PVC cladding is a modern wall covering system that is totally waterproof. It has grown in popularity in recent years due its unique properties.
It has several advantages over more traditional wall coverings and has proved to be very popular with householders. They are looking for a product that is easy to live with and this is certainly the case.
What Is PVC Cladding?
PVC cladding is an extruded profile made from a form of vinyl. The plastic is heated and forced through a mould to produce long planks of the material. These are then cut into sections at different lengths depending on the what is required.
It is hollow in section which makes it very light to transport. It also makes it very easy to cut – the panels are easily cut with any hand-saw. No specialist tools are required for its installation. There are a range of different techniques for installing the panels – see this page for more information.
Each “plank” has a tongue edge and a groove edge. This enables the cladding to be slotted together to provide a waterproof surface. The joint needs to be sealed with a silicone sealant in shower areas but its fine “as is” in other areas of the bathroom.
The Advantages of PVC Cladding
The main advantage of cladding is, without a doubt, the lack of grout.
People battle for years with grout in their bathrooms. They end up bleaching it, scrubbing it, raking it out and re-applying it. But it always seems to turn mouldy. There are a number of reason for this – see our article How Do I Get My Grout White Again? for more information.
Cladding is also very easy to install, as mentioned previously. Not only that, it requires virtually zero preparation.
A tiled wall will require extensive preparation to make sure it is smooth and flat. This can involve skimming with cement as well as plastering. This is an expensive, slow and messy process.
Cladding requires one of this. You can even panel straight over your existing tiles. So it is a quick and in most instances chap way of covering the walls of your bathroom.
Cladding Designs
Although the cladding is made from PVC it does not look like plastic. It is available in a huge range of colours, styles and finishes.
The most common design for use in bathrooms is marble effect. Marble itself is a naturally occurring stone and as such is subject to large variations in colour and patterning, The cladding offerings from various manufacturers reflects this.
There are very light, almost white cladding designs. Then there are dramatic, black marble designs that are perfect if you want to make a statement in your room.
Most bathrooms are quite small so it usually best to limit the use of black as it can make a room feel smaller. One design trick is to use a feature wall. Here, you pick out one wall in black, for example, and then clad the rest of the room in a light colour marble.
Other natural stones can be represented too. Slate is a popular choice but this too is a dark colour so maybe consider using it as a feature wall. A common option is to use a dark colour like this inside a shower cubicle.
Summary
As you can see PVC cladding is an attractive and versatile product.
It can easily match tiles when it comes to good looks with the numerous design options available. It also scores heavily on its ease of installation. Cladding can be installed by any competent DIYer with the tools you would already have in your toolbox.
It is also highly cost effective due to the lack of preparation costs. It is relatively cheap to buy too so works out comparable to tiles.
Click here if you want to find out more about bathroom cladding or check out our Blog for the latest article on this amazing product.
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