How to sheathe a bathroom with plastic panels?

The bathroom is probably the second one, after the kitchen, where we love to be and relax. A bathroom is more than a room. This is a room where we can retire with ourselves and completely surrender to our thoughts. But while in the bathroom, not everyone will want to look at the bare walls with putty, broken tiles, other shortcomings of conventional facings. Those who care about comfort and safety choose plastic. It is resistant to temperature changes and moisture, in addition, it is quite convenient to care for. Let's talk about how to sheathe a bathroom with plastic panels.

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Advantages and disadvantages

Before starting the installation and preparation of the panels, let's talk about the advantages of this type of cladding:

1. Price, which is important. Plastic panels are much cheaper than other finishing materials.
2. Average energy costs, that is, an easy and relatively quick installation, which even a person who does not have experience in this field will cope with.
3. Hygiene and environmental friendliness are good properties of plastic. This means that no microorganisms such as a fungus form on the surface without cracks.
4. A large assortment. You can use one color scheme, and you can also combine shades and adjust to your style and mood.
5. Easy maintenance is one of the main advantages, since most finishing materials require careful cleaning.
6. Another important property that a PVC panel has is that they have a fairly long service life.

Of the main disadvantages are the following:

1. Low mechanical strength. An accidental bump or awkward movement in a room can create a panel hole.
2. Before installing the material, you must first thoroughly prepare the walls and provide powerful ventilation. This is due to the fact that the plastic does not let air through and creates the feeling of a “steam room” in the room.
3. The minus seems to be not important, but on the other hand significant - the size of the room is significantly reduced after the installation of plastic panels.

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Points worth paying attention to:

1. Before finishing the bath, it is necessary to replace absolutely all pipes (including heating) with plastic. The reason for this is that there will be no way to monitor the condition of the pipes behind the panels, in addition, condensate can accumulate behind them, which will lead to pipe corrosion
2. Please note that to optimize the operation of all communications (pipes, open wiring, heating system), you can hide them behind the panels. This will save space and increase the aesthetic attention of the interior

We proceed directly to the bathroom sheathing with plastic panels.

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Preliminary Actions and Materials

Consider a list of actions that will help to avoid further problems:

1. First of all, the walls should be cleaned of debris, dust, etc. The walls can not be leveled if they have relatively small irregularities. All the hillocks will hide the frame on which plastic panels are hung. But if the walls are uneven, then they will have to be aligned.
2. Clean walls should be treated with Aquastop or other waterproofing solution. Since the bathroom has high humidity, this should be done in at least 2 layers.Work is done carefully and efficiently, without missing surface areas.
3. After waterproofing the wall, it must be primed. Perform this work should be a primer with maximum penetration.
4. Further it is required to paint already primed surfaces with water-based paint. This will create an additional protective layer and prevent the destruction of the wall. Also, the surface of the walls can be plastered with a special composition.

Important! Before you begin, you should decide on the wiring and outlets in the bathroom (if they are there) and prepare the cable leads in advance. Installation of sockets in PVC is the same as in drywall.

Technical equipment and materials:

• Plastic panels themselves;
• Corners and baseboards made of plastic;
• Wooden slats, profile made of metal or plastic;
• Glue, kleimer or self-tapping screws;
• Screwdriver;
• Building level;
• Drill or perforator;
• Dowel nails;
• Hacksaw;
• Sealant for reliable joint protection.

Before you start the cladding procedure, you need to choose what material the fasteners will be made with - self-tapping screws, clamps or glue, because each option has its own characteristics and rules:

• Glueing the panels in the future will lead to problems; It is also worth noting that this option can only be used with even walls.
• Choosing self-tapping screws, it is worth understanding how to finish the bathroom with panels, and that it will take time to twist them. Here you will need a screwdriver, while the best option for the frame is to use wooden slats, treating them with an antiseptic in advance.
• It is possible to fasten with clamps. This is the name for special brackets that wedge into the frame and securely hold the panels.

Now that we have figured out all the important components, we move on to the procedure itself and finally learn how to sheathe the bathroom with plastic.

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Panel Installation

Sheathing with plastic panels takes place in several stages, but they will be simple.

Installation of the lathing

The first action on the way to the plastic bath will be, you guessed it, the installation of the crate:

1. In order to make a high-quality crate, it is necessary to use metal profiles, their plastic counterparts or wooden blocks of 10x30 mm.
2. Before mounting rails or profiles, it is necessary to mark the wall.

Important! For example, so - when mounting the entire frame, first with a punch, holes are made in the wall in which the rails or profile are fixed with dowels. If there are recesses on the surface, it is necessary to place a wooden plate under them.

3. We go further. To give rigidity to the frame, the first rail or profile is mounted along the floor, then the others are mounted, retreating half a meter from each. There should be a rail or profile where the panels will end - under the ceiling or below.

Corners, moldings and skirting boards

The second step is the installation of corners and moldings.

We fix all the components such as moldings, skirting boards and corners to the finish. Everything is done as follows: first, the starting and corner strips are fixed, and then, as the panels are trimmed, the remaining components are added.

Panel Mount

Panel mounting technology will be as follows:

1. The first panel is inserted into the molding, fixed to the crate from the opposite side.
2. Subsequent elements are inserted into the previous ones, while tightly pressed so that there are no gaps. After that, you can safely mount them.
3. To equip electrical appliances, it is enough just to cut holes for them in which to fix the mounting box.

Important! In the desire to achieve maximum sealing of joints, before inserting panels, it is necessary to process the edges with silicone sealant. This is especially important for walls adjacent to the bathroom.

Mounting ceiling panels in the bathroom

There was the last touch - the first thing is fixing the ceiling plinth, and for joining in the corners you will need a miter box, which is easy to cut the components at the angle you need. Only then can the panels be mounted, acting in a manner similar to wall mounting.

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Stock footage

You already have enough knowledge, now you just have to apply it. Despite the fact that a lot has been written, the procedure, in fact, is not complicated. In order to learn as much as possible about the installation process, you can watch training videos and consult with professionals in this matter or invite them to your home if you are not confident in your abilities. The main thing - if you decide to do it yourself, observe safety precautions, and then everything will work out.