It doesn’t take a genius (or a long time homeowner) to realize bathrooms – while often being the smallest room in your home – still require A LOT of energy to maintain, and thought process to design, if you’re remodeling.
There’s no shortage of bathroom, bathtub, and shower wall surround products – but figuring out the best option for each wall in your bathroom can be tricky. And here’s some questions which show why it can be difficult.
Do you use tile – which offers wonderful (and countless) design options, but can be a P.I.A. to maintain?
Do you use the same wall covering material in your bathroom as you did in your tub/shower alcove?
If you’re looking for a bathroom wall surround material (other than paint and tile – which are mold magnets), which looks stylish and keeps bacteria away, what options do you have?
What bathroom wall surround system can be used for odd-sized walls?
The list of questions about bathroom wall panels can go on and on and on (OK – yes, that’s repetitive!).
And while this article is not focused on looking at all potential wall surround options, it will focus on one popular material (laminate wall panels) which is a favorite in Europe and growing like wildfire in the United States as well.
Below you’ll find 13 reasons you should use laminate bathroom wall panels (instead of tile, paint, acrylic or cultured marble – to name a few alternatives) – on the walls outside your bath and shower alcove (which is where most people traditionally use wall surround panels). And while using wall panels is smart around your tub and shower, it can be equally smart around your vanity and other bathroom walls as well.
Reason #1 to use laminate bathroom panels beyond your tub and shower alcove– Get rid of maintenance.
Humidity is the archenemy of bathroom walls. And peeling paint and moldy grout joints are the ugly offspring of the hot showers you love due to the humidity they generate.
To eliminate these concerns – and get rid of maintaining bathroom walls, grout free laminate panels (which clean with soap and water or any non-abrasive cleaner) is a smart solution.
Reason #2 to use laminate bathroom panels beyond your tub and shower alcove– Use trend-setting tile patterns (which only you’ll know aren’t tile), without breaking the bank.
If you love the look of stylish black hexagon or white herringbone tiles, but the thought of attempting to install intricate patterns like these yourself (or paying someone large sums to do it for you) has you breaking out in hives, I can feel your pain.
However, with a simple click-together laminate bathroom wall panel system, you can get these stylish (and very hard to install tile designs) at a price which WILL NOT have you dipping into your kid’s college funds.
Reason #3 to use laminate bathroom panels beyond your tub and shower alcove– Save money.
Let’s face it – tile ain’t a cheap date (and yes, my high school English teacher at Hawken School right now is probably rolling over in his grave with my use of the English language). And with rapidly escalating tile setter labor prices, things aren’t getting any cheaper.
So, if you love the look of tile bathroom walls, or a wainscotting half wall accent, but need to keep costs down, laminate wall panels can be the way to do it. They’re available in 29 patterns (from stock and ready for immediate shipment) and they install in 1/3 to 1/6th of the time as tile.
Reason #4 to use laminate bathroom panels beyond your tub and shower alcove– They don’t look like ‘fake’ molded acrylic or fiberglass panels!
OK – I’m going to give it to you straight. Some wall panels – especially F.R.P. (fiberglass reinforced acrylic), and fiberglass, the ones you’ll find in home centers – look cheap and plasticky. They look like they’re pressed out of a mold…which they are!
If you want a tile look – but DO NOT want something which S-C-R-E-A-M-S ‘cheap imitation’ (like a cheesy TV commercial), then you want a faux tile wall panel system which really does look like the real thing (‘er tile). You want a system where the faux grout joints IS NOT the same color as the faux tile. And with laminate wall panels you’ll get this realistic look.
Reason #5 to use laminate bathroom panels beyond your tub and shower alcove– No mold or bacteria.
If your home needs to be healthy, then eliminating grout joints – and using grout free products is an intelligent alternative. And laminate wall panels are one way to make this happen.
Reason #6 to use laminate bathroom panels beyond your tub and shower alcove– A proven system with a lifetime guarantee.
If you buy tiles – or a bargain-basement’ flimsy fiberglass or F.R.P. (fiberglass reinforced plastic) system here’s one thing you’ll be guaranteed …. It’ll either be flimsy and/or have a short, or non-existent, warranty. And if your goal is to have a to have a shower which is guaranteed to last until they ‘wheel you out,’ then laminate panels (which have a lifetime guarantee) are smart.
Reason #7 to use laminate bathroom panels beyond your tub and shower alcove– It doesn’t take forever to install them.
Time = Money.
You’ve heard the saying….and if you’ve done any remodeling projects lately you know how true it really is!
You’ve got to save time if your budget is nowhere near as big as you’d like.
