# Hygienic wall cladding



## barnaby81 (Aug 15, 2012)

hi all

im currently converting an uneven walled room into a prep kitchen and first thought to batton thdn ply then put come 2.5mm pvc wall cladding however ive found some 8mm pvc cladding and thought that i could do without the ply backing. has anyone done anything like this?


----------



## meezenplaz (Jan 31, 2012)

Well first you didnt mention the dimensions of the wall cover units--e.g., 4x8 sheets, 2x2 pieces, etc.

But 8mm is pretty thick, if it's fairly rigid (unbendable) then I dont see why you'd need additional backing, or even adhesive--

(assuming units are large enough) just furr or shim wall where needed to accept the wall covering evenly and fasten away.

Now, if you want invisible fasteners, you might have to do it another way, e.g., with "hangars" on the wall and

backside of the panels, etc.


----------



## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Yeah 8mm is pretty thick, but also expensive.

What I like to do is glue on sheets of arborite, a.k.a. laminate to the walls.  Not with contact cement, but with construction adhesitive, the kind that comes in tubes and you use a caulking gun to apply.

If the walls are crooked, you will have to shim them plumb, like meez says.  Hang a plumb bob from the top of the wall and determine the widest distance from the wall to the string and then find lumber to fill this distance.  Shims can be nailed directly onto to the wall and then plywood or gyprock(a.k.a. sheetrock, a.k.a. plasterboard) onto this.  Then glue down the laminate.

I find the above method the cheapest and with no visible fasteners. The laminate that comes in solid plain colours is the cheapest, usually at around $40.00 per sheet.


----------



## barnaby81 (Aug 15, 2012)

hi there, the room itself is like a corridor with a domed low ceiling. all the sheets would be 8x4. as the walls are so eneven im worried about the flex in 2.5mm sheeting as it would actually be the wall,thats why i thought about ply. then i saw the 8mm and thought id solved my problems, which i may hav. i cant glue it on as the walls are so wonky. regarding the domed roof, i was going to bow thin sheets as its neccissary to keep head height


----------



## meezenplaz (Jan 31, 2012)

okay that was helpful.....

Youre right the thin stuff (and Im assuming you (and foodpump) are referring to common grade FRP panels)

wont work on a moderately uneven wall, (I've used it a lot and hate it a lot), as you need a perfectly flat wall to

glue it to, or you'll see waves galore.

Now, just because youre talking 8mm doesnt mean itll stay flat on a wonky wall, just depends on

how much flex this pvc stuff has, and how uneven the wall is.

If you can cinch it up with  fasteners and it stays flat and rigid, problem solved.

If not, I see two practical choices here,

A) You run a long straight edge along the wall and mark the low spots, (and FP's plumb-bob method would be helpful too)

then glue shims to existing wall until its relatively flat at 24" intervals both horizontally and vertically.

Then glue up your panels and apply. And yes all purpose construction adhesive is the way, again as FP mentioned.

Its thick, cheap, and sticks to most anything. As to shims, the cardboard ones will work for a glued wall covering panel.

But dont use the construction adhesive to layer shims--its too thick. Use fast drying paper glue, contact cement, or etc.

B)You furr the wall with wood furr strips, making a "grid" with 24" centers.

With this method you have something more solid to attach to should you use fasteners rather than glue.

Things I'm still wondering:

1) Whats the current wall surface? plaster? Drywall? Ply?

2) Whats IN the walls? Wood studs? Galvy studs? Or other?

As to the domed celiing, do you really need a scrubbable surface up there? Something else might be more

decorative, small designer acoustic tiles or strips for example. Depends on the height and codes I suppose.


----------



## bubbleplant (Oct 8, 2012)

Rather than straight forward hygienic wall cladding, I'd get BioClad hygienic wall cladding, it's anti mold, antibacterial and antimicrobial. Far safer.


----------



## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Stainless Steel   (Costly but forever)


----------



## meezenplaz (Jan 31, 2012)

Very true Chef...I just designed/built a commercial kitchen for someone...stainless wall covering ran about 200

bucks per 4x8 sheet...uninstalled.

Plus SS is very thin and bendy, so it still needs a very flat wall or above mentioned shimming/furring.


----------



## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Gauge (thickness of steel depends on price paid)  and where manufactured


----------



## meezenplaz (Jan 31, 2012)

True again, and the ss we used I believe was standard 18 ga.

Theres an FRP panel I LOVE, Marlite's Artisan line,

gorgeous and health legal. But its also about 200 a sheet

or about 900.00 for a 16 ft wall, with tax and trims.


----------



## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Gentlemen...

Materials are best defined by the use  and the cost.

The said wall is in a corridor.  No food prep in that area, no cleaning, no water.  S/s and anti micriobial are nice, but overkill for an application like this.  Now if the wall was behind the dishpit or in a meat prep area, I'd say go for it.

For a corridor, however plain laminate is good, but before this can be hung, the wall has to be sraight and rigid.  No sense putting up expensive panels if they are going to buckl;e and warp as soon as someone brushes gainst them.


----------



## meezenplaz (Jan 31, 2012)

Well I do realize that FP, but first the OP's subj title says "hygienic wall claddding"

and secondly the OP said "the room itself is like a corridor"...not that it is a ccorridor.

From those, and the fact he's mentioning using pvc, I construed his intention

to be a sanitizable wall covering. Unless I misssed something./img/vbsmilies/smilies/redface.gif

My 2 most recent posts were just aimed at Chef's SSteel comments, I wasnt suggesting

Barnaby use SSteel./img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif


----------



## barnaby81 (Aug 15, 2012)

at the moment its a dark space thats got loads of rubbish in it. however its going to become a prep hole and maybe acouple of fridges. it has no windows. i thought about covering it in S/S but i think thats too much dazzle for what hygienic wall cladding does. i talked to a frirnd and he thought s/s was the answer but... if i lined it with ovens instead of a couple of chopping stations i could understand


----------



## meezenplaz (Jan 31, 2012)

Youre right about that, the last kitchen I did we covered all 4 walls (18x26ft space)

with stainlesss, and it ended up with LOTS of dazzle! (recalls donning sunglasses)

So if a prep space, I'd use your pvc or FRP and shim for backing.

What is the internal framework and current wall covering made of Barnaby?


----------



## barnaby81 (Aug 15, 2012)

currently its lined out in  pine toubge and groove but... its straight up until 'dado' waist height and then the top half comes in at a attic like  angle, say 30*. behind is battoned out, its a room in the basement with domed brick low roof. it would be good to keep the dome of the roof otherwise everyone will always stoop. i've got another friend thst says line it out in 4mm ply, paint it white and get the stainless and some chopping boards in there.. i'm  going to have to do something to get a little more space. i've worked in many places where you couldnt swing a cat in but to swing anythibg at the moment would be madness


----------



## cheftrotter (Oct 29, 2015)

Hi, hygienic pvc wall cladding is defiantly the most economical option. We have done a few of our kitchens now and used a variety of thicknesses, we used a company called Nu World Plastics, they also do a rigid hygienic board that is not on there website but the chap listened to the task in hand and recommended this, it is a composite board, anyway why don't you take a look at there website http://www.hygienicsheets.com or give them a call, they are very friendly. Hope this helps


----------



## ethos dr (Feb 8, 2017)

Hi All,

I'm remodeling a catering kitchen and the budget doesn't allow for ss - i've seen mention of BioClad hygienic wall cladding but haven't found a US source for it.

would rather not use FRP, like the smooth surface of PVC hygienic wall cladding - where do i source this via wholesale in the states or is there another option i'm not thinking of: smooth, budget friendly, laminate won't pass 

please & thank you


----------

