Currently, there are many finishing materials that are successfully used to design bathrooms. One of the most common ways to decorate a bathroom is to install plastic panels in the bathroom. This material is great for rooms with high humidity. Plastic panels are much more practical than wallpaper, much cheaper than tile, resistant to moisture and quite durable. In addition, following the step-by-step instructions for installing plastic panels in the bathroom, you can independently perform this work.
How many materials are needed?
Despite the fact that plastic panels are a relatively inexpensive finishing material, each homeowner tries to ensure that the surplus that remains after the repair is minimal. It is equally important to purchase material in such an amount that it is enough to finish the room. It is far from always possible to buy the missing panels of the desired shade.
In order not to be mistaken with the number of PVC panels, it is necessary to carry out simple calculations. Take away from the total area of the walls of the room the area of the door and those areas where the panels will not be installed, for example, behind the bathroom. This number must be divided by the area of the panel. As a result, you will get the number of panels (in pieces) that is necessary for cladding.
Let's look at such a calculation using an example of a bathroom measuring 3 x 2 m, with a ceiling height of 2.5 m, with a door 0.9 m wide and 2.0 m high. So, we calculate the wall area: (3 + 2) x 2 = 10 meters (the perimeter of the walls), respectively, the area will be 10 x 2.5 = 25 square meters. m. The door area is 1.8 m. Subtract the door area from the total wall area: 25 - 1.8 = 23.2 sq. m. m. The area of the standard panel is 0.75 m. It remains to calculate the number of panels. To do this, it is necessary to divide the total area of the room by the area of the panel: 23.2: 0.75 = 30.93 pieces. That is how many plastic panels will be required on the walls in the bathroom.
Materials for lathing
The panels are attached to guides made of wooden battens or galvanized profiles. As a rule, the step between them is not more than 30 cm, so that the walls are quite rigid. Since we know the area of the bathroom, it is easy to calculate how many guides are needed. To do this, the wall area must be multiplied by 10%, and divided by 0.3 m: (23.2 x 10%): 0.3 = 85.07 meters. All figures obtained are rounded up, because with any repair, you can not do without waste. Thus, in accordance with the calculations made, a bathroom measuring 2 x 3 x 2.5 m will require 86 meters of rails and 31 plastic panels.
Mounting Methods
When installing plastic panels with your own hands, you can use two installation methods:
Let's consider each of them in detail.
Wireframe method
This is the most common method of installing plastic panels in the bathroom with your own hands. It is simple, it requires the beginning master to be careful and follow the instructions with which we will introduce you in this material. The frame method is also popular because the walls in the bathrooms in our homes are extremely rarely even with perfectly right angles. The frame method of installation will allow you to hide all the flaws and beautifully “hide” communications.
The essence of this method is that guides are screwed to the walls, which align with the building level in one plane. The panels are fixed on the rails and as a result get a perfectly flat surface. As a rule, for the manufacture of crates, wood slats with a cross section of 20 x 30 mm are used, as well as a galvanized profile. They are fixed to the walls with dowels.
Experts believe that during repairs in the bathroom , preference should be given to a galvanized profile, since in a damp room the rails may become deformed over time. The panels are attached to the guides with the help of clamping clips, self-tapping screws, so-called fleas or a construction stapler.
Glue mounting
You can use the glue method of installing plastic panels on the wall in the bathroom. But it is suitable only if the walls are perfectly smooth, which happens, you must agree, infrequently. In this case, the panels are glued to the walls. This significantly reduces repair costs, you do not need to buy fasteners and a profile.
Using this method, you need to know that the quality of the final result in most cases depends on the adhesive composition. It must have excellent adhesive properties, harden as quickly as possible, maintain strength in a room with high humidity for a long time. The best adhesives for PVC panels today are:
- "Titanium";
- "The moment of installation";
- hot glue;
- non-expanding paleoklei.
It is important to keep in mind that there should be no solvent in the composition of the adhesive for plastic.
Installing plastic panels in the bathroom: step-by-step instructions. Crate mounting
Before proceeding with the installation of PVC panels, carefully read the instructions. Installation of this material is simple, but the sequence of work must be strictly observed. Before starting installation, make sure that you have all the necessary materials and tools. You will need:
- PVC panels
- U-shaped initial plastic profile;
- ceiling and floor skirting boards;
- plastic corner and H-shaped connecting profile;
- fasteners (clips or self-tapping fleas);
- scissors for metal;
- dowels for fastening;
- level;
- galvanized profile (CD-60);
- drill;
- hammer;
- roulette;
- crosshead screwdriver;
- a fine-toothed saw and a construction knife for cutting panels;
- pencil.
Wall marking
In accordance with the step-by-step instructions for installing plastic panels in the bathroom, you should start work with fasteners of the guide profile. Be sure to clean the surface of the walls from dust and old peeling plaster. There is no need to completely level and clean the walls. Coat them with an antifungal primer and allow to dry completely.
Then you can start marking the location of the profile with a pencil and tape measure. In most cases, it is mounted horizontally. The lower profile is fixed at a distance of several centimeters from the floor, and the upper one is almost at the ceiling. The rest of the guides are located at a distance of 30 cm.
