The most difficult and crucial stage in the repair of a bathroom can be considered the decoration of the walls and ceiling. Most often, toilets are sheathed with plastic panels or pasted over with tiles. Sometimes bathrooms are also decorated with mosaics or decorative plaster on drywall.
In some cases, lining or wooden panels can be used for cladding. Of course, in order for all surfaces to ultimately turn out neat, repairs should be carried out in compliance with certain technologies.
How to sheathe a bathroom with plastic panels
Modern wall panels are the most convenient material option for finishing a bathroom. The room sheathed with them will look quite modern and aesthetically pleasing.
Among other things, plastic panels are absolutely not afraid of moisture, are hygienic, and their cost is low. Thus, using them, you can make budgetary, but high-quality repairs.
Preparatory activities
Before starting the repair, an estimate is drawn up with the calculation of all the necessary materials. Here is a small sample of an estimate for a bathroom renovation:
How to calculate the cost of toilet repair
Of course, when repairing a small toilet in an apartment with your own hands, it is not necessary to make such a detailed list. But the cost of basic materials is still worth estimating.
Before starting finishing with PVC panels, all furniture and household appliances are removed from the bathroom. Plumbing can be left during the repair, but it is also better to dismantle and remove. Moreover, during repairs, it usually changes to a new one.
Before finishing, old wallpaper should be removed from the walls, as well as their surface should be cleaned and treated with anti-rotting compounds.
Bathroom renovation. Preparing walls for decoration
Repair of a combined bathroom is carried out according to certain rules, since the air in such a room is very humid. In this case, lamellas are installed only on the crate. In conventional toilets, the lamellas can be glued directly onto the walls.
Installing the frame
Since the walls and ceilings in the bathrooms of modern apartments are rarely perfectly flat, plastic lining is usually mounted with the preliminary installation of the frame. The latter is easiest to make from wooden slats 40x25 mm. The lathing elements are usually mounted horizontally. The frame is fixed directly to the wall using self-tapping screws with plastic dowels. The step between the slats is no more than 50 cm.
It is best to fix PVC lamellas when finishing a bathroom on a wooden frame
Advice: To level the frame at the points of fastening of the purlins, you can put slats of the required thickness or pieces of plywood.After the entire wall is upholstered, you can start installing the corner elements, as well as the upper and lower plastic guides. Fasten them to the frame with staples using a construction stapler.
When decorating walls with panels, corner elements are pre-installed
Panel mounting
For bathroom renovation, you can choose plastic panels of any color. But light slats will look better in this small room. There are actually many options for decorating a toilet with plastic. To be convinced of this, it is enough to look in the catalog of any construction online store.
Design finishes such as PVC panels can be very different
Actually, the decoration of the bathroom with plastic panels is performed as follows:
- Preliminarily, a thorn is cut off at the first lamella.
- After that, it is inserted into the corner starter.
- On the reverse side, the first lamella will need to be fixed to each purlin with a kleimer or bracket.
Do-it-yourself bathroom repair photo. PVC panels are fixed using a construction stapler
- The thorn of the second panel is inserted into the groove of the first. The element will need to be bent slightly to fit into the top and bottom guides. The second panel is attached to the crate in the same way as the first.
- All other lamellas are installed in exactly the same order.
Bathroom renovation. Photo of installation of PVC panels using the thorn-groove method
- The last panel is inserted into the finishing corner profile without additional fixation to the battens.
- Ceiling decoration is done in exactly the same way.
Repair of a bathroom in Khrushchev. Photo of a plastic profile
Glue mounting
Do-it-yourself bathroom repair in the event that the walls in it are even, and it is not combined with the bathroom, you can also make using a simpler technology. In this case, PVC lamellas are attached directly to the surface of the room with liquid nails. The sequence of work in this case will be as follows:
- Repair begins with cleaning the walls and ceiling from dirt. Next, the surfaces should be primed.
Photo of the finishing of the combined bathroom. Before gluing with PVC panels, walls should be primed
- Large drops of liquid nails are applied to each panel in a dotted staggered pattern with a step of about 30 cm.
- Then the panel is firmly pressed against the surface and held in this position for several seconds.
- All other elements are attached in the same way.
Repair in a combined bathroom. Photo of a room finished with PVC panels
Of course, as in the first case, the finishing and starting corner profiles, as well as the upper and lower guides, are previously glued to the wall.
Below we suggest you see how the bathroom is being repaired with your own hands (video):
As you can see, using plastic panels, you can make a very high-quality and inexpensive bathroom renovation.
Bathroom decoration with ceramic tiles
With tiles - despite the fact that the price for it is higher - toilets are trimmed even more often than with PVC panels. The modern design tiled bathtub looks stylish and presentable.
