3 minute read
Mermaid Panels
Keely Greenhalgh, National Sales Manager at Mermaid Panels, tells us more…
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Surfaces continue to be one of the most popular ways to add character to a new bathroom or refresh a tired and dated space. More recently, the mid to premium end of the sector has particularly flourished as consumers seek out high-quality, longlasting materials to add a luxury finish to their very own at-home wellness sanctuary.
Currently, the three key looks most highly sought after in the bathroom are timber, industrialism and marble styles. For those projects seeking a natural aesthetic, wood effects are all about a sense of bringing the outside in and restoring a feeling of wellbeing. Biophilia, or a tendency to connect with nature, has become the buzzword of recent times, as consumers look to ground themselves with the family, with their home and their health. The industrial trend meanwhile, is a mix of the raw and refined; vintage and modern, unfinished and sleek. And as for marble, it´s cool, serene finish with undulating veined detail is the epitome of luxurious bathroom design. This desire for greater personalisation and individual style choices in the bathroom, along with the wish for a more hygienic solution has resulted in laminate bathroom panels coming to the fore: an easy to clean and simple to fit alternative to tiles that enables installers to create sophisticated and styles bathroom spaces with a premium feel.
◊ Advantages of bathroom panels
Bathroom panels can offer more choice in terms of variety and décor than tiles, with the most innovative, advanced solutions such as Mermaid Panels’ Elite range providing the added advantage of post-formed edges. This intricate design
detail creates a seamless finish that doesn’t require any trisms, making it easier to keep hygienically clean. This in turn makes bathroom panels ideal for shower cladding, bath surrounds, splashbacks and feature areas in family bathrooms, wet rooms and en-suites. Mermaid’s Elite panels are manufactured with a waterproof core and post-formed edges, which creates a beautiful design feature out of external corners whilst eliminating the need for grouting, which is notorious for discolouration over time and requires lots of maintenance to keep clean. Designs in wood effects, marble styles, terrazzo trends and concrete imitations enable homeowners to emulate on-trend materials and finishes without the high maintenance, price tag and installation issues to match. There are also acrylic patterns and prints as well as composite waterproof panels that can provide the look of a metro tile with an easy-clean finish that avoids the need for grouting.
◊ Benefits for consumers
Bathroom panels provide many advantages for the consumer and they are becoming an increasingly considered option for specification in new build bathroom projects due to the superior benefits they can provide over other surface options in the bathroom and shower area.
Firstly, moisture and humidity doesn’t affect acrylic, glass or composite bathroom panels so there’s no need for homeowners to worry about mildew or mould ruining their new bathroom space. Meanwhile, the long-lasting, durable properties of laminate panels are, in fact, even better than the real raw materials when it comes to practicality and they are far more cost-effective too.
◊ Ease for installers
Bathroom panels are gaining increasing interest from the installer community thanks to their simple and hassle-free installation process. Not only are they quicker and more efficient to install than tiles but they don’t require a specialist to fit them either, which can really help to speed up the installation process of a project. The panels themselves can be cut down and adjusted to suit the project on site and can be fitted over virtually any surface. Versatile, flexible and available in a wide range of styles and colours coupled with the benefits of cost, installation and hygiene, could bathroom panels be the solution to triumph over tiles?
