Bathroom Wall Panel Ideas

Bathroom wall panels, also called bathroom cladding, are an alternative to tiles that some people love. They give your bathroom walls a sleek, modern feel, and they come in a huge range of styles. You can get everything from a simple glossy design to a bold, textured finish made to mimic natural stone or wood.

Bathroom wall panels also come with practical benefits:

• Easy to clean

• Strong, durable and waterproof

They’re also quick and easy to fit. If you have some DIY experience, fitting bathroom wall panels is a job you can do yourself. Otherwise, paying a tradesman to fit wall panels will be cheaper than paying them to fit tiles.

In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know to bring your bathroom cladding ideas to life. We’ll look at

• The different types of bathroom wall panels 

• The benefits of having wall panels 

• The disadvantages of having wall panels

• How to choose the best wall panels for you

• How to fit wall panels by yourself 

• FAQs

Bathroom wall panels are large sheets used as an alternative to tiles for covering walls in bathrooms. Typically, they’re used in wet areas, such as inside the shower. One panel normally fits from floor to ceiling, and the joins at the edges are concealed to create a continuous covering effect on the bathroom wall.

They also come with a wide variety of decorative surface coatings. You can get plain coloured, glossy finishes or soft finishes. You can also get printed effects such as marble or abstract designs. Otherwise, you can get textured designs like stone, tiles or timber. In fact, the wide variety of available styles makes it possible to bring most bathroom cladding ideas to life. 

Bathroom panels are classified according to the material they’re made from.

Laminated MDF panels

Laminated MDF panels are thick, heavy and highly durable bathroom wall panels. They are high quality, and you can buy them with a huge range of surface designs. Panels also come with well designed veneer layers that guarantee complete waterproofing.   

Composite material

Composite bathroom wall panels are lightweight panels made from a combination of materials. They are water resistant, scratch resistant, strong and stable over long term use. Laminate, acrylic and veneer surface finishes are used, and there are many different composite bathroom wall panel design styles.

Compact laminate

Compact laminate panels are made from layers of paper or fabric, which are treated with resin and then compressed into sheets. They are affordable, easy to clean, and they don’t need much maintenance. There are many different types of bathroom cladding with compact laminate.

Acrylic

Acrylic panels are high quality, durable, stain resistant and completely waterproof. They also have a high gloss surface finish. Acrylic panels tend to suit simpler bathroom panel design ideas, and they tend to suit delicate designs.    

PVC

PVC panels are less durable than the higher quality panels, but they are more cost effective. You can also buy them with a huge range of designs. You can buy PVC panels with printed designs, or there are styles featuring finishes such as stone or wood.

Wooden panels

If you like the look and feel of wood but you don’t want to pick a panel that’s actually made from another material, you can buy real wood wall panels. These are more expensive, but they look and feel like the real thing. 

There are various benefits to using bathroom wall panels instead of tiles.

Sleek and seamless style

Bathroom wall panels give your bathroom walls a sleek and modern style. The panels cover the entire wall and have concealed joints to create a continuous, seamless surface covering. This is a completely different look to traditional tiles, and lots of people love it.

Wide variety of styles

There is a huge variety of styles available. The more basic non-textured surface designs might be a single colour gloss or soft finish. Otherwise, you might get elaborate designs or bold designs with striking colours. You can even get abstract designs. Beyond this, you can find textured designs like stone, wood or marble. 

You can find a bathroom wall panel to suit most bathroom wall panel design ideas. 

Quick and easy installation

Bathroom wall panels are quick and easy to install. You can fit panels on top of existing wall surfaces, including tiled walls, with only basic preparation. Panels are also quick and easy to cut and fit to a wall.

Cost effectiveness

Bathroom wall panels are normally cheaper overall than traditional tiles.

Wall panels normally cost less to buy than tiles. This isn’t always the case, but it often is. Fitting bathroom wall panels is almost always cheaper than tiling. Hiring a tradesman to fit panels will be cheaper than hiring a tiler to lay new tiles. Otherwise, if you’ve got some DIY experience, you can fit your own bathroom wall panels yourself.   

