Customer’s Shower Installation

This customer’s shower installation was undertaken in a newly plastered room.

A freshly plastered wall is the perfect surface for fitting tiles because it is smooth and flat. But this customer decided to move away from tiles and go for a modern alternative.

The are a range of different materials on the market that can be used for lining a shower wall. Laminate panels, bathroom cladding, acrylic sheets and, of course, tiles are all regularly used in this role. But in this instance PVC shower panels were chosen for the job.

Neptune Shower Panels

The panels selected for his shower were from the Neptune range. These are larger, one-piece panels. They are usually wide enough to cover the whole area of one inside wall without the need for any joins. If your cubicle is larger than 1m wide then the panels simply slot together with a tongue and groove joint. This eliminates the need to use an ugly joining strip. A thin bead of silicone sealant, inside the join, will make the job totally waterproof.

Shower panels can be made from several different materials. Neptune panels are made from PVC. Unlike wood-based system PVC will not rot, not warp and is totally impervious to water. Obviously there are issues around plastic these days but in this instance the longevity of the product is a huge advantage. The panels are 100% recyclable and can even be re-used – something that other wall covering cannot do.

The shower panels are available in a variety of colours and finishes. Marble effects are very popular as are some of the newer designs such as sparkle effect or slate.

 

Installation Schedule

The first image shows that the tray has been installed and then the shower wall panels have been fitted.

This is always the recommended order. Fitting the panels first and fitting the tray afterwards is not recommended under any circumstances. There are no advantages fitting the tray second – only disadvantages – so always fit the tray first.

If the panels are in place before the tray it means you are fitting the tray against the panels. The panels are decorative – they are not structural. They are also hollow so the whole job will be far less solid. See our other article for more details: Shower Wall Lining

The second photo shows the completed work. The customer was very happy with the outcome. And so he should be, as we think it looks very nice indeed!

Finishing Touches

A mixer shower was used to provide the shower water. This type of panelling will work with any type of shower including power showers. If you are thinking of adding a shower to your bathroom then this article will help you decide the right one for you.

Outside the shower we can see that the wall has been painted. It is possible to run this type of shower panel all around the room because of their joining system. But this obviously incurs extra expense. So if you are looking to keep costs down you can limit their use to just the shower area.

A heated towel rail has been fitted just outside the shower cubicle. These are an improvement on a standard radiator which can look a little ugly these day. Many manufacturers will offer an3electrical heating element for the towel rail. This enables it to be used for drying towels in the Summer when the rest of the heating is switched off.