Bathroom ceiling cladding: choosing PVC ceiling panels and trims

Which ceiling panel suits a bathroom or kitchen?

The White High Gloss Ceiling Panel is the ceiling panel sold here. It suits bathrooms, kitchens and offices, is waterproof and easy to clean, and has a gloss finish. It is 250mm wide and comes in three lengths. PVC does not absorb water, so the joints and the edges are the parts to seal.

The panel has a white gloss finish. Batten a ceiling you are unsure about. See PVC ceiling panels for the panel and its trims.

Which length should I order?

Order the shortest length that is longer than the room, so each panel runs wall to wall in one piece. Run the panels the short way across the room, so they are shorter and easier to handle.

White High Gloss Ceiling Panel, 250mm wide

Length	Area per panel	Spans a room of
2.6m	0.65m2	just under 2.6m wall to wall
4m	1.00m2	just under 4m wall to wall
6m	1.50m2	just under 6m wall to wall

Keep the panel slightly shorter than the room, and the coving or starting section covers the small gap at each end. Delivery options differ by length, so check the product page with your postcode before you choose a longer size.

How many panels does a ceiling need?

Divide the width of the ceiling by 0.25m, round up, and add 10% for cuts. The length of the panels runs the other way, so the count stays the same.

A bathroom ceiling 2.4m by 1.9m takes the 2.6m length, running the 2.4m way. Across 1.9m that is 7.6 panels, so 8, and 9 with 10% added. A kitchen ceiling 3.6m by 2.7m takes the 4m length. Across 2.7m that is 10.8 panels, so 11, and 12 with 10% added. The last panel in each run is cut down to width. Order one spare if the room has lights to cut around.

Do I need battens, or can I fix direct?

Fix direct to a ceiling that is sound and flat. Batten anything uneven, anything you are unsure of, and any bathroom ceiling. Battens fix to the joists, which gives a firm base.

Battens are 50 x 25mm at 400mm centres, fixed to the joists and at right angles to the direction the panels run, with 600mm as the widest spacing. They also leave a void for cables. How to fit PVC ceiling panels gives the full method, including working overhead safely. A strip of double-sided foam tape holds a panel up while adhesive takes.

What if the ceiling is old, textured or painted?

Batten it. Push up on the ceiling in several places. A ceiling that moves, shows staining, or is artex of unknown age and thickness takes battens. A painted plaster ceiling that is sound and flat can take adhesive once it is clean, and gloss paint is sanded to a dull finish first. If you are unsure what the ceiling is made of, bring a photo and the measurements to the showroom.

How do I handle long panels?

Carry long panels with two people. Cut the panel on a flat board with a fine-tooth saw, and wear goggles when you work overhead. If you are collecting a 4m or 6m length, bring a vehicle that can carry it.

How do I finish the edges of a ceiling?

Coving closes the joint where the ceiling meets the wall, and the panels slot into it. Coving White and Coving Chrome are 2.6m long. A starting section, white in 5m lengths or chrome in 2.5m, starts the run and hides a rough edge. Corners take Internal Angle Chrome or External Angle White, and quadrant covers a small gap at the edge.

The coving and starting sections suit 10mm panels. Tell us your panel size and we will match the trims, or bring a sample. The ceiling range has an internal angle in chrome; for a white corner use a white flexi angle from uPVC trims. Our wall panel trims page has them all.

What about light fittings and extractor fans?

Anything electrical is a job for a qualified electrician, including moving or adding lights, and fitting or replacing an extractor fan. Check that a fitting is suitable for a plastic ceiling and for the space behind the panel before it goes in.

What you can do is plan the openings. Mark where each fitting goes before the panels go up, and get the cut-out size from the fitting’s own instructions. Ask the electrician what suits the room, and have them in before the panels go up.

How do I plan extraction and sealing?

Keep extraction working alongside a panelled ceiling, and seal the joints and the perimeter. Use Stay Fresh anti-mould sealant, which suits joints in sanitary rooms, baths and kitchens, where panels meet a shower enclosure or a wet wall.

Clad a ceiling once it is clean and sound, and put right the cause of any staining first. After fitting, the gloss face wipes clean with a damp cloth.

How do I order?

Collect free from the Liverpool showroom, open Monday to Friday 7:30am to 4:30pm and Saturday 7:30am to 1pm, where you can see the panel. Delivery is priced by postcode and shown on each product page and at checkout. Ring 0151 525 4488 with the room measurements and we will check the length and the count with you.