Commercial bathrooms work a little differently than a typical residential bathroom. It requires a couple of things you won’t find in any kind of bathroom, such as a partition. Professional contractors and building administrators have to deal with a lot of considerations when choosing the right toilet partition material. They need to be sure that whatever they choose must be durable, cost-effective, and require minimal routine maintenance. If you’re faced with the same dilemma, then here’s a quick guide on how to choose a partition that suits your commercial bathroom.
Powder-Coated Steel
The first type of material that is commonly seen used for commercial bathroom partitions is powder-coated steel. This material is produced by covering panels of honeycomb cardboard with thick sheets of metal. To make it look more presentable, the steel is then coated with a layer of colored powder that’s baked into the metal. It has a low upfront price point and is a great choice for building new bathrooms that are projected to receive very little traffic. However, it’s important to remember that the material itself doesn’t last that long. This is because powder-coated steel is only moderately resistant to vandalism and will degrade over time if exposed to excessive amounts of water.
Plastic Laminate
If you’re not into steel, then a plastic laminate might be more suitable for your tastes. Plastic laminate is made using a particleboard core covered with a layer of plastic laminate. What’s great about this is you have many colors and designs to choose from. However, just like powder-coated steel, too much moisture can cause the plastic to deteriorate easily.
High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
You’ve probably heard of HDPE before as it’s a plastic material used in various industries. This is a type of solid plastic material that performs exceptionally well as a toilet partition wall. It mostly just features a solid color throughout, but what makes it better is it’s highly resistant to vandalism, moisture, and even bacteria. Because of all those properties, HDPE stands as a material that doesn’t require much maintenance at all.
Stainless Steel
If you’re aiming for a more modern and elegant aesthetic, using stainless steel for your bathroom stall dividers is also a good choice. We all know how great stainless steel is, as it’s used in many applications. It stands up extremely well to most conditions and is quite a durable material. The only problem is, it’s not exactly well-suited for high-moisture environments. But if you want a sturdy, easy-to-clean material that’s also quite resistant to vandalism, then a stainless steel partition is a good choice for you.
Phenolic High-Pressure Laminate (HPL)
Lastly, Phenolic HPL panels are created using a core layer of compressed paper. That’s right, they’re made of paper. But these aren’t ordinary paper materials as they are cured under high heat and pressure. The resulting material is an extremely durable panel coated with a synthetic polymer layer called phenolic resin. Phenolic HPL works well as a bathroom divider because of its durability and resistance to unfavorable conditions. You also won’t have any problems dealing with moisture, bacteria, and vandalism, as this material holds up pretty well against any of those.
Conclusion
Commercial bathrooms endure a lot of wear and tear due to the amount of traffic it receives on a daily basis. That’s why it only makes sense to choose the right kind of material for the partitions to make sure it lasts long and wouldn’t require you to repair or replace it that often. This list should give you an idea of what possible materials would make a good bathroom divider.
CSI is a full-service Construction Specialties Installation company focusing solely on the installation of bathroom partitions, wall protection, hospital curtains, and more. We have more than 30 years of industry experience, allowing us to install a range of construction specialties that stand the test of time. Contact us today to learn more about our services.