With the market for wall panels growing, Lidia Cetrangolo at Multipanel explains how they are becoming the preferred option for architects in bathrooms
Wall panels have been around for decades, and have traditionally been used as an alternative to bathroom tiles. Thanks to modern innovation and design, today’s high-performing wall panels offer huge benefits to architects, specifiers, and their customers, making them an ideal choice for bathroom designs.
Save time & money
For architects that are looking to meet tight schedules and strict budgets with their bathroom designs, wall panels are the optimum surface choice. Wall panels are quick to install and can be ready to use in just 24 hours.
There is also much less time required to prepare wall surfaces before the application of panels – they can be installed directly on top of almost any sound surface, including existing tiles. Using bathroom panels instead of tiles is thought to save, on average, 21 hours of installation time per bathroom. This means that they can be installed five times faster than tiles, accelerating home completion timescales.
One of the biggest benefits of using wall panels in a bathroom is that there is no need for grouting. In addition to being time consuming, grouting can also be a hotspot for mould and mildew, due to bathrooms being the most humid room in the home. With wall panels, you don’t have to worry about the mess, mould or hassle of grout.
Opting for bathroom panels instead of tiles means common snagging issues often experienced in bathroom projects can be reduced. Many wall panels have an almost seamless watertight tongue and groove joint, which provides a waterproof solution.
Maintenance
Wall panels available for domestic projects are incredibly easy to maintain. Bathrooms with tiled walls attract mildew and require a lot of work to keep the grout mould-free and clean. Grout is also likely to lose its colour after a few years and will need to be replaced every 8-15 years.
Wall panels only need to be cleaned with a cloth and warm water. No harsh abrasive cleaning products are required, which is also a major environmental benefit.
Aesthetics
Bathroom trends come and go, but recent trends have seen clients begin to be more adventurous with the aesthetics of their bathrooms – an example being different textures, such as outdoor wood or feature walls. Consumers want their bathroom walls to reflect their personalities, and to be an area of their home that they can be proud of.
Bathroom wall panels come in a vast range of decors and aesthetics, meaning that it’s always possible to bring a client’s vision to life, no matter what their budget or taste. Decor options on offer in the market include marble – for those who are after a more opulent finish – and for those who want to bring an element of the outdoors into their bathroom, there are wood effects and other natural finishes. There are even tile-effect wall panels, which provide the look and feel of tiles, without the hassle, and with all the benefits of wall panels.
Sustainability
Beyond performance and cost-saving benefits, wall panels are a sustainable option for bathroom design. Sustainability is an important consideration for any project, and customers are likely to want assurance that their home and/or bathroom is being designed in the most environmentally friendly way possible.
Many wall panels are made from sustainable materials, such as FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) assured timber, MDF or plywood. Additionally, choosing a wall panel that is made in the UK will also increase the sustainability of the product – the wall panels have had a shorter journey to get from the manufacturing site to their final destination.
In a time of such uncertainty within the global landscape, choosing products that have been made more locally will also provide additional security in terms of supply chain issues, and will often mean that completion time is further reduced with a fast turnaround.
Wall panels are designed for a long shelf-life – standing the test of time and lasting up to 30 years whilst maintaining their high-performing attributes. By choosing wall panels, architects can assure their customers that they are choosing a long-lasting material for their bathroom.
When no longer needed, most wall panels can be recycled, avoiding landfill. Many manufacturers will also recycle 99% of post-production waste into biomass fuel, contributing positively to the circular economy.
Lidia Cetrangolo is marketing manager at Multipanel