Easy maintenance

Bathroom wall panels are lower maintenance than tiles.

Most importantly, bathroom wall panels don’t have lines of grout between the tiles. Grout can be difficult to clean, and it can also attract problems like mould or staining. With bathroom wall panels, on the other hand, you can quickly clean the entire surface with a cloth or a sponge.

Durability and waterproofing

Bathroom wall panels are durable, strong, waterproof and well suited to use in a bathroom.

Durability and strength are very important. Strength is important for maintaining shape over long term use, and durability is important for maintaining the quality of the surface finish. Some panels are stronger and more durable than others, but they are all designed for long term use in bathrooms.

Having panelling in a bathroom instead of tiles isn’t the best choice for everyone.

Bathroom wall panels often have a shorter lifespan than tiles or other finishes like stone. Panels can also become scratched, stained or discoloured. Otherwise, you can get problems like warping. Often, these problems only come with lower cost panels or when they’re not fitted correctly, but they’re worth considering. It can also be difficult to repair bathroom wall panels if they become damaged.

Sometimes, bathroom wall panels also get sealing issues at the edge if they’re not fitted properly. This can result in damage to the panels or problems with water ingress into the wall.

Otherwise, bathroom wall panels made to mimic natural materials like stone, wood or marble will not look and feel quite the same as the real thing.

The most important things to think about when you’re choosing bathroom wall panelling are design style, material type and cost.

There’s a huge range of bathroom panel design ideas you can choose from, and the best thing is to look at different designs to find the ones you like.

White panels and grey panels can be good if you’re looking for a delicate and simple design that will fit in almost any bathroom. Otherwise, you might want to go for a bolder, more complicated bathroom cladding design idea, or even for a textured finish.  

Your choice of material will have a big impact on maintenance needs, strength, durability and cost. Cost is often a major consideration, but it should always be weighed up against the advantages different materials offer in strength, durability and maintenance. Laminated MDF panels might be more expensive, for example, but they have good qualities in this area.  

Fitting panelling in a bathroom is a job you can do yourself.  

Here are all the essential tools and materials you need:  

• Bathroom panels and trim pieces

• Power saw

• Workbench

• Sanding equipment

• Measuring tools

• Tile spacers

• Silicone sealant

• Adhesive

• Sealant gun

• Cleaning equipment

Here are the basic steps to fitting panelling in a bathroom:

Step 1: Prepare the surface

Make sure the surface you’re fitting your panels onto is completely dry and clean before you start. Remove any loose or weak material to give a solid base.

Step 2: Plan how the panels will fit

Before you start cutting panels, plan how they will fit on your bathroom walls.

Step 3: Measure the walls

Measure the walls to get exact measurements for cutting your panels.

Step 4: Cut your first panel to size

Once you’re happy your measurements are accurate, cut your first panel to size. Sand the edges smooth as well.

Step 5: Fit corner trims

If you need to fit any trims to fit your first panel into, fit them to the wall. Normally, this is in corners. You should also put tile spacers along the bottom of the wall to create a gap between the panel and the floor.

Step 6: Apply adhesive and fit panels

Apply adhesive to the back of your panel and fit it to the wall.

Step 7: Repeat with other panels

Next, repeat the entire measuring, cutting and fitting process with your other panels. The method for joining panels will depend on the type of panels you have. You might also need to use specially designed trims to create joints at corners.  

Step 8: Final sealing

The final step is to seal the system. You might need to add silicone to joins or around the edges, or you might need to fit trims around the edge. You should also remove the tile spacers along the bottom and add silicone to seal the bottom.

Bathroom wall panels give your bathroom a unique look and feel, and there are some people who really like the way they look. They also come with other benefits, including easy maintenance and low cost installation. The other fun thing about bathroom wall panels is that there are so many bathroom panel design ideas out there to choose from.

If you’re thinking about refurbishing your bathroom, make sure you give bathroom wall panels a good look. Bathroom wall panels are also the perfect choice if you’re thinking about installing a wet room in your house.