PVC wall cladding is a very effective and extremely durable way of hygienically covering walls for environments that require sterile conditions, such as operating theatres. It can withstand steam cleaning and chemicals that are required for an infection free area.

“Wall cladding is also an extremely cost effective option as it lasts for many years and eliminates the need for painting and maintenance. Although the Capex cost is initially higher, the life of the product will outweigh the possible savings against other finishes, and there will be no downtime with repainting,” says Tandy Coleman, CEO of Polyflor SA.

Polyflor is the local distributor of Gradus wall protection systems, which provide an essential barrier against damage caused to walls, corners and doors by both pedestrian and wheeled traffic. The Gradus SureProtect Pure™ is a comprehensive hygienic wall cladding system that offers excellent surface protection. It is available in 16 colours to co-ordinate with most interior design schemes. A range of finishing options is also available in matching colours to provide a neat finish. In addition, the Gradus range also includes complementary Specialist Bathroom Products that can be used in conjunction with SureProtect Pure when designing safe and accessible bathrooms.

“Wall cladding helps to minimise the need for ongoing repair and maintenance, and both the Polyflor and Gradus wall protection systems reduce life cycle costs and improve the long term appearance of interior installations,” Tandy says.

Wall cladding can also be used in other environments where hygiene is not critical to create a feature or decorative effect. Water jet cut-outs can be very effective for design and branding in commercial and retail areas. LVTs can be used to create a feature wall or panel that can completely change a room or installation and can give designers great scope when combining different looks and finishes.

Polyflor provides a comprehensive package of products that includes wall guards, corner guards, handrails and protective wall-cladding in a variety of colours and finishes. These products, colours and materials provide functional and aesthetic solutions for virtually any wall protection requirement and are suitable for all contract environments, including pharmaceutical, healthcare, education and hospitality.

“We recommend the use of wall cladding in areas where cleanliness is a priority, as it creates an impenetrable barrier to moisture and bacteria along with resistance to impact damage. The smooth, easy to clean surface is an ideal alternative to ceramic tiles as it removes the need for grout which can harbour bacteria,” she says. Common applications include commercial kitchens, operating theatres, laboratories, treatment areas, leisure facilities, changing rooms, bathrooms and canteens. To this end, Tandy says that they also frequently extend floor vinyl or LVTs onto the walls to serve the purpose of wall cladding with great success.

The do’s and don’ts to remember when installing wall cladding:

• When installing wall cladding, it is important to ensure that you have a smooth surface. There are several ways of preparing the surface and it is always vitally important that the wall has had sufficient time to dry so that no moisture gets trapped beneath the sheeting. Brick walls can be plastered using either wood or steel floating methods, standard plaster and fine sand. When wood floating, it is a good idea to put a binding coat (not a full layer) of a surface smoothing product to fill in the pores.
• If regular cement plaster is used, the surface should be brushed to remove all granules that stand proud as is common with cement plastered walls before installation begins.
• It is then wise to give the wall surface a thin coat of PVA paint, as this will lock in the potential loose granules of sand, after which it should be rubbed down with some sandpaper on a smooth straight block of wood, to remove any potential proud granules.
• The surface should then be primed with a slightly thinned version of recommended contact adhesive which should be allowed to dry at least overnight and then a coat of regular contact should be applied to the wall surface, and the back of the sheeting and be left to dry. This will prevent the trapping of solvent.
• If the vinyl cladding is applied to a dry wall, the surface should be carefully primed with a thin coat of contact adhesive, and as with all primers be allowed to dry for at least 12 hours
• Primers and contact adhesive should be applied with either a short haired mohair roller, or a smooth trowel. Once dry, the cladding should be applied to the wall starting at the vertical set out lines. As with flooring, the joins should be tight to allow for grooving and welding, as with flooring.
• Vinyl wall cladding should never be joined on any corner. Vinyl wall cladding should always be installed in drops from ceiling to floor, never horizontally.
• It should be remembered that when getting to a corner the vertical line should be marked past the corner, slightly less than the width of the sheeting being used, and then install from that line back through the corner to allow for that join to be scribed against the adjoining sheet, the same applies to external and internal corners.
• Always work from top to bottom. This will avoid the sheeting going off vertical as often the plastered corner is not a true 90 degrees.
• If the cladding is going to the roof, the join between ceiling and wall should be carefully cleaned to ensure a clean, straight and accurate 90 degree angle, which can be finished with a suitable silicone to seal it off neatly.
• If going to a predetermined height it should be finished with an appropriate capping, which can also be sealed with silicone to avoid any crevices for harbouring germs.
• Where the cladding meets the floor it would usually be effective to weld to the turn-up/cove of the floor sheeting, again this join should be scribed for an effective horizontal weld.
• There should never be gaps at the joins prior to welding and all welds should be cleaned properly and glazed.