How to properly glue PVC panels in the bathroom?

When it comes to bathroom renovations, everyone wants to make repairs without extra financial costs, with high quality and, as they say, "for centuries." Moreover, this is a special place in the apartment, and you should carefully approach the repair of this particular room. And the reason is humidity and dampness, which, with unscrupulous repairs, become an ideal soil for the development of mold and mildew. To avoid such problems, choose a wear-resistant material that is not afraid of moisture and does not let it through. The optimal cladding in terms of price and quality ratio is PVC panels: they have all the necessary properties for a bathroom. This material is affordable, durable and easy to install.

Installation of panels is quick and easy. A difficult and thorough stage is the preparation of surfaces in the room where the installation will be carried out. Before you start preparing for the installation of building materials, you need to make sure that the walls of the bathroom are suitable for installation.

There are a few important things to do before starting the installation.

• Remove all old plaster, irregularities, bulges, defects. The preparatory stage, in which everything is removed from the walls in order to get the original surface. If plaster is present, it must be removed to the base. If there are any growths or bulges, knock them down. Make sure the wall is visually level and that nothing will interfere with the installation.
• Clean the surface from possible mold or mildew. Sometimes it happens that fungus or mold forms in some joints. It is important to remove it before the panels are installed, otherwise it will continue to grow under them, and the work will be done in vain. Some people believe that by hiding the mold, nothing bad will happen. But this is not so: the mold is dangerous to health and over time will continue to grow further underneath, spreading throughout the entire area.

• Align the walls. The smoother the wall, the easier it is to install the panels, and the better they will stick. To avoid bending and possible cracking of the material, the surfaces must be even, with an error of 5 mm. For leveling, it is better to use special leveling mixtures for bathrooms, which can be purchased without problems at any hardware store.
• Degrease and dust the surfaces, treat with an antiseptic. This will improve adhesion and the antiseptic will prevent future mold growth under the panels. This is especially true for the bathroom, in conditions of warm air and high humidity - ideal conditions for the growth of mold and mildew.

An important stage that should be given special attention. Because it will depend on the glue whether the panels in the bathroom will suddenly peel off after two years. Because it is used in the bathroom, special requirements are imposed on the adhesive. It must provide high adhesion of materials, quickly and reliably set, be resistant to moisture, temperature extremes, safe, without a pungent odor.

The following formulations are popular on the market and have proven themselves well:

There are different types. It is based on synthetic resin. It is not afraid of moisture, has a homogeneous composition, dries quickly and is safe. It can be used to quickly and easily glue sheet panels.

An all-purpose adhesive that can be found in any store. Perfectly adheres materials to concrete, brick, plaster. Has proven resistance to temperature extremes.

Perhaps the most common option. Due to its popularity, it is sold everywhere and has a reliable reputation as well as its scope of application. Moisture resistant, not afraid of high and low temperatures and will help to paste over any room. Pasting the surface with panels will take place without unnecessary effort.

Professional adhesive used in decoration and construction. Due to the white color, it is not always used when installing PVC panels. The gluing is fast enough.

When the preparation stage is completed, you can proceed to the main thing - installing the material on the walls. Make sure the surfaces are level, cleaned and degreased again. Now you can start.

There is no difficulty in installation. You just need to cut the PVC to the size of your bathroom in advance, and if you have a pattern, combine it. Make a plan, from which corner you will go, in which direction, prepare the panels in advance.

The glue is applied in even dots, stepping back from the edges of the material, every 25-30 cm. Then the panel is applied to the wall and held for some time so that the adhesive base grabs the wall and the base. Then, following your scheme, the rest of the panels are glued.

If you decide to install panels on the ceiling, then here you need to think over your actions in advance.

• think over the location of lamps and hoods;
• conduct wiring to the proposed locations for the fixtures;
• install a simple frame made of metal guides around the perimeter of the ceiling;
• install the panels by screwing them by the inner seam to the guide;
• note when installing the location of the lamps and ventilation;
• cut holes for lamps.

Some people use ordinary wooden blocks instead of metal guides. It is better to pre-treat them with an antiseptic. The guides are installed across the PVC, and the panels themselves can be attached to the inner edge either with screws or with a construction stapler. When attaching, be careful not to damage the panel with excessive force - if screwed in strongly, it will crack.

As you can see, there is nothing difficult in installing PVC.

Despite the simplicity of installing PVC panels, many make gross mistakes, which then lead to an unsatisfactory result.

Consider the main ones that will help you avoid problems and make your repairs of high quality.

• Do not bend the panels. When bending, twisting or any other deformation, the plastic base can crack or float, which will negatively affect in the future not only the appearance, but also the operational properties.
• All elements must be at the same temperature. Another important point, which was mentioned above. Often, building material is bought in advance and stacked on the balcony so that it does not take up space. And then the cold panels start gluing to the wall. As a result, after two years, in some places they begin to move away.To prevent this from happening, keep the panels and glue in the room for a long time so that their temperature evens out.

• Savings on dedusting and antiseptics. Neglect of this rule leads to the fact that over time, the panel begins to move away from the base of the wall, moisture gets in and mold begins to form. As a result, after two or three years, people are forced to redo the repairs anew.
• Removing the protective film prior to installation. Another common mistake. During the installation process, you can accidentally scratch, pour glue or otherwise damage the panel. Remove the film only after all panels are fully installed.
• Buying the wrong glue. In their desire to save money, sometimes it comes to the point of absurdity: people glue on PVA or on the remnants of glue from the last repair. It is categorically not worth doing this, since saving several hundred rubles will affect over time.

Now you know how to complete the preparation stage, properly glue the panels and avoid the most common mistakes. By following the simple tips from this article, you can, without special knowledge and skills, make repairs in the bathroom with your own hands, which will delight the eye for a long time.

You will learn how to decorate the walls in the bathroom with PVC panels in 1 day from the video below.