To meet this goal, you need to find ways to reduce installation labor costs without sacrificing quality.
And with panels which are installed with a patented click-lock process, you’ll save labor AND keep quality high.
Reason #8 to use laminate bathroom panels beyond your tub and shower alcove– You can build any size.
You’re excited to remodel your outdated (and downright dangerous) bathroom.
You started doing the ‘deep dive’ (and note – I hate corporate language but thought it would be fun to use it anyway and share a funny video which pokes fun at corporate speak below – because who doesn’t need a good laugh) researching every wall surround system under the sun.
Then your frustration sets in.
You see something cool. However, it only comes in ‘standard’ sizes.’
You see something else cool. And yes – again – it only comes in standard sizes.
You get soooo frustrated, you’re ready to yank out your few remaining hairs on your ead. So, what can you do about it?
Well – you can use a system which ‘flexes’ with the size you need. And with 24” wide panel modules, laminate panels are such a system. You simply click and lock as many as you need and when you get to the end of the wall you cut the excess. And since these 23.6” x 94.4” (exact size) panels only weigh 26 lbs., you won’t have to beg your family and friends to help you do the job.
Reason #9 to use laminate bathroom panels beyond your tub and shower alcove– You can add safety add accessories anywhere you want.
If you’ve ever tried to modify a bathroom for an aging parent and now you’re praying the grab bars you’ve installed by the toilet or vanity won’t break off the wall if mom is slipping on a wet floor, then you understand the value of walls you KNOW will support the safety modifications you’ve made.
And to get the peace of mind with safety accessories it’s nice to know systems like laminate wall panels, are installed over full sheets of plywood (or O.S.B.) which serves as a firm backer board for your accessories. They’ll keep your grab bars and shower shelves in place.
Reason #10 to use laminate bathroom panels beyond your tub and shower alcove– They work perfectly for a waterproof wet room installation.
If you’d like an easy to enter, one level bathroom and shower design – but want to make sure the walls outside the shower will not deteriorate from water flowing out, then choose a grout free wall panel system which will repels water and is guaranteed to keep your walls intact.
Reason #11 to use laminate bathroom panels beyond your tub and shower alcove– Consistency.
If ‘attempting’ to color-coordinate the components of your bathroom remodel is blowing your mind, you’ll appreciate eliminating as many selection options as possible.
And if you use the same wall panels you’re planning for your shower surround in the bathroom walls also – that’s one less decision you have to make. Yah you!
And if you want to see how these panels look in various room scenes, check out this bathroom visualizer.
Reason #13 to use laminate bathroom panels beyond your tub and shower alcove– You don’t have to demo walls to install these panels.
If your drywall is in good shape, it’s nice to know you can install laminate bathroom wall panels over existing moisture resistant drywall. It’s time-effective and will keep humidity from harming your walls. And if you want to see how to do a ‘wall panel over drywall’ installation check out the video below.
So, are bathroom wall panels a smart option for you? How can me and my team help?
After reading 13 reasons you should use laminate bathroom wall panels beyond your tub or shower alcove, are you ‘sold’ they’re a good idea? Why – or why not? I’d love to read your feedback in the comments below.
And if you’d like to see how these bathroom panels look in finished rooms, check out the bathroom visualizer below.
Thanks for reading – AND dealing with my humor!
Mike
And BTW – if you’re an installing contractor and would like to learn about becoming a dealer of laminate wall panels (and other bath/shower products) call Mike at 888-467-7488.
President of Innovate Building Solutions a nationwide supplier and regional (Cleveland and Columbus) remodeling contractors. Some of our product lines include glass counters, floors, backsplashes, glass blocks and grout free shower and tub wall panels
John – there is what we call an ‘external corner’ trim piece (which turns a full 90 degrees) or the other way to create the niche which I think is simpler is to use the long L trim piece. And if you don’t want to make your own niche – what’s very popular are the oversized recessed niches which are made of stainless steel, come in 7 sizes and 10 finishes. I’ll include a link to those here – https://innovatebuildingsolutions.com/product/contemporary-shower-accessories/
John Beaulieu
With the wall panels is there a outside corner trim. We could use for wall niche to finish off
Mike Foti
John – there is what we call an ‘external corner’ trim piece (which turns a full 90 degrees) or the other way to create the niche which I think is simpler is to use the long L trim piece. And if you don’t want to make your own niche – what’s very popular are the oversized recessed niches which are made of stainless steel, come in 7 sizes and 10 finishes. I’ll include a link to those here – https://innovatebuildingsolutions.com/product/contemporary-shower-accessories/
John Beaulieu
With the wall panels is there a outside corner trim. We could use for wall niche to finish off