The decoration of the walls of the bathroom is a responsible matter, since there is usually high humidity in this room. For this reason, not all materials are suitable for finishing work. The main requirement for them is water resistance. Tiles perfectly satisfy these conditions, but they are expensive and laborious to install. Therefore, many owners resort to using material such as PVC panels for the bathroom.
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PVC panels for the bathroom: advantages and disadvantages
Polyvinyl chloride wall panels are a modern finishing material. They are made of a polymer substance, so they do not let water through. This wall cladding material is manufactured in the form of 3-meter hollow perforated panels inside. This length allows installation without horizontal joints in any living space. Their width can be of several standard sizes.
Front part panels has a variety of drawings and coloring. The ends of the products have special locks for ease of installation. When decorating premises with this material, it is necessary to purchase various additional elements with it: internal and external corners, strips and curbs.
The most economical option for decorating walls in a bathroom is self-cladding with PVC panels for the bathroom. The advantages of this option:
- The cheapness of the material itself. The cost of plastic panels in comparison with tiles is several times lower.
- Low cost of work. In addition, the decoration can be done without much effort by hand.
- Convenience and speed of installation.
- Lack of "wet" stages of work when constructing such walls.
Among the shortcomings, it can be noted: low strength, poor environmental friendliness of plastic panels and a poor choice of design. Although there are a large number of colors and patterns, freedom in design solutions is limited due to the peculiarities of the dimensions and installation of the material.
Selection of panels on the walls of the bathroom
If you decide to finish the walls PVC panels for bathroom, then you need to correctly select them. There are several types of plastic wall panels, of which the PVC option is the cheapest. At the same time, such a material has good water resistance, which allows it to be used in rooms with high humidity, such as a bathroom.
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When choosing PVC panels, you should pay attention to the fact that they do not have various embossed decorations. They give more volume and originality, but only in the bathroom such things can cause the accumulation of dirt and the appearance of mold, which is unacceptable.
The color scheme should match the size of the room. The smaller it is, the lighter the color should be. Dark colors visually reduce the space. The use of black is unacceptable, also because any minor contamination will be clearly visible on it. The use of light blues and greens seems to be the most optimal. This range promotes relaxation and recreation. The bright tones of the red spectrum cause excitement and aggression.
There are various patterns in style. These can be natural motives: flowers, leaves, sea blue. Geometric shapes on the surface of the walls do not lose their relevance either. There are panels in the form of panels with various compositions on sale, but they cost much more. The choice of style and color should obey the tastes of the owners and be thought out in all details.
Useful advice! When planning the installation of plastic panels in the bathroom, you must immediately determine the place of attachment of various cabinets, shelves and other interior elements. These places need to be fixed in advance with wooden bars or profiles. This will help in the future to firmly fix these objects on the walls, without damaging the newly installed panels.
Step-by-step instructions for installing PVC panels for a bath
There is nothing difficult in self-finishing the walls of the bathroom with plastic panels. Any man with repair skills can make high-quality cladding if he follows certain instructions and rules.
Before starting work, it is necessary to calculate the need for materials. To do this, it is enough to measure the perimeter of the bathroom. Most often, one panel is 25 cm wide.Therefore, 4 panels are sufficient for cladding 1 running meter. If the width differs from the standard, then the calculations must be done individually. In addition to the main material, it is required to purchase corners and other additional elements. Their number is also not difficult to count.
Useful advice! It is necessary to purchase material in the store with a small margin, since the corner panels will most likely have to be cut. When calculating, you must not forget to subtract the area of the doorway.
If the installation of panels is planned on the crate, then you need to purchase the required number of guide profiles. They need at least three for each wall, although more is possible. When mounting on liquid nails or glue, this is not necessary. A tool should also be available: a screwdriver, a sharp knife and a sealant gun.
Preparing the walls
The advantage of plastic panels is their ability to hide all surface irregularities. Therefore, the walls do not need any serious preparation if there are no bumps larger than 10 mm. height. Such irregularities can simply be cut off without paying much attention to them. The situation is different if you plan to stick the panels. In this case, the wall should be perfectly flat.
It is worth paying attention to the wiring when preparing for work. If the wires are old and they are on the surface of the walls, then it is better to replace them, since then it will be problematic to do this. It will not be superfluous to apply waterproofing material to the walls. This is especially true if the walls are wooden.
Choice of fasteners
Plastic panels can be attached to walls in two ways: with glue and with guides. The first method is the simplest one, but it has several disadvantages. It is only suitable for perfectly flat walls. The glued panels are very difficult to tear off the wall afterwards, which will make it difficult to dismantle in case of new repairs.
Installation of panels on a crate is the most convenient way. At the same time, you can not pay attention to small irregularities in the walls, and it will not be difficult to disassemble such a structure, if necessary. The lathing can be made from wooden blocks, but it is better to buy factory-made plastic guides with special locks for attaching panels. This will eliminate the need to screw several screws into each panel. In addition, wood will rot quickly in a damp room.
The guides are installed horizontally at the ceiling, floor and in the middle. The panel is attached to the rails with special clips, which greatly facilitates installation and dismantling.
Panel mounting
The installation of PVC panels for the bathroom should be started from the corner farthest from the entrance in the following sequence:
- The first panel is cut in height and fastened with clamps or self-tapping screws to the guides strictly vertically.
- The following panels are inserted end to end into the lock. This allows them to fit tightly and hide the fasteners.
- The entire wall gradually closes. Using the level, you need to control the verticality of the installation.
- Having reached the corner, we cut off the outer panel and close the transition to another wall with a corner.
- After completing the installation of all panels, the ends must be closed using edging profiles.
- The design of the entire decoration is completed by the installation of corners or cornices to the ceiling and skirting boards to the floor.
All corners and joints where moisture penetration is possible must be sealed with a sealant. This will protect you from unpleasant situations in the future. When facing walls with plastic panels, the same material can be used to cover the ceiling. This approach will protect against moisture penetration into the floors.
Useful advice! Apartment owners in new buildings are advised to finish the bathroom PVC panels... This will prevent the tiles from cracking when the house shrinks. After 2 - 3 years, tiled flooring can also be made.
If you choose and tastefully install PVC wall panels in the bathroom, it will not only become functional and waterproof, but also look beautiful and stylish.
DIY bathroom decoration with PVC panels (video)