Self-adhesive mirror panels for walls and ceilings

Mirror panels have found their application not only in commercial, but also in residential premises. Any room in the house is transformed when decorating the ceiling and walls with surfaces with a mirror.

Use in the apartment:

• in the bathroom;
• hallways;
• living rooms;
• in the bedrooms;
• in the kitchens;

The interior of the kitchen space changes when mirrors appear in it, but it also requires careful care. The solution to the issue of cleaning - a tool for cleaning glass surfaces.

In commercial spaces, mirror plastics are used:

• in the shops;
• in bars, cafes, restaurants;
• in fitness clubs, dance studios;

Reflecting surfaces significantly expand, complicate the interior:

1. The height of the room visually increases when gluing such materials to the ceiling.
2. The room expands when used on walls.

The panels are used to decorate walls, ceilings, furniture, columns, doorways (including arches), and a kitchen apron.

Advantages and disadvantages

Pros:

1. Easy to install on a variety of surfaces.
2. A small room is expanding.
3. Easy to care.
4. Flexible, well mounted on curved surfaces (arches, columns, furniture details).
5. Perfectly combined with other decorative elements.
6. Improve sound insulation of apartments.
7. There are various colors (colorless, tinted or aged mirror), have perforation. Also, plastic sheets can simulate a mirror consisting of many small tiles.
8. On the reflecting side, if desired, a print is applied, decor.

Minuses:

1. Extremely flammable (must not be installed near a source of high temperature).
2. The surface for applying such a decor should be flat (otherwise the reflection will be distorted).
3. It is not always possible to use in the decoration of spaces with high humidity; direct water should be avoided.
4. Do not install high-power lighting devices (for example, when gluing mirror panels on the ceiling) if the reflective plane of the plastic does not have a special protective coating.

Which are there?

Technologies are developing at a tremendous speed and there is a huge variety of substances on the market from which the panels are made.

The main materials from which mirror tiles are made:

1. Acrylic. This is the most common material for panels (plexiglass, plexiglass). Plexiglas according to the manufacturing method is extrusion and injection molding, but according to the characteristics they are almost the same and have the following properties:
   
   • high impact resistance;
   • increased moisture resistance;
   • high heat resistance;
   • 5-6 times stronger than ordinary glass;
   • good resistance to ultraviolet;
   • the most transparent polymer;
   • high specularity (98%);
   • not very resistant to damage to the outer layer, easily scratched;
   • maximum sheet size 3050 x 2050 mm, thickness 2 mm or 3 mm;
2. Polystyrene. This is a composite material with rubber. Properties of mirror polystyrene decors:
   
   • flexible;
   • resistant to chemical influences;
   • high resistance to shock, microcracks do not form due to the presence of rubber;
   • can be used at elevated temperatures (up to +70);
   • perfectly imitate a mirror;
   • easy to handle;
   • 100% moisture resistance (be sure to protect the ends of the sheets from water so that the material does not delaminate);
   • polystyrene sheets are available in thicknesses from 1.0 to 3.0 mm. If they are thicker, they will become less flexible, more rigid and fragile;
3. Plastic. One of the main materials for any finishing panels. It has the following characteristics:
   
   • moisture resistance (does not deform even with direct contact with water);
   • resistant to chemicals;
   • elasticity;
   • environmental safety, harmlessness to humans;
   • easy to care for;
   • shockproof;
   • easily drilled, bent, sawn with a simple tool;

Self-adhesive plastic panels are available in the form of tiles, as well as in a roll. The advantages of all types of materials considered can be added to the ease of installation, without dirt.

How and which ones to choose?

PVC panels

Plastic panels in their design have stiffeners and the strength of the decorative sheet material depends on them.

Criterias of choice:

1. Stiffeners should not be visible on the front side.
2. The more ribs, the more stable the product.
3. The plane should be smooth, even.
4. The thicker the outer surface, the better the panel.
5. High-quality docking groove.
6. Packaging of finishing materials should be intact.

Plastic panels are used in space decoration and signage manufacturing.

Acrylic

Acrylic plastics are used for the production of sliding door wardrobes, in outdoor advertising, signboards. The interior can be used everywhere, even in the bathroom and in the kitchen. But in the exterior did not find application, tk. each sheet layer has a different degree of expansion-contraction with temperature changes. Self-adhesive acrylic panels can be used in rooms exposed to a lot of UV rays.

Polystyrene panels

Polystyrene tiles are also used only inside rooms. (for example, for ceilings), are used in the manufacture of advertising, signboards, decorations.

Prices

Depending on the substance from which the mirror sheet plastic with the adhesive layer is made, the manufacturer, the size and thickness of the sheet, the cost varies:

1. Acrylic: an average of 5,000 to 20,000 rubles.
2. Polystyrene: vary from 1,500 to 10,000 rubles.
3. PVC: most manufacturers from 4000 to 10000 rubles.

Price and sheet size

Acrylic:

• 1220 x 2440 x 2 mm 5000 rubles .;
• 1220 x 2440 x 3mm 6000 rubles .;
• 2050 x 3050 x 3mm 14000-16000 rub .;
• 3050 x 2050 x 2mm 12000-15000 rub .;

Polystyrene:

• 1000 x 2000 x 1 mm 1500-1700 rub .;
• 1000 x 2000 x 2 mm 2500-2800 rub.;
• 1220 x 2440 x 1.5 mm 2500 rubles .;
• 1220 x 2440 x 2 mm 3000 rubles .;
• 1220 x 3000 x 2 mm 6000 rubles .;
• 1220 x 3000 x 3 mm 8000 rubles .;

Plastic:

• 1000 x 1000 x 1.2 mm 5000 rubles .;
• 3000 x 1000 x 2 mm 8000 rub.;

For an example of the cost of mirror panels on a self-adhesive basis, average prices were taken in various retail stores.

Installation Features

It would seem that it might be easier to mount plastics on a self-adhesive base - peeled off the protective film of a sticky base and stuck to the surface?

But this process requires compliance with some rules:

1. Surface, on which the sheets are glued, must be absolutely even, clean. Otherwise, there will be distortions on the mirror. It can be glued to various finishing textures:
   
   • concrete;
   • tree;
   • a rock;
   • cardboard;
2. Rolled plastics it is also necessary, like linoleum, to roll out on an even plane at least a day before use. This is necessary so that the material straightens. If this is not done, then simply gluing such panels will not work. Putting heavy objects on top for better straightening is not necessary, otherwise dents, scratches will remain.
3. When installing mirror sheets it is necessary to take into account the natural expansion-contraction of the composite with a change in temperature. To do this, leave a gap between the panels. The minimum clearance is 0.5 mm. If there can be significant temperature differences in the room, then a gap of up to 1 mm can be made. Visually, the fact that neighboring panels are not glued end-to-end is not noticeable. But you can be completely sure that the plastic will not swell.
4. Plastic sheet cutting produced from the front side. Polystyrene tiles are best treated with high-speed tools. At the beginning of work, remove the protective film from the place of processing. To reduce the likelihood of overheating and deformation of the material, it is necessary to cool the surface at the sawing site.

Recommendations

A few tips to expand the room with mirror panels:

1. The interior should be bright.
2. If a large window is reflected in the mirror, the space will expand. When the reflecting walls are located opposite each other, a tunnel effect is created and the boundaries of the room change.
3. Do not frame a space of many mirror tiles (this will reduce the size of the wall).
4. Reflective sheets can be glued onto the ceiling to create a higher space effect.
5. If the mirror plane is dirty, then you can bring it into perfect condition with a conventional window cleaner.