In addition, it is much more difficult to damage tiles than plastic. The only drawback of ceramics can be considered only some difficulty in installation. Of course, you can repair a bathroom using tiles with your own hands. However, when performing this work, you should strictly adhere to all the required technologies.
Aligning the walls
Repair of a combined bathroom in a Khrushchev building or a separate toilet usually begins with leveling all surfaces. It is better not to glue tiles on curved walls. Otherwise, the room will look sloppy.
When repairing, the walls in the bathroom for tiling must be carefully leveled beforehand.
The alignment procedure includes the following steps:
- Old plaster is stripped from the walls and ceiling. The used tile is removed from the floor.
- The repair is continued by gluing (on gypsum mortar) plaster guides.
The alignment of the walls of the bathroom for tiling during the repair is carried out according to the lighthouses
- Once the plaster has set, you can start applying new plaster. The solution is thrown between the beacons in large pieces, and then carefully leveled with a rule.
- The walls of the bathrooms in Khrushchev are leveled using the same technology.
- A screed is arranged on the floor along the lighthouses.
Floor repair begins with filling the screed
Important: The minimum thickness of the concrete screed is 3 cm. For the device of a thin layer, special leveling mixtures are used.Repair of a bathroom in a panel house can be done without prior leveling the surfaces. The walls in such buildings, in contrast to block and brick, are usually quite flat.
When carrying out repairs in an apartment of a panel house, the tiles can be installed without prior leveling the walls.
Installation of tiles
Bathroom tiles - especially joint ones - are only suitable for special ones, intended for use in high humidity conditions. You can buy this variety at any hardware store. The tiles are installed in the following order:
- At the first stage of the repair, the walls and ceiling are carefully coated with a penetrating primer.
Walls for tiles are pre-necessarily marked up
Advice: First of all, wall decoration is usually performed. Then the tiles are glued to the ceiling, and at the final stage - to the floor.- Further, the surface is marked according to the height of the tile.
- Installation of elements starts from the bottom.
- The glue is applied to the wall using a notched trowel or a special float.
Photo of the bathroom with tiles. Tile adhesive is applied with a notched trowel
On a note: It is possible to install tiles in the bathroom either in even rows or at a distance.- A day after installation, the crosses are removed, and the seams are rubbed with a composition of a suitable color intended for this.
Bathroom tiles. Photo of the grouting process
Advice: Floor tiles are installed using the same technology. After installation, you can only walk on the floor after the glue has completely dried.Use of other materials
Tiles and plastic panels are the most popular types of bathroom finishes. However, in some cases, repairs can be made using other materials.
Mosaic decoration
When performing repairs, tiles can be replaced, for example, with mosaics. Decorating a bathroom with this material is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. Smalt, ceramic and glass mosaics are sold not in small pieces, but in panels, approximately 30x30 cm in size. During production, the elements are glued with the front side on paper. After gluing the panel to the wall, it is simply moistened with water and removed after soaking.
Spectacular decoration of bathrooms with mosaics
Plasterboard finishing
This material for finishing both combined and separate bathrooms is also used quite often.
Important: For finishing wet rooms, you can use only green moisture-resistant drywall.Installation of this type of finish is made either on a wooden, or - which is better - on a metal frame.
Plasterboard finishing is usually done through a metal frame
From above, decorative plaster is most often used for finishing drywall in the bathroom. Finishing work with this material is carried out in stages:
- Previously, the plasterboard surface is primed with a special agent.
- After the primer has dried, the plaster itself is applied to the walls and ceiling with a trowel in circular or straight movements by hand. Its layer should be quite thin.
- After the first layer has dried, you can apply the second, and then the third. For structural plaster, one or two will be enough. Textured is applied in 5-12 layers.
Photos of combined bathrooms after renovation. Decorating with decorative plaster
Wood paneling
Wooden panels in the bathroom are usually used only if it is not combined with the bathroom. Their installation is carried out using the same technology as the installation of plastic panels.
Sometimes bathrooms are finished with wood panels.
As you can see, repairing a bathroom with your own hands is a rather troublesome task, but quite doable. Slowly and carefully finish the finishing and you have a beautiful modern toilet with flat walls and ceilings. If the technology of cladding with panels and tiles seemed too complicated for you, you can always hire specialists. Many firms today carry out finishing of bathrooms on a turnkey basis and inexpensively.
The quality and durability of any finish largely depends on the preparation of the substrate. Unlike more complex rooms in an apartment, finishing the toilet does not take much time and effort, so each stage needs to be given special attention. Better to spend two extra hours today than to redo everything later.
