Aqua wet wall panels vs tiles for the shower room

[Gow]

Had a discussion with a plumber today who suggested that wet wall panels offer a better finish than tiles due to the issues with grout in years to come. However I am not 100% convinced that wet wall panels are without issues too.  If it is a question of taste and panels are marginally better than tiles then I would go for tiles as there is a better choice of colours. Any advice please concerning the pros and cons of both wet wall panels and tiles. Thank you.  

ps This topic is in the wrong category but I was unable to choose the "Kitchen and Bathroom" sub-category, the slot stayed blank when I tried to do so.

Edited December 19, 2022 by Gow

[Mr Punter]

You could try Bushboard Nuance panels, which are waterproof.

 

https://www.bushboard.co.uk/nuance

 

 

[Bozza]

I had this very discussion with my local bathroom showroom/supplier recently as in the new year I’m going to be renovating my parents bathroom for them.

 

they currently have aqua panels and want me to replace them with tiles as part of the renovation.  The aqua panels function fine but look bad.

 

undoubtedly they - aquapanels- are easier to clean and easier to live with, however my parents had the whole (small) bathroom done with them and it’s quite overbearing.  Kind of a marble / granite effect with silver joining strips every 1200mm.   The install was pretty ropey too a bit rouge.
 

My parents, my supplier and I are all in agreement. If you are to use aqua panels they can look good but don’t overdo them eg just use them in a shower cubicle.  When you go over 1200mm wide and you need to join them with a strip it doesn’t look good.   My supplier advised there is a product that is effectively a waterproof tongue and groove system but they no longer sell them because of problems at the joints, unsurprising water ingress.

 

Both aqua panels and tiles will need a silicone sealant which is subject to mould of course.

 

Plumbers like aqua panels because they’re easier and quicker to install, and they often do that themselves rather than bringing in a tiler.  This helps their costs significantly, whether that saving is passed to you is another thing.  It certainly wasn’t passed onto my parents they paid a fortune for what they had.   
 

Aquapanels can look ok if done well I think if you avoid the hospital shower/caravan look. Tiles can look bad too though if you have a bad tiler of course.  When I self built my house, aqua panels were never considered by me personally on understanding tiles would require a bit more maintenance, which they do.

 

Hopefully other members can post pics of successful aqua panel installs.

 

 

 

 
 

[ProDave]

I was having a discussion with a joiner friend of mine today, and he is saying one of the merchants is telling him that Multipanel are currently not supplying their normal panels with a marine ply backing but instead only supplying them with an MDF backing.

 

Anyone else able to confirm or deny this rumour?

[Kelvin]

I’ve never seen those aquapanels that didn’t make me think cheap hotel or camper van. I’m sure done well they are fine but I’ve never seen them done well. 

[Iceverge]

There's a big difference between the multipanel solid core type and the PVC hollow core ones.

I don't really know why but they're much nicer. 

 

We have Kerradeco and they're probably somewhere in the middle. 

[billt]

Well I've used Multipanel twice and I like them.

 

 

The first one I installed myself and used one of the methods they suggest which is to ovelap the panels with the floor covering but cut the back of the bottom of the panel back at an angle to form a drip. The panel can't sit in water and water shouldn't wick up behind the panel.

 

 

The second one was installed by a plumber I chose more or less at random. He did an excellent job but he didn't use the Multipanel sealing kit for the bottom edge which I had supplied, which should do a much better job of sealing the bottom edge than the standard sealer which he used. (This was done during covid and we weren't there much to supervise.)

 

A lot of the designs are pretty horrible (can't see the point of imitating tiles or stone myself). These are simple white background with small reflective speckles to break the white up a bit.

 

They are much easier to clean than tiles.

 

Can't speak for longevity as we left the house with the first one after 7 years, but there was no sign of deterioration. But we don't have 6 showers a day everyday.

[Bozza]

2 hours ago, ProDave said:

I was having a discussion with a joiner friend of mine today, and he is saying one of the merchants is telling him that Multipanel are currently not supplying their normal panels with a marine ply backing but instead only supplying them with an MDF backing.

 

Anyone else able to confirm or deny this rumour?

Yes my supplier, Wm Wilsons, told me exactly that in same conversation I referred to in my post above.  Don’t know which brand but you’ll be thinking what I’m thinking.