Monday, January 23, 2006

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.

Friday, January 20, 2006

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)

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

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.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

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.

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

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.

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

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!

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

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.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

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.

Thursday, November 03, 2005

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.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

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

Thursday, October 20, 2005

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.

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

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.

Monday, October 03, 2005

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

Friday, September 30, 2005

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.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

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.

Thursday, September 08, 2005

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.

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

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)