There are not so many materials with which you can decorate the walls in the bathroom. As an alternative to tiles, you can only oppose wallpaper, painting and wall panels. It is about the latter that will be discussed in this article, in which, together with the site vannaja.net, we will study the varieties of this material, its advantages and disadvantages and deal with the question of how do-it-yourself bathroom wall panels are installed?
Plastic wall panels for bathroom photo
Bathroom wall panels: varieties
There are not many bathroom wall panels available. Of all the variety of similar materials that the modern construction market offers, you can choose only two options for use in this room: these are plastic PVC panels and MDF wall panels for the bathroom.
- PVC wall panels for the bathroom - this material is known to many under the name "plastic panels", which are often used for the manufacture of ceilings in the kitchen, toilet and bathroom. Such panels can be called a budget option - they are relatively inexpensive, and in terms of their technical characteristics, they are quite suitable for use in such damp rooms as bathrooms. Among the advantages of this material are antistatic (do not attract dust), ease of cleaning and sufficient resistance to temperature extremes. As for the shortcomings, they include an insufficiently attractive appearance and fragility. Sometimes, in order to damage the plastic wall panels for the bathroom, you don't even have to put much effort - it is enough to lean on them carelessly, and a break is guaranteed.
- Wall panels in the bathroom from MDF. Despite the fact that this material is made from compressed wood dust, it is many times superior in its characteristics to plastic panels. Among the advantages of this material are high resistance to moisture, increased strength characteristics, heat and sound insulation properties. In addition, manufacturers can impart fire-resistant properties to some types of MDF wall panels. Also, waterproof bathroom wall panels made of MDF can be called an environmentally friendly material. If PVC is the purest chemical product, then MDF is natural wood, or rather, its sawdust pressed under high pressure and temperature. Even to connect these sawdust, no modern polymer is used - they stick together thanks to the lignin released by the wood.
Mdf wall panels for bathroom photo
Also, when studying the varieties of wall panels for the bathroom, you should pay attention to three options for their manufacture. As a rule, panels are produced either in the form of stacked strips, or in the form of stacked plates, or in the form of sheet material.
- Type-setting slatted panels are produced with a thickness of 8 to 12 mm, a length of 2.4 to 5.96 m and a width of 12.5 to 40 mm.
- Typesetting tile panels for the bathroom are manufactured in a very wide range of dimensions. As in the case of the previous material, its thickness can be from 8 to 12mm, and the length and height can vary greatly - there are no standards here. The most popular is the material with a side from 30 to 98mm. The advantage of these panels is that elements with different textures and colors can be easily combined with each other, which allows you to give your bathroom an individual look.
- Sheet panels have standard dimensions - as a rule, it is 1.22m by 2.44m. Such large dimensions of these panels allow for quick installation. They are used for large bathrooms.
That, in principle, is all that can be said about the varieties of wall panels for the bathroom. As you can see, there are not so many of them. Nevertheless, their use in the interior of bathrooms provides many advantages.
Wall panels for a bathroom photo
Benefits of using bathroom wall panels
Unlike finishing with ceramic tiles, bathroom renovation with wall panels is quite a winning option, and there are several explanations for this.
- Fast and easy installation. Installation of wall panels in the bathroom does not require preparatory work related to leveling the base - the panels are mounted either on a wooden or metal frame.
- Easy to care for. The walls trimmed with panels have practically no joints - in fact, there is nowhere for dirt to clog and, as a result, all cleaning of these panels comes down to periodically wiping them with a damp cloth. In addition, all modern bathroom wall panels are highly resistant to household chemicals. And that's not all - if for some reason one or more panels are damaged, then they can always be replaced with new ones without resorting to global alterations.
- Profitability. If we compare the cost of this material and the prices for its installation, then finishing the bathroom with wall panels will cost you about half the price. It all depends on the type of panels used.
- Possibility to create a room of original design. Installation of wall panels in a bathroom can be carried out in almost any direction - horizontally, vertically, diagonally and in a combined way, when several directions of panel installation are used.
Decorating the bathroom with wall panels photo
There are also some drawbacks. If we compare wall panels with tiles, the following can be distinguished.
- Despite the fact that in the process of manufacturing MDF panels, a special treatment is performed that increases the moisture resistance of this material, it is still far from ceramics - they cannot withstand long-term exposure to one hundred percent moisture.
- If we talk about plastic PVC panels, then their strength leaves much to be desired.
Bathroom renovation with wall panels photo
In general, if we summarize all of the above, then we can only draw one correct conclusion - except for saving the budget, the use of panels for the bathroom does nothing. Better than tiles, it's hard enough to come up with something for this room. You should not engage in imaginary cost savings, it should be remembered that a greedy person pays twice. Once for wall decoration with panels, and the second time for wall decoration with tiles.
How to mount wall panels with your own hands: features of work
Well, in conclusion of the topic, a few words about the independent installation of wall panels in the bathroom. It has already been said that the installation of wall panels in the bathroom is carried out on a pre-installed wooden or metal frame. This method of installing panels just gives some properties that people attribute to disadvantages - this is fragility. The void behind the panels causes them to break.
DIY installation of wall panels in the bathroom
There is another way to install plastic and MDF panels in the bathroom, which reduces the risk of breaking this material through carelessness. The panels are simply glued to the walls. To carry out such an installation, the walls must first be leveled - ideally, in order not to reduce the room, it is better to plaster them. If the question of additional square centimeters is not worth it, then drywall can also be used, which is also better to install with glue.
Gluing of any wall panels (both PVC and MDF) is carried out using liquid nails glue. In this case, the technology of its use should be strictly observed, and then the wall panels for the bathroom will serve you for many years.
Aug 29, 2016 Sergey