Mermaid waterproof wall panels

What are Mermaid waterproof wall panels?

Mermaid panels are a specially designed wall covering for use in "wet areas" such as bathrooms and shower enclosures. Mermaid panels can also be used to form the wall itself, making it ideal for creating en-suite shower rooms. So instead of fitting tiles in the bathroom or shower enclosure, many people now fit Mermaid panels because they have so many advantages over tiles. Mermaid panels were originally designed in Scandinavia, where they have been used in bathrooms and shower enclosures for over 35 years. They have been distributed in the UK solely by Norske Interiors for around 15 years. Norske sells Mermaid panels through a network of bathroom retailers, making Mermaid locally available throughout the UK.

What makes Mermaid panels such an ideal choice?

There are lots of reasons why more and more people are choosing Mermaid panels, and everyone has different priorities. Most people, however, take three main factors into account...

• Appearance - See our Mermaid Gallery for differnt styles available.
• Performance
• Ease of installation

With all the advantages listed above, you might be wondering how the cost of Mermaid panels compares with tiles. Just the Job will be able to work out an accurate cost according to the exact measurements of the room, but generally you will find that Mermaid will cost around the same as good quality tiles - and it works out even more economically over the years because of Mermaid's longer lasting performance.

Appearance:

No more unsightly discoloration

If you've had tiles for some years, you've maybe found that the grouting has become grubby and difficult to clean. Mermaid panels do not use grouting, so there's no mould penetration and the panels will keep looking fresh for many years.

Wide choice of colours and designs

With nearly forty different choices, there's a Mermaid panel to suit every style of bathroom and every taste, from vibrant fashion statements to calming pastels. See our Mermaid Gallery for examples.

No cracking, chipping, peeling or flaking

Wallpaper peels, paint flakes and tiles chip or crack! With Mermaid panels, it's very unlikely that any of these problems will occur, and in fact, Mermaid panels come with a 10 year guarantee against problems of this nature.

Fewer join lines

Tiles have been around for so long that it's easy to forget that there are hundreds of join lines between the tiles, each filled with grouting which can become discoloured. With Mermaid panels, there are only two or three join lines on a typical bathroom wall, and usually no join lines at all in a shower enclosure.

Specification and Technical Details

What makes Mermaid panels waterproof?

The outer layer of Mermaid panels is a high-quality decorative laminate, which has been designed to withstand water from even the most powerful of high-pressure showers. Beneath this layer is the core material of 9mm thick water-resistant WBP plywood which has been specially developed for use in "wet areas" such as bathrooms and shower enclosures. A balancing laminate is bonded to the reverse of the panel.

Differences in panel edges

Mermaid panels have been specially designed so that whether you fit them in shower enclosures or round the bathroom wall, the edges suit the particular use. Bathroom panels have tongued-and-grooved long edges for a neat joint and to enable the fixings to be concealed. The short edges are chamfered to form a "drip nose" so that water runs easily away.

Hi-ShowerWall panels have a unique construction. One of the long edges is square to enable it to fit into the corner profile, and it is also grooved to enable a concealed profile to be fitted if preferred. The other long edge has a fixing lip with a groove (as on the bathroom panel), partly so that it can be joined to a bathroom panel if required, and partly so that the fixings can be concealed when used with a snap-in edging profile. As with the bathroom panels, the short edges are chamfered to form a "drip nose".

What sizes are available

Depending on where you are planning to use Mermaid panels, the following sizes are offered:

Bathroom walls:
2400mm x 600mm x 10-11mm (nominal)
Weight:	approx 12kg (Mermaid Meridia; Mermaid Watercolours) approx 14kg (Mermaid Aurora)
Shower Enclosures:
2400mm x 900mm x 10-11mm (nominal)
Weight:	approx 18kg (Mermaid Meridia; Mermaid Watercolours) approx 21kg (Mermaid Aurora)
Wide ShowerWall
2400mm x 1200mm x 10-11mm (nominal)
Weight:	Weight: approx 21kg (Mermaid Meridia; Mermaid Watercolours) approx 28kg (Mermaid Aurora)

Standards

Mermaid panels were developed in Norway and have been tested by the Norwegian Building Research Institute. Mermaid panels have been awarded NBI Technical Approval No 2294 for use in wet areas. The WBP plywood core of Mermaid panels meets the requirements of EN635. The High Pressure Laminate (HPL) surface of Mermaid panels meets the requirements of EN438.