Drill holes in the wall, insert dowels into them and fix the profile. Position the attachment points in increments of 50 cm. Make a frame from the profile around the door frame, a frame from vertical profiles and transverse stiffeners around the pipes. Between each other profiles are connected using self-tapping screws.
At the beginning of the work, calculate how many segments will take on one wall. Most often, the last panel has to be cut to fit the material. Cropped panels must be placed in inconspicuous places so as not to spoil the overall appearance of the room. You can trim the first and last panel from the corner. In this case, the difference in size will not be so noticeable.
Panel Mounting
The step-by-step installation of plastic panels involves the following sequence of work:
- Cut the plastic according to the height of the room.
- If the front side of the panels is covered with a protective film, do not remove it before completing work.
- Installation of PVC panels starts from the corner of the bathroom. Attach the inner plastic corner of the required length or the U-shaped starting profile to the first segment. When using the start profile, a small gap will remain in the corner by the end of the finishing work. Close it should be a plastic corner.
- Install the panel on the crate and use the level to check its vertical position. After that, fix the plastic panel to the crate at the points of intersection with the crate using a Phillips screwdriver or a screwdriver and self-tapping screws.
- The next panel is led at an angle into the mounting groove of the first. After that, align the bar and gently tap with your hand or a rubber mallet to seal the joint.
- Connect all subsequent segments in the same way. The last panel must be cut to the size of the wall, leaving a small gap for fixing the inner corner. First, drag the panel into the corner profile, and then connect it to the previous panel.
This completes the wall decoration. On the remaining walls, plastic panels are installed in the same way.
Skirting Installation
The step-by-step instruction provides for the next step in fixing the ceiling and floor skirting. Instead of skirting boards, a starting profile is often used. To do this, it is screwed at the beginning of installation with screws on the lower and upper perimeter of the room. The panels are first inserted into the lower profile, then the material is slightly bent and inserted into the upper. As a result, you get a finish with closed even edges.
You must strictly follow the step-by-step instructions for installing plastic panels in the bathroom. Sometimes novice masters have some difficulties:
- When decorating around the door, you must use the start profile.
- If a bathtub is already installed at the time of repair, the plastic is mounted to its level, and the wall under the bathtub is left untouched. In this case, the start profile is also used.
Adhesive method for attaching panels
If the walls in your bathroom are perfectly even, you can install the panels on glue or screw them with screws. This is a less labor intensive and costly process. Clean the walls of plaster, paint, previous finish. Using a putty, remove small irregularities and carefully treat the surface with an acrylic primer. After it dries, proceed with installation. When using liquid nails, foam glue, Titan glue, insert the container with the composition into the construction gun and cut the tip off the dispenser.
Carefully read the instructions for the glue. Some formulations require tight contact of glued surfaces, others give time to dry before sticking plastic. Apply glue in zigzag or dots to the back of the panel. Apply plastic to the surface of the wall and press it firmly. This can be done by hand or using a rubber roller. Using a building level, check the verticality of the panels. Then the adhesive composition is applied to the next panel and connect it to the previous one. Hold the glued bar with one hand and seal with the other. When the gluing of the bathroom is completed, fix the ceiling and floor skirting, plastic corners.
Plastic panels on the ceiling: do-it-yourself installation
As a rule, the installation of PVC panels on the ceiling is carried out in a frame way, since it is more reliable than gluing. The sequence of installation of plastic panels on the ceiling is practically no different from the processing of walls. For the ceiling, you need to purchase a special ceiling plastic, which is slightly lighter and thinner than wall.
Work sequence
The ceiling in the bathroom is made of plastic panels in a certain sequence. First, they install the wiring for the lamps. Dowels fix the crate around the perimeter of the ceiling, and then across the direction of the panels in increments of 30 cm.
Panels are cut to fit the ceiling. The first bar is applied to the junction of the ceiling and the wall and fixed with clips or self-tapping screws. Insert the following segment into the mounting groove and seal the connection, fix it with self-tapping screws. Similarly, the ceiling is sheathed to the end. In the place where the location of the lamp is planned, cut a hole with a construction knife and bring out the electrical wire. The joint between the walls and the ceiling is decorated with a skirting board. Polyurethane skirting boards can be used. On this, we can assume that the installation of the ceiling in the bathroom from plastic panels is completed.
How to make a screen for a bathtub?
This work is being done to complete the repair. The screen for the bath you can buy ready-made or do it yourself. Make markings on the walls adjacent to the bath and on the floor under the screen frame. To do this, attach the level to the edge of the bathroom (external) and make vertical marks on the walls. A line is also marked on the floor.
The profile is screwed to the walls and floor, forming a rectangular frame. Cut the panels into segments equal to the distance from the edge of the bathroom to the floor. The starting plastic profile is screwed parallel to the bottom edge. The first panel is inserted into the lower U-shaped profile and fixed with screws on the frame. Subsequent panels are inserted into the mounting groove and screwed to the crate.
If you want the screen to have access to communications, leave part of the structure without casing. Today you can buy ready-made hatches that are fixed in the right place.
Finishing with plastic panels in the bathroom does not require serious financial investment and effort. Not only professional installers can use this finishing material, but also everyone who is just trying his hand at decorating his house.