off), this all had a bead of silicon sealant added to the edge during fitting to ensure the LED's were sealed away from any steam.The in-ceiling speakers are just bog-standard QED systemline 0.5's (suitable for bathroom use!) which are powered by a sonic impact t-amp with the audio source being a logitech squeezebox (outside the bathroom using an RF remote to control) to stream music from my music server. I use these all over the house (lounge, bedrooms, kitchen, study) and can listen to independent music in each room, or synchronise every player or specific players around the house. All-in-all it took me about 2 and a half days by myself to complete and turned out better than I planned (half a day of this was testing by a qualified electrician as any new electrical work in a bathroom falls under part P of the building regs).

Video of one of the many colour change sequences here: http://tehjunk.com/bathroom.MPG"


The following image shows how the bathroom ceiling looked before the work was carried out:

Outasight Replacement Curtains

Outasight are currently out of stock of replacement shower curtains. New material is due in but it is estimated that curtains will not be available until 2nd or 3rd week of April.



There has been a slight increase in the cost of the shower curtain material which has resulted in a price change - curtains are now £47.50

Spabord Panels - Colour Deletions

Some of the Spabord range of shower wall panels have been earmarked for deletion

The colours to be deleted are:

• Beige Mosaic


• Cappuccino


• Luxor


• Warm Coral


• Oasis Blue

Some of these colours have been slow moving so stocks of these are being run down and will not be replaced by the manufacturers of Spabord, Wilsonart. Stocks of Oasis Blue have already been exhausted. Please check with us before ordering any of these colours to ensure there is sufficent stock to fulfill your order.

There will be new colours added to the range soon but we do not have any definite details as yet.

Grosfillex Panels - Easter Availability

The importer's warehouse for Grosfillex panels will be closed for Easter for a week. As the panels are despatched directly from this warehouse this will affect any orders placed with us during this period.

The warehouse will be closed on Friday 10th April 09 and will re-open on Monday 20th April.

Order for all other products sold by The Bathroom Marquee will be unaffected.

Bathroom Marquee Closed 25.05.09 for 1 Week

The Bathroom Marquee will be closing on Monday 25 May 09 for 1 week and will re-open on Tuesday 2nd June at 9.00am

You will be able to place orders via our website while we are shut - orders will be processed on our return on the 2nd June.

Sealing Wall Panels In The Corner of a Shower Cubicle

We very often get asked about the best method for fitting the panels into the corner of shower cubicles.

There are three methods for fitting panels into the corner of shower cubicles:

1. Use a corner trim supplied by the manufacturers of the panel


2. Butt-joint the panels in the corner and seal with a good quality silicone
   
3. Score the back of the panel and bend the panel 90 deg to form the corner

Most fitters tend to use option 2 as it is the quickest, easiest and neatest method - providing you cut reasonably accurately.

If you are concerned about water ingress you can dry fit the panels first, then run a thick bead of silicone into the corner and then push the first panel into the wet silicone, embedding the corner of the panel in sealant. Run another bead of silicone down the corner and push the second panel into the wet silicone to form the corner. Wipe off any excess on the front of the panel and run thin bead of silicone down the newly formed corner to completely seal it off.

This method is ideal for patterned panels such as mosaic or tile effect panels as corner trims tend to break up the pattern.

This method can be used where there is a shower over the bath or in shower cubicles.

Christmas Opening/Closing Times

We will be closing for two weeks at Christmas. We shut at at 3pm on Friday 19th of December and will re-open on Monday 5th January 2009.

We would recommend Monday 15th as the last day of ordering for wall panels to ensure that you receive the goods in plenty of time before we close. It will be possible to order up until we close but we will not be around to deal with any queries, should there be an issue with your delivery. Outasights can be ordered up until Wed 17th Dec and deliveries will be made on Friday 19th.

You can orer online while we are closed - any orders placed online over the holiday period will be processed on our return in January.

Panel Joints

All of the UPVC panels that we sell are tongue and grooved enabling the panels to be joined together and making them suitable for use in showers, bathrooms and wet rooms.



