Ok I'm going to weigh in from a professional point of view, having sold these over many years, and fitted a few sets too. I don't like them, at least I don't like
most of the ones that get made cheaply, so buy good quality ones. The cost of thicker heavier ones can be quite a lot, BUT they can fit in minutes thus saving you time, and money too if somone else is doing the fitting. My general sales pitch for these was you can do an entire bathroom is less time than a good builder can tile just 1 wall (inc grouting etc) with normal sized tiles. Higher material cost, significantly less labour cost. Here's a few things you need to look for regardless of manufacturer:
- firstly like wallpaper, buy packs with the same batch codes, if there's not enough in stock, get them ordered, there's a high chance you'll regret it if you don't. Don't beleive the salesman when he say's "it'll be fine", either he's new or lying because I've seen it with my own eyes enough times to know that batches differ.
- the pattern matching, some brands are a bit lax in this area and I've seen many boxes (they come in packs) where the patterns didn't match up or align properly with the boards, so check the packs in the car park after you bought them but BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE PREMISES, and check ALL the packs you bought.
- check that the T & G sections are properly formed, all of these are made by hot extrusion forming and often the T & G's are malformed and won't fit together snugly enough to give a decent joint, ergo they will let water through to the base behind.
- Don't beleive the salesman if he says the T & G makes a watertight seal on it's own, it doesn't. When fitting draw a thin bead of clear silicone inside the groove before pushing together. Don't rely on the tiles behind because grout is permaeable and water won't have the same ability to get out as before with these sealed over the top.
- Don't skimp, avoid the really cheap thin ones usually 4mm thick or so like the plague, the thicker and heavier the better. You can buy sheets that are 10mm thick and sturdy with the inside support vanes being hard and close together, this avoids the possibility of denting or punching through the thin topcoat, so you can be as energetic as you like in the shower, some are so thin I've been able to pierce it with my long pinky fingernail.
- Buy the fitting profiles made for the job (even though they may well seem expensive for what they are), they will make fitting much easier, can be a contrasting colour and will make sealing the top and bottom edges simpler and neater (again with beads of silicone inside). Often you can get aluminium versions of same for some brands, but IMHO they are overkill.
If the wall(s) you are covering will require cutouts, buy the panel versions rather than sheets - panels are usually around 300 - 450mm wide. This will make doing cutouts significantly easier than using a larger sheet - I've been there and know from experience so just don't
Come time to sell the house people often say "I don't like those plastic sheets" right up to the point you say "no grout mould / discoloration, ever", and fitted correctly they are impervious to water, unlike grout, so no chances of mould growing in the bathroom in the walls behind the tiles.
From sales numbers I can also say the simpler patterned varieties sell a lot more than the heavy patternd ones, so think ahead a bit if you are planning to sell the house within the next 10-15 years or so or the cost of redoing the bathroom may well be reduced from your asking price.
hope that helps, please come again
edit: if you want more advice send me some links of one's you are considering and I'll try to help.