First of all, it is necessary to completely clean the walls and ceiling in the toilet from old finishes or paint. This is done with a spatula and a light hammer, which is tapped on the surface. A coating that has become unusable will fall off immediately.
Next, the bars are prepared. They need to be cut to the required length based on the horizontal attachment to the wall. When all the wooden elements are ready, they are treated with impregnations and taken out to dry on the balcony or staircase.
Important ! The size of the bars should be a few centimeters smaller than the washroom. This is necessary in order for the tree to have the opportunity to expand.
In the meantime, the bars are drying, there is time to continue preparing the walls in the toilet for finishing. They need to be copiously passed with an antiseptic primer, it prevents the formation of mold and harmful fungus. Impregnation is done with a foam roller. It takes about an hour to dry completely at room temperature, which means you can take a short break and take a breath.
Installation of wooden lathing for plastic panels
When the walls in the toilet and the wood are completely dry, you can start fixing. The first step is to fix the block a couple of centimeters above the floor, along the entire perimeter of the toilet room. In the same way, a beam is passed under the ceiling.
If the ceiling in the toilet will also be finished with plastic panels, then the crate is also needed on it, the fastening technology is no different from the wall one:
Advice ! if spotlights are planned as ceiling lighting in the toilet, the bar should be mounted below the ceiling, at least 15 cm. do this using profile fasteners.
In more detail, about how this is done, you can watch the video.
Installation of plastic panels in the toilet
Before installing the plastic panels, it is necessary to attach the guide moldings to the corners of the toilet and to the ceiling.
All finishing strips are attached with staplers to the bars
Do-it-yourself installation of plastic panels in the toilet, always start from the left edge and ridge to the corner. With the help of a construction stapler, fastening brackets are driven into the corner groove and the ridge on the other side of the panel.
Important ! The first panel must be installed strictly according to the level. All other trim elements will be guided by it.
The second plastic panel is inserted into the groove of the first one and its comb is also fixed with staples along each wooden rail. All stages of installation are clearly shown in the video.
After the walls of the toilet are completely covered with panels, the boxes that close the communications are finished. Here, perhaps, each panel will have to be cut to length, later these places will be covered with decorative corners.
In the same way, plastic panels are installed on the toilet ceiling. But here it is important to immediately make holes in the places of the lamps, and bring out the electrical wires.
Installation of decorative elements on plastic panels
The easiest way is to use external corners in finishing the toilet, they are much more convenient in installation and are not inferior in quality to those into which plastic panels must be inserted.
Glue for plastic is applied to the corner and applied to the junction of the panels. Good glue sets in a few seconds, so it is important to have time to glue the corner before it dries.
Using the same glue, floor and ceiling skirting boards are fixed. Possible excess glue is removed with a soft rag, and on this the finishing of the toilet with plastic panels with your own hands can be considered complete.
The matter remained with the installation of the necessary accessories and lamps, but this is already a topic for a separate conversation.
Conclusion
As you can see, there is nothing complicated in decorating the toilet with do-it-yourself panels. All repair steps will take a maximum of two days. Even if this is the first independent repair in an apartment, it will allow you to gain invaluable experience, and perhaps the next step will be more complex premises that also require repair and decoration.
And in order to avoid the most common mistakes when repairing a bathroom, you can watch the video
Repairing a toilet with plastic panels is the best option for those who want to make budget repairs in an apartment. This method has several advantages. First, you can purchase a fair amount of inexpensive material. Secondly, it is very easy to install it yourself, which will save a lot of money on the payment of the masters.
Plastic panels - features of choosing a reliable material
Before finishing the toilet, you need to choose quality panels. There is a huge range of these products on the market, but not all products meet the requirements of modern quality standards. It can be quite difficult for the buyer to visually determine the reliability and safety of the offered products. So that you do not "run into" defective panels, we will reveal a few secrets to you. They will allow you to pick up really high-quality material that will last a long time.
The composition of PVC panels should include additives designed to improve the elasticity of the material. Due to the presence of these components, products are easy to bend and are difficult to accidental mechanical damage. If you are offered plastic, on which dents remain from pressing with your finger, then you should refuse such products. This material is not able to serve for a long time. In addition, it will lose its original appearance within a year.
To easily check the quality of the material, it is worth doing the following. Start by grasping the edge of the panel with two fingers and squeezing lightly. As a result, the ribs that are inside should not deform or bend. In addition, the appearance of dents in the top and bottom of the panel is not allowed. Then try peeling back the material mounting strip. It is located on the edge of the product and forms a docking lock. As a result, this part of the material should not break or crack. In high-quality materials, it quickly returns to its previous position, and no traces remain on the bending lines.