The visible join on the surface of the panel will vary depending on the joint style of the panel:

• flush joint
• contrast joint
• v-groove joint

There are pages with information regarding these different joint types on the website and the flush joint page has just been re-vamped with some new images to show in more detail the appearance of this type of joint.

The joint types refer only to the visible surface and do not affect the performance of the joint. We would always recommend running a thin bead of silicone inside the groove prior to installation in a shower area just to ensure no water is forced through the joint (the joint relies on the springiness of the plastic so if you took a power shower spray head and pointed it at the joint you could force the joint apart with a powerful enough jet)

Spabord Stocks Back To Normal

The manufacturers of Spabord recently changed one of the production facilities for their panels.

While this was occuring they ran out of stock of many of the more popular colours. The new facility is now up and running and stock levels are now returning to normal.

Bathroom Ceiling Panels

When wall panels are installed the weight of the panel rests on the floor, bath or shower tray so the panels are effectively just "leaning against the wall" Consequently the bond between the panel and the wall does not have to be that strong to be effective. When panels are fitted to a bathroom ceiling however the bond is much more critical.

Most filters that we have spoken to use a combination of adhesive and a staple gun. Solvent-free adhesive tends to be slightly less effective that those with solvent (if using adhesive with solvent be sure that there is plenty of ventilation when you are fitting the panels). The staples help hold the panel in place whilst the adhesive sets.

The panels that we sell are very easy to cut so we always recommend taking your time cutting them to ensure a good fit. The joint between the ceiling panels and the wall can be sealed with silicone. If you are not confident of achieving a neat cut finish you can use trims to help cover the edges of the panels. The problem with most of the trims sold by the manufacturers is that they are designed to be used with wall panels rather that ceiling panels. They can, however, be adapted for use with ceilings by trimming away the back section that would usually clip over the top of the wall panels. The trims can then be mitred and stuck up once the panels are in place. Any trim could be use for this purpose, not just the trims that we sell. Tile edge trim, quadrant or scotia moulding could be fitted once the ceiling panels are in installed.

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.

Sealing Around A Shower Tray

Ensuring there are no leaks from a shower cubicle is vitally important as any water egress can cause damage to the property in the long term.

The first step to elliminate leaks is to ensure that the shower tray is installed solidly. The tray then needs to be sealed to the existing wall with a good quality silicone sealant (we recommend Dow Corning). Smear the silicone up the wall slightly so that there is a skirt of silicone running around the tray.

The panels should then be run down over this seal and another seal applied where the panels meet the tray.

Silicone usually turns mouldy from the back and grows through the seal to appear on the front. For this to occur there must be permanent moisture behind the silicone which can occur due to faulty grouting or movement of the shower tray breaking seals. The surfaces needs to be bone dry and free from dust, soap residue etc before application of the silicone sealant which, together with a solidly installed tray, will ensure it does not peel away.

Summer Shutdown

The Bathroom Marquee will be closing at 3.00pm on on Friday 18th July and will re-open on Monday 4th August 2008.

We would recommend Monday 14th as the last day for ordering amy of our panelling products. You can still place orders via our shopping cart system while we are closed - any orders placed over the holiday period will be processed and despatched on our return on 4th Aug.

Outasights can be ordered while we are closed. If you order and pay online we have arranged for the order delivery details to be forwarded to the manufacturers who will then despatch the Outasight directly to our customers. This also applies to any Outasight spares ordered online.

Outasight Due Back In Stock

The Outasight looks like it will be back in stock very shortly. A recent batch of Outasights were rejected on quality grounds by Lee Brown (the manufacturer and inventor of the Outasight) which has resulted in production being returned to the UK.

This has taken a while to undertake but the final components are now in stock and production can re-commence. We have a large backlog of orders to process and aim get orders despatched as soon as possible. The backlog should be cleared in the next two weeks so and any new orders will be available for delivery week commencing 14th July.

Textured Panels

Although we try our best to ensure the images and descriptions on the web site are accurate and comprehensive as possible there are some things that are not easily portrayed on the internet.

One area that we get asked about quite regularly is whether the mosaic effect panels and tile effect panels are smooth or actually have grout line moulded into them.

Both panels are moulded with a smooth finish - there is no "relief" to the pattern. As the panels are extruded it would be possible to mould the vertical grout lines into the surface but not the horizontal lines. The effect of these 2 panels is therefore just printed onto the surface.

