Ceramilite as a tile alternative

Hey dudes & dudesses

Anyone used a product scalled Ceramilite from Parburys? Its an alternative to tiling, consists of 2400X1200 sheets of substrate faced with a polymer coating shaped to look like tiles.

The look is very high quality, the specs show similar qualities to normal tile (better, if you count the fact that theres no moisture penetration through what would be the tile joins) and I am attracted to the finish.

However, can someone who has actually used the stuff tell me if its OK? Does the finish last as long as tiles? How tricky is it to work with? What adhesive do I use, hopefully a cheaper alternative to the standard Parbury manufactured one?

I look foreward to hearing from you all

My parents had its forerunner in a bathroom for 40 years and it still looked good.

I have used ceramalite in our Motorhome shower recess.

You can use liquid nails to glue it up and ordinary silicon based products to "grout" the joins.

It will "splinter" on the face when cutting with a saw.

My wife loves it and reckons it looks better than the tiles in our own bathroom.

It stood up to 6 months of going around Australia and I think it has a fairly long warranty.

A helluva lot easier to put up than tiles too. :D

Don't use abrasive cleaners on it though.

Hello,

I used it in a bathroom job about six years ago, found it to be a great product. It lasted well and still looked good when the house was sold last year.
Clean it with a cloth not a scotchbrite.

It is easy to work with, especially if you read and follow the manufacturers notes.
Square, level & plumb is vital, always is. Used a reference line & all measurments taken down from there, with patterned sheets the eye will follow any variation.
Dry fit to check, no going back when its buttered up.
I used their adhesive but think maxbond or similar would do the job. Used a die grinder to get an exact fit around the rolled edge on the bath and found it did a good job. With sharp tools it cuts and files well. Also found you could cut tiles out of the offcuts and grout them with the sealing compound therefore getting the max out of the sheet. Did that in an awkward area behind the toilet. Cant chamfer the tile edges, surface is too thin, backing board shows as a dark line.
Not a cheap product but the house was prone to movement so we tried this instead of tiles. Did the job well.
Good luck, happy new year, Bill

Davzam, welcome aboard :)

I agree with the others, we put it up in our shower about a year ago, used a fine tenon saw to cut it, liquid nails to put it up, looks a treat and is going fine.

I rang the advice line re adhesives, they said alternatives were L/Nails, Maxbond or any other "low solvent" construction adhesive.

Make sure you have heaps of adhesive on hand, you can always take the excess tubes back, and will save the midnight run down to Safeway if you run short in the middle of a panel. DAMHIKT...... :eek: :eek: :eek:

Normal kitchen and bathroom sealant is fine too.

Offcuts flush trimmed to shape and turned upside down make a funny looking but slick scrollsaw table :) .


Good luck.......cheers..........Sean, the not-tiling-ever-a-fahrking-gain

Hate to be the only disenting voice but...
I helped my father in law redo a shower recess a year or two ago with Ceramalite and yes it looks good but I think the surface is to soft. I don't know how they have done it but they have put slight dents in the surface of it with one actually breaking the surface.

I think Lamipanel from Laminex Industries is a better product. It is extra thick Laminex. I have used this and was very happy with the result.

Only my opinion, Jon.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jon

Hate to be the only disenting voice but...
I helped my father in law redo a shower recess a year or two ago with Ceramalite and yes it looks good but I think the surface is to soft. I don't know how they have done it but they have put slight dents in the surface of it with one actually breaking the surface.

I think Lamipanel from Laminex Industries is a better product. It is extra thick Laminex. I have used this and was very happy with the result.

Only my opinion, Jon.

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Some patterns have a dimpled finish. Lamipanel is also good but the price difference doesn't warrant it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by

Some patterns have a dimpled finish. Lamipanel is also good but the price difference doesn't warrant it.

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no, these dents aren't dimples, they are from some object hitting the surface. There is only three or four dents and one has broken the surface so you can see the substrate, and I did not do it on install.

I accept the point on price.

Jon