To check, hold the panel to the nose. The product must not emit any unpleasant odors. If you feel a strong chemical smell, then it is better not to use such material for. Most likely, this plastic was created from cheap raw materials or with violations of technological production standards. If you buy these panels, then in the toilet trimmed with them there will be an unpleasant smell, fumes hazardous to health.
In shops you can find panels of various widths. In small rooms, it is worth using products that are not too wide, since a large amount of unusable waste will remain after work. Therefore, in order not to guess with the desired batch of finishes, before you, it is worth measuring them and calculating the required amount of material. Another important nuance when choosing a product is the seller's certificate. The document must indicate the country of origin and the compliance of the product with all sanitary and technical standards.
How to buy material and take the necessary measurements?
In order to finish the toilet with plastic panels with your own hands without problems, you need to prepare for work. First of all, take all measurements and buy materials. The preparation of tools and surface treatment will also be a mandatory event. The purpose of the measurements is to find out how many panels are required to operate. At the same time, it is also important to calculate the number of profiles that will be useful for decorating external and internal corners. In addition, the profiles will be needed to mount the panels to the floor and ceiling lines. Often, these finishing elements are needed for the installation of doors, windows and cabinets, if such work is also included in the planned repairs.
The choice of profiles directly depends on the design idea, the size of the toilet and the installation technique of panels in some areas of the room. As for the main material, its amount should be 15% more than the measurement result. A certain part will go to trimming. Cases of incorrect cutting or accidental damage to the panels should not be ruled out.
Remember that you will also need material to install the battens. In most cases, homeowners need to save every centimeter of an apartment, so the toilet has a small area. In this regard, wooden slats or metal profiles with a section of 50x20 mm are suitable as a frame. To calculate the number of slats, you need to take into account that the guides of the battens will be located at a distance of 50-60 cm from each other. In addition, calculate the number of parts of the ceiling frame lathing and a decorative box that will hide the pipes. But this is only if you plan to carry out finishing in these areas of the toilet.
In order to fix the frame on the wall surface, it is necessary to purchase dowels of such length that they can be screwed into the wall by 40-50 mm. To find out the number of fasteners, take into account that their pitch during installation will be 40–45 cm. To fix the panels on the frame, you need to purchase self-tapping screws no more than 20 mm long. If wooden slats are used as lathing, then it is better to use staples 10 mm long for fixing. If your toilet has perfectly flat walls, then you can skip the crate. In such situations, the plastic panels are glued directly to the walls with liquid nails or tile glue.
Room preparation - how to level the walls before finishing?
As with other types of renovation work, finishing a bathroom with plastic panels requires the necessary tools. Having them close at hand, you will not be distracted by looking for the right equipment. For work you will need:
- screwdriver and a set of bits for it;
- electric drill or hammer drill;
- drills of different diameters;
- manual or electric jigsaw;
- scissors for working with metal, if a metal profile is used;
- stationery knife;
- hammer;
- square and tape measure;
- marker or pencil;
- stapler and building level.
To prepare the wall surfaces, you will also need a hair dryer, spatulas, a brush, and a primer roller. Particular attention should be paid to the building level. It must have a horizontal and vertical pointer. This tool will help you achieve the most flat surface of the walls in the toilet. If you are going to specifically buy both a drill and a hammer drill, then you can get by with only one drill. At the same time, it is important that it has a punching function. This tool will cost a little more than a regular drill, but you will save money on the purchase of a separate hammer drill.
To level the walls in the toilet, you first need to remove all the old trim. This will help eliminate the appearance of mold and mildew in the space between. Use a metal trowel to remove old wallpaper or other types of trim. If you need to clean the walls of worn-out wallpaper, but they have already firmly adhered to the surface, then for cleaning you can apply hot water to the old finish several times using a roller. You need to shoot the material in those places where it began to separate from the wall. If the walls in the toilet were previously painted with paint, then it is not necessary to completely remove it from the surface before repairing it. The main thing is to remove the dried composition where it began to flake off.
After cleaning the surfaces on the walls, make the markings. This is necessary in order to determine the size and number of battens for the lathing. If you chose wooden slats as the latter, then in the next step, prepare them for installation. First, they are cut to size, after which they are impregnated with an antiseptic composition. It is best to do this on a balcony or in any other room where there is a draft. Before the slats are dry, you can apply a primer to the walls and ceiling of the toilet. It is best to apply 2 coats of this composition. If you are using a white primer, then the wall marking should be done only after the material has dried on the surface.