There are however some textured panels within our range - Ambiance White Wood and The Ligno Range of panels all have a woodgrain patern moulded into the surface. Velvet Slate in our Spabord range also has a very realistic slate effect moulded into the laminate surface.

There is also the possibility of using panels from the ambiance range to give a brickwork effect - see the following page for more information: Ambiance . Please note that this brickwork method of installation is not waterproof.

Wall Hung Toilet Pans

We get asked quite often if we sell "spacers" for the panels. Spacers are used to pack out the void between the wall and the surface of the panel when fixing heavy objects or items that need to fixed very securely such as grab rails.

We sell two types of panelling - UPVC panels and Spabord. UPVC panels are hollow while Spabord has a foam backing which means that the panels can be crushed if too much force is applied to them when tightening screws. For most items such as toilet roll holders, shower heads etc this is not usually a problem but some items such as grabrails need to be very securely fastened as a lot of force is applied to them in use. This is where spacers come in. A spacer can be anything that cannot be compressed which is a suitable size and shape to do the job. Discs of plywood, plastic blocks (usually used for cabinet making) or even metal tube. These are fine for small items but some larger items need a slightly different approach - such as wall hung toilet pans.

These type of pans can exert very large forces as fixings bare the the full weight of the user so a large spacer is made from a sheet of marine plywood.

Click the link or the image above for more details on this type of wall hung installation.

Currently Out Of Stock

The Outasight is currently Out Of Stock.

April saw a huge leap in sales due to the re-vamped website, some national advertising and Outasight taking a stand at the Ideal Home Exhibition.

This resulted in us exhuasting current stocks - a new shipment was hastily arranged but this will take another wee or so before the stock will be available for despatch. We will post any updates we get from the manufacturers as soon as we get them - hopefully we will have a definite delivery date in the next few days.

In the meantime we are advising new customers to order online and choose the "pay Offline" option. We will then contact you when the stock becomes available to arrange payment and delivery.

Outasight Updates

The Outasight section of our website has had some major updates recently.

There are now improved images as well as 4 videos:

• Outasight Infomercial
• Installing The Outasight
• Fitting A New Curtain
• Cleaning The Curtain

There are expanded sections covering Technical, Pros and Cons, Installation and a new easy to navigate menu structure.

The Technical page has now been split into separate pages covering dimensions, components, limitations and cleaning.

The Outasight is compared with its main rivals, namely the shower curtain and the shower screen, in our revamped Pros and Cons section. There are also more background pages on both shower screens:

• Bath Shower Screen
• Bath Screen
• Shower Screen
• Folding Shower Screen
• Sliding Shower Screen
• 4 Fold Shower Screen
• 5 Fold Shower Screen

as well as more details on shower curtains and the components needed:

• Shower Curtain
• Bathroom Shower Curtain
• Unique Shower Curtain
• Ringless Shower Curtain
• Shower Curtain Idea
• Shower Curtain Rod
• Designer Shower Curtain

There are further improvements scheduled for the website to make it as comprehensive as possible, so watch this space for details.

April 08 Special Offers

This months we have a special offer on Mosaic wall panels and also the Outasight concealed shower curtain system.

Mosaic panels are sold in packs of 4 and are usually ££51.96 per pack but they are currently on promotion for just £39.96 per pack. Prices include VAT but carriage is extra (see our carriage page for details)



The above image shows both the mosaic tile effect wall panels together with a chrome Outasight (click to enlarge)

This image is taken from our customer gallery - the customer previously had a bath shower screen but also had to use it in conjunction with a shower curtain as the screen did not stretch far enough along the bath (see the following image)



As can be seen the installation of both wall panelling and the Outasight has made a big difference in the appearance of the bathroom. When not in use the Outasight is extremely neat, consisting of a slim chrome-effect box on the wall which opens out to provide a very large showering area (see the following image)





This shows the curtain only half open but it still offers a greater showering area than was offered by the shower screen alone.

Easter Closing Times

We will be closed from Good Friday to Easter Tuesday inclusive. Any online orders taken during this time will be processed on our return.

Have a good Easter.