Kitchen Paneling with Plastic Panels: Photo Design Variants

This crumbling plaster, uneven surfaces and other unpleasant moments imply future serious financial expenses related to purchasing building materials and hiring specialists. But it turns out there is also a budget-friendly option - kitchen paneling with plastic panels. In this case, all wall defects are "automatically" masked, and the property owner gets a room decorated in their taste (you can choose color, texture, pattern). At the same time, the material is inexpensive and special construction skills are not required: all work can be done independently.

Pros and Cons of Wall Panels on the Kitchen

As a raw material for manufacturing panels, a special type of PVC with increased density is used. There are also other qualities that have allowed successfully using plastic for finishing work in the kitchen. Its main advantages:

• resistance to moisture and microbial penetration: there are no pores in plastic;
  
• fire safety: the material does not support combustion - it self-extinguishes;
  
• environmental safety: modern PVC does not emit harmful substances;
  
• good sound insulation;
  
• a huge selection of shades and sizes;
  
• ease of installation;
  
• affordable price.
  

It should be noted that the negative aspects of this material. The main disadvantage is poor resistance to strong mechanical impact: plastic can be easily damaged by sharp or heavy objects, so you need to handle the installed cladding carefully.

Types of Wall Panels and Their Characteristics

At the initial stage, wall finishing with panels requires choosing the type of material: plastic can have not only different textures but also shapes. Here it is necessary to take into account the combination of finishing material with other interior elements. It is worth examining each of the varieties in detail.

Lap siding

Its appearance resembles the well-known wooden boards used for finishing. This is a fairly durable material, whose width ranges from 10 to 12.5 cm, and length does not exceed 6 m. Plastic lap siding can be mounted on the wall in several ways:

• horizontally: this method is used when the room is small and needs to be visually expanded or elongated;
  
• vertically: this type of installation visually "lifts" the ceiling;
  
• diagonally: an original method used by designers;
  
• combined: combines several of the above laying methods.
  

Ribbon Panels

These are plastic "boards" that exceed lap siding in width. Ribbon panels harmonize well with the interior and, due to their large dimensions, are quickly installed. Material features:

• length is within 2.6-3 m;
  
• ribbon panels are best suited for full room finishing (from floor to ceiling);
  
• when installing, special moldings must be used - special strips that close gaps between plastic "boards".
  

Plastic Tiles

Visually, it looks like regular tiles. But unlike them, plastic tiles do not require preparing mortars for fixing. This material is available in the form of squares of various sizes. Main features of plastic tiles:

• sizes: they can be very diverse, but the most in demand plastic sizes are 98x98 and 30x30 mm (thickness 8-25 mm);
  
• wide selection in terms of design: manufacturers offer material with imitation of natural stone, various types of wood;
  
• plastic tiles are often used to create kitchen backsplashes;
  
• installation requires a flat surface (wood or metal lath can be used): connection is made by the "groove-tooth" method.
  

Sheet Plastic

These are large panels, most often with dimensions of 1.22x2.44. This material is quickly attached, and there is a wide choice of shades in stores. Sheet plastic often imitates natural materials: stone or wood, but you can also find material with an unusual appearance not resembling anything else. During installation, the joints formed are decorated with moldings or sealed with sealing compounds.

How to Choose a Pattern and Color

Usually, preference is given to images that enhance appetite: these can be fruits, vegetables, or just still life with delicious food. There are panels with reproductions of famous paintings, but such items are usually purchased by art lovers; although a backsplash with a full-length photograph looks quite stylish. It should not be forgotten that overly large images in a small kitchen will be inappropriate - it is better to use small ornaments. But it is not necessary to print images (or buy ready-made) on panels directly. You can find or order material depicting brickwork or wooden walls with drawn texture. The first option is ideal for the "loft" style, and the second - for "countryside". Good effects are achieved with 3D images: although, the cost of such panels will be higher than ordinary ones.

As for color, it is worth following standard rules: in a small room, walls should be light. Preference should be given to pastel tones: beige, pale pink. Some designer findings are interesting: blue tones worsen appetite (a note for those who want to lose weight), green and orange, on the contrary, stimulate it. Photo panels for the kitchen with various color solutions can be viewed on the website.

Design: Svetlana Yurkova

Finishing the kitchen backsplash with panels

This is about a kind of protection for the wall from dirt and water located right next to the stove, sink, and cutting board. The main requirement for a kitchen backsplash is hygiene, resistance to moisture and household chemicals. PVC panels fully meet these requirements.

When choosing plastic material for a backsplash, you can go down two paths. In the first case, it is advisable to select a shade matching the wall and kitchen furniture colors, while in the second case, you can emphasize this part of the kitchen by making the backsplash in contrasting colors. It should also be mentioned that there are original ways to decorate a backsplash: for example, it can be transparent. In this case, a strip of LED lights is mounted behind the material. The result is a shimmering decor that diversifies the kitchen interior. If you are a minimalist, you can embed spotlights with a rotating mechanism into the backsplash: simple and functional!

Decoration Methods

How the image is applied to the panel surface affects its durability and design compatibility with the rest of the kitchen. There are several ways to transfer an image.

1. Offset printing. In this case, panels go under rollers on which the image is pre-applied. The image applied in this way does not wear off quickly and looks realistic.
   
2. Thermotransfer. Here the image is transferred to the material from a heated film. This is a very cheap method: images obtained this way are not durable.
   
3. Lamination. The film is glued under pressure to the plastic. In this case, it also performs a protective function.
   
4. Coloring the entire structure of the material. Appropriate colored additives are added to the plastic before it is made. The result is a material that does not change its shade under any damage and does not fade.
   

Some Installation Details

First, you need to decide on the method of mounting panels. To do this, assess the quality of the kitchen wall surface. If they are relatively smooth, then panels can be fixed directly to the surface. In case the wall has many small defects (pits and bumps with a height difference not exceeding 3-4 mm), surface plastering is necessary. When there are larger flaws, it is more appropriate to build a frame (lath). This method is the most popular because mounting panels on stone walls, even if they are smooth, is not easy - you have to pre-drill anchors. The steps for frame installation:

• wooden strips or metal profiles are attached to the wall at the ceiling and floor so that from top to bottom, there is a strictly vertical distance (use a plumb line or long construction level, the best option is a laser tool);
  
• determine the locations for sockets and switches;
  
• secure the strips so that the distance between them is no more than 0.5 m (if panels will be horizontal, then fix the profiles vertically, and vice versa);
  
• cut panels to the required length;
  
• start mounting from the far corner;
  
• install panels using special fasteners, usually included in the panel set;
  
• insert elements into each other according to the "groove-tooth" principle;
  
• after completing installation, install additional elements: corner pieces, trim, and thresholds (if necessary - moldings between panel gaps).
  

Using plastic panels for kitchen finishing is a simple, inexpensive, and rational solution. This material easily fits into any interior, possessing all the necessary qualities required for finishing. Therefore, it is not surprising that plastic today is the most popular option for kitchen interior design.

Real Example of Kitchen Finishing with Plastic Panels

The cover features a design project with built-in storage systems.