Hygienic wall cladding is a sheet material fixed over the wall in a food preparation area to give a smooth, non porous, washable surface with no joints for dirt to sit in. It replaces tiling, which fails at the grout line, and painted plaster, which fails everywhere. This page covers the two materials in common use, how to choose between them, and what to think about before you order.
Why kitchens are clad rather than tiled
Food hygiene regulations require wall surfaces in food preparation areas to be sound, easy to clean and, where necessary, easy to disinfect. Tiled walls meet that on day one and stop meeting it as soon as the grout starts to go. Grout is porous, it stains, it harbours bacteria, and in a kitchen that is degreased daily it does not last.
Hygienic cladding solves the same problem with a continuous sheet. There are no grout lines, joints are sealed or capped, and the surface takes a degreaser.
Which material: PVC or stainless steel
[CONFIRM: that CK Direct supplies PVC before publishing this section.]
| PVC hygienic cladding | Stainless steel cladding | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | General wall areas, corridors, prep rooms, cold rooms | Behind the cooking line, around the canopy, wash up areas |
| Heat | Not suitable directly behind cooking appliances | Handles heat, which is why it goes behind the range |
| Impact | Impact resistant grades available | Dents rather than cracks |
| Cost | Lower | Higher |
| Fixing | Adhesive, with jointing trims | Adhesive, with H section joints and end caps |
Most commercial kitchens use both. Stainless goes where the heat and the heavy soiling are, PVC covers the rest of the room at lower cost. Specifying one material for the whole kitchen is usually either over engineering the corridors or under specifying the cook line.
Stainless steel hygienic cladding
CK Direct manufactures stainless steel wall cladding in 304 and 430 grade, in 2440mm x 1220mm sheets at 1mm thickness, with custom sizes made to order. H section divider bars, internal and external corner pieces and end caps are supplied to finish the joints, along with a two part adhesive system.
304 is the standard choice for food areas. 430 is a lower cost option where the exposure is less demanding.
See stainless steel wall cladding sheets, sizes and accessories
PVC hygienic cladding
[CONFIRM: the whole of this section. Sheet sizes, thicknesses, colours, impact resistant grades, whether it is stocked or ordered in, and the trim range. Do not publish placeholder specifications on a compliance adjacent product.]
PVC hygienic sheet is supplied in large format panels, fixed with adhesive and finished with jointing trims, capping and internal and external corner profiles. It is the standard choice for general wall areas in food preparation rooms, and for ceilings where a washable surface is needed.
Measuring and ordering
- Measure wall by wall, height and width, and note every door, window, socket and pipe penetration.
- Say what is going in front of the wall. Cladding behind a fixed workbench or a hot cupboard only needs to run to the height it is visible, which often saves a sheet.
- Check the wall is sound and flat. Cladding will not hide a bowed or crumbling substrate, it will follow it.
- Allow for the trims. The joint pieces and corners are what makes the installation look finished and stay sealed.
Send us your wall dimensions and we will come back with a sheet and trim schedule rather than a price per square metre.