Sheathing - an option for uneven surfaces
Finishing the toilet with PVC panels is one of the last stages of indoor renovation. First of all, you will need to secure the battens guides. This should be done only on dry, even walls. Before installation, drill holes in the rails, the diameter of which will correspond to the diameters of the dowels. After that, the slats are applied to the marking. It is necessary to insert a drill into each of the holes in the rail and mark the drilling locations in the wall. Then the rail is laid to the side, and the place marked in the wall is drilled to the length of the dowel.
To fix the rail, it must be reattached to the marking so that the holes in it and the wall coincide. After that, we take dowels with screwed in screws and, in turn, drive them into the walls through wooden guides. All elements of the crate are installed in this way.
Before sheathe the walls in the toilet with plastic panels, you need to make a decorative box. It is made of a metal profile and serves as a place where pipes and other communications will be hidden. To manufacture the structure, install vertical struts under the ceiling so that they are located on the sides of the sewer riser. After that, the vertical elements are held together by horizontal guides. In order to hide all the pipes, the frame of the box must pass along the sides of the communications so that after installing the panels they cannot be seen.
Installation of panels - how to sheathe the walls with plastic yourself?
Next, we start decorating the walls. It is best to start from the far corner. All vertical panels that are installed for toilet renovation must be leveled using a level. Only then can they be screwed on. Remember that the correct position of the first panel determines how smoothly the other products will be screwed!
If one or several walls in your toilet are perfectly flat, then it makes no sense to mount the crate on them. In such a situation, the panels are best glued directly to the surface. To do this, take liquid nails and apply them in a thin layer to the wall covering. After that, we apply a plastic lining and, while the glue is not dry, align each of the panels. After finishing the walls, carefully place the material on the decorative box. To do this, take the first panel and attach it to the frame. We mark the places of cutting and shorten the product along the indicated lines.
Next, we fasten the lining with self-tapping screws and repeat the procedure with the rest of the material. In the corners and joints, use special ones that will make the finish more neat. If finishing your toilet with plastic means installing the material on the ceiling, in this case, do not forget to make holes in the panels for lighting. If you are using spotlights, then you need to cut out circles, the diameter of which will be the same as the diameter of the fixtures. If you have a small shade, then the hole should be of such a size that you can push the wires necessary to connect the light bulb into it.
Plastic panels are one of the easiest and most convenient ways to decorate a bathroom. However, many of those planning to make repairs in the toilet do not even consider using this material. Most often, plastic panels are neglected because they do not seem beautiful or aesthetic enough to people.
Technologies for the production of PVC panels allow us to produce products of excellent quality and appearance. Potential buyers have a choice among hundreds of possible options, so the design of a toilet finished with plastic panels can be very stylish and modern.
Advantages
Let's start a story about the design features of a bathroom, in which plastic panels are used as the main finishing material, with a description of the advantages of this finishing method. These include:
- strength and durability material;
- ease of care, good tolerance of various cleaning agents;
- quick and easy installation, does not require experience in repair work;
- low cost;
- resistance to high humidity and temperature drops;
- choice among the many options for colors and textures;
- no need for rough wall finishing;
- heat insulating and sound insulating material characteristics.
Minuses
Like any other finishing material, plastic panels, in addition to a number of positive sides, also have negative ones. The most significant disadvantages of finishing the toilet with PVC panels are:
- material susceptibility to fire: plastic not only melts and deforms when heated, but also easily ignites when in contact with an open fire;
- instability to mechanical damage: despite the fact that PVC panels are strong enough, they can crack or split from a strong impact;
- the installation of plastic panels is carried out on the frame, which eats a few square centimeters of usable area in addition, the panels themselves can be quite thick.
Color solutions
There are several popular color options for plastic panels. Which one to choose for decorating a bathroom depends, first of all, on the future style of the interior.
Solid color panels are a versatile solution. They will become the backdrop for furniture, plumbing and other decorative elements. For small spaces, it is recommended to choose neutral, light shades, and in spacious toilets, it is quite possible to use bright or dark colors.
Patterned panels will appeal to those who want to make the bathroom design more expressive. Vegetable and floral ornaments, as well as abstract geometry - patterns from circles, lines, etc. are in great demand. To decorate toilets, the theme of the sea and the underwater world is also often chosen, therefore, a large assortment of PVC panels with the image of shells, sandy beaches or marine life is presented in hardware stores.
Panels that imitate natural textures look very impressive. However, so that such an interior does not look cheap, you should choose high-quality products with a flawlessly applied pattern. Wooden beams, marble, masonry and brickwork - these colors are the most popular with buyers. In the toilet, such panels must be combined with suitable interior items and plumbing equipment.
