BATHROOMS

Fit PVC bathroom wall panels

Fit PVC panels over your bathroom walls in a day, working from a level starting point to a neat, sealed finish.

BP-01Clear the room and strip the walls backTake down the mirror, towel rail, soap dish and any loose tiles or old sealant. Remove the bath panel if it's in the way. Fill any large holes or gaps with filler and let it dry fully before you measure anything.
1 small tub · Multi-purpose filler
1 each · Filling knife
BP-02Work out what's behind your wallsRun a stud detector or a magnet across the wall and mark where it beeps or sticks — a steady line of hits usually means screw heads under plasterboard, showing you a timber or metal stud. Tap along the wall: solid brick or block sounds dull and dense everywhere, while a stud wall sounds hollow between the studs and solid on them. If you're still not sure, drill a small 2mm pilot hole in an inconspicuous spot — pale, curly dust means timber, fine grey swarf means metal, and grey dust with no give means solid masonry. Old lath and plaster feels slightly springy and sounds hollow with a faint rattle, unlike modern plasterboard.
1 each · Stud detector
BP-03Measure the walls and plan your panel layoutMeasure the height and width of every wall you're covering, and note where pipework, the shower valve and the waste come through. Work out how many panels and trims you need, buying panels about 100mm taller than the wall to allow for trimming. Plan to start in the least visible corner, usually the one furthest from the door.
6 each · PVC bathroom wall panel, 2600 x 250mm
1 each · Tape measure
BP-04Cut the first panel to sizeMark the panel to the wall height minus about 5mm for a small gap at floor and ceiling. Cut it face down with a fine-tooth panel saw or a jigsaw with a fine blade to stop the surface chipping. Lightly sand the cut edge so it sits flush in the trim.
1 each · Fine-tooth panel saw
1 sheet · Fine sandpaper
BP-05Fix the starter trim to the wallBefore you drill, find your stopcock (usually under the kitchen sink) and check it turns, so you can shut the water off fast if you hit a pipe. Run a cable and pipe detector along the fixing line, but still assume something's there and prove otherwise — detectors miss deep cables, metal-backed board and anything outside the usual safe zones, and a metal stud frame confuses cheap detectors further. If in any doubt, isolate the circuit at the consumer unit before drilling and turn off the stopcock before cutting into anything that could carry water. Now fix the trim to match your wall: in solid brick or block, drill 6mm and fit a wall plug before driving a 40mm screw; in plasterboard on timber studs, drive a 40mm woodscrew into the centre of the stud; in plasterboard on metal studs, use a self-drilling metal-stud fixing or a rated toggle fixing — never a plastic plug or ordinary woodscrew, which strip straight through 0.5mm steel; in dot-and-dab plasterboard, use a fixing long enough (60–75mm) to pass through the void and bite into the masonry behind; in lath and plaster, aim for a lath timber where you can, or use a plasterboard-rated toggle fixing well clear of any crumbling lath edges.
6 pack · Wall plugs (brick/block)
10 pack · 40mm woodscrews
6 pack · Self-drilling metal-stud fixings
6 pack · Hollow-wall toggle fixings
2 each · PVC starter trim
BP-06Glue and fix the first panelApply grab adhesive in beads about 50mm apart across the back of the panel, keeping 20mm clear of every edge. Slot one edge into the starter trim, press the panel flat against the wall and check it's plumb with a spirit level. Hold or tape it in place for a few minutes while the adhesive grabs.
1 tube · Solvent-free grab adhesive
1 each · Spirit level
1 roll · Masking tape
BP-07Cut holes for the tap, shower valve or waste pipeMark the fitting's position on the panel using measurements from the fixed panel next to it, not guesswork. Before drilling into the wall around it, keep the same caution as before: expect a hidden pipe or cable, know where the stopcock is, and isolate the circuit if there's any doubt. Drill a pilot hole first, then cut the hole to size with a holesaw matched to the fitting, and test the fit before gluing the panel on.
1 each · Holesaw set
BP-08Fit the remaining panels with joining trimsSlot an H-trim onto the free edge of the last fixed panel. Apply adhesive to the back of the next panel, push it into the trim, and check it's plumb before it grabs. Repeat panel by panel across the wall, working towards the door.
4 each · PVC joining H-trim
BP-09Fit corner and finishing trimsCut internal or external corner trims to length and fix them the same way you fixed the starter trim, matching the method to brick, timber stud, metal stud, dot-and-dab or lath and plaster. Fit finishing trim along the ceiling line and a floor trim or leave a small gap for sealant at skirting level.
2 each · PVC corner trim
2 each · PVC finishing trim
BP-10Seal every edge with siliconeRun a neat bead of sanitary silicone along every joint where panels meet the bath, shower tray, floor or worktop. Smooth it with a wet finger or a silicone tool for a clean finish. Leave it to cure fully — check the tube for the time — before using the shower or bath.
1 tube · Sanitary silicone sealant
1 each · Sealant smoothing tool
BP-11Refit fittings and tidy upOnce the adhesive and sealant have cured, refit the towel rail, mirror and soap dish, using the fixing that matches your wall type from earlier. Wipe the panels down with a damp cloth to remove any dust or fingerprints. Bag up offcuts and packaging and take them to be recycled or binned.
1 each · Cloth for cleaning

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