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DIY Forum >> Painting, Decorating & Tiling Questions >> GOOD shower wall panels
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Message started by AndyOlds on Mar 1st, 2018, 1:23pm

Title: GOOD shower wall panels
Post by AndyOlds on Mar 1st, 2018, 1:23pm

Hi there.   I've not been on here for quite a while, but I'm now planning another bathroom refurbishment.

I'm going to be making a custom shower enclosure.   Not decided between a  wetroom type floor or a custom tray.  What I really am struggling to find is a decent wall panel solution.

There seem to be lots of laminated mdf and ply based panel products around, but these all rely on very good edge sealing for their longevity.  Being a belt and braces kind of guy, I don't want to rely on a bead of silicone sealant for the integrity of the walls over several years.

Is there anything else out there?

I'm thinking along the lines of some kind of scratch resistant plastic or resin based sheet material that's not as heavy as glass.  Would need to be offered in a decent range of colours.  Maybe even different surface textures ( e.g. high gloss, flat, stone texture).

Any ideas or even first hand experience?

Title: Re: GOOD shower wall panels
Post by thescruff on Mar 1st, 2018, 5:29pm

Tank it with Fibreglass sheet then finish it how you like tiles being the obvious.

Warning you need to get a pro in or plenty of protective clothing etc.

Title: Re: GOOD shower wall panels
Post by AndyOlds on Mar 1st, 2018, 10:17pm

Thanks Scruff.

Never thought of glass fibre sheet, but I guess that would work.  I'll be tiling the rest of the room anyway, but I'm really leaning towards some kind of wall panel approach to the shower area.  It's not waterproofing I'm worried about particularly (tanked and tiled shower in our other bathroom about 11 years ago and no water ingress problems there).

It's more from a cleaning / care point if view: the grout (BAL powder mix) in our current shower seems to take a bit of keeping clean after a few years of use.   The idea of continuous wall panels with no grout appeals in that respect.  Accepting there'll be sealing at panel joints, but this will be largely cosmetic and I wouldn't be worrying about relying on it to prevent the panels themselves from failing.

Just need to find something that looks nice and doesn't weigh a tonne!

Any ideas?

Title: Re: GOOD shower wall panels
Post by woodsmith on Mar 2nd, 2018, 10:13am

Apart from the laminated ply and MDF panels, which do seem to rely too heavily on getting a good silicon seal, there are lightweight plastic panels which should be much more durable. The problem with them is that the core is made in the same sort of way plastic conservatory roofs are made, with a box type construction, and the ones I have seen show these lines through the face.

There is a third, more expensive option which has laminate with a completely impermeable core. I think they are called Nuance by Bushboard and may be worth a look.

Title: Re: GOOD shower wall panels
Post by thescruff on Mar 2nd, 2018, 8:46pm

I know it works if done properly.

Title: Re: GOOD shower wall panels
Post by AndyOlds on Mar 2nd, 2018, 11:01pm

Thanks both.  I'll look up the bushboard product.

Maybe I put too much thought into these things, but I hate the idea of putting loads of time into a job that's likely to fail within a couple of years because the materials are not up to the job.

This is such a great place for advice.  Love it!

Title: Re: GOOD shower wall panels
Post by CWatters on Mar 4th, 2018, 3:24pm

To keep our grout clean in the shower I spray regularly with diluted bleach using a small Hozelock pump up plant sprayer. If done regularly it hardly it ever needs physical scrubbing. Our shower is used about 6 times a day.


Title: Re: GOOD shower wall panels
Post by londonman on Mar 7th, 2018, 9:33pm


CWatters wrote on Mar 4th, 2018, 3:24pm:
To keep our grout clean in the shower I spray regularly with diluted bleach using a small Hozelock pump up plant sprayer. If done regularly it hardly it ever needs physical scrubbing. Our shower is used about 6 times a day.




Nice idea but we're on a septic tank and so all that bleach would kill it.

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