Weekly bathroom installations on the up for Places for People, with Fibo

The switch from traditional tiling to installing Fibo waterproof wall panels in their bathrooms has allowed Places for People, one of the UK’s largest property management companies, to improve its installation rate by up to 133%. Providing tenants with a hygienic and maintenance-free finish.
 
The organisation owns or manages 182,725 homes and provides services to over 500,000 people. Its affordable and social housing properties, which include sheltered accommodation developments, are usually tenanted so finding a bathroom solution that would improve installation efficiency was crucial.
 
Places for People Planned Works Supervisor, Lee Newton, who is responsible for bathroom installations in properties across the North West of England, talks through why they have chosen to implement this increasingly popular approach: “We first came across Fibo six years ago and trialled the product on two wetrooms initially. It worked an absolute treat, providing a much faster installation time and at the time a 15-year warranty. As a result, our works programme has increased from three bathrooms per week to between five and seven with no additional staff.

“And whilst we have tried other bathroom wall panels, we have come back to Fibo. It’s now being used on every one of our installs on our current three-year programme and we are looking to rollout use across our North West developments. There’s no need for backer boards, membrane, glue or grouting, the panels are easy to install and can go over existing tiles, onto dry lined walls, timber or steel studs, they are so versatile. It’s also great for bathroom adaptations where necessary.”
 
To offer more waterproof wall panel design options for tenants in the future, the company is currently exploring different décor options with Fibo. Fibo Regional Account Manager Jenny Gibson explains: “For clients like Places for People, offering that extra layer of customer service is important. We’re always keen to help where we can, for example, providing product samples or being proactive in our design suggestions and creating mood boards for tenant consultations. This sometimes involves going to a specific development.
 
“Other ways we can support project success include the provision of free materials for a trial room, technical advice for panel optimisation to avoid wastage as well as installation training for speed and quality purposes.”
 
Manufactured in an ISO 14001 quality assured environment, Fibo wall panels have a decorative, high pressure laminate surface, bonded to a specially developed high quality 9mm seven-layer WBP Plywood core with a balancer laminate on the reverse. They come with a manufacturer’s 25 year product warranty and are certified antibacterial. The plywood core material is all either Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) or Forest Stewardsh Council (FSC) certified, and the panels have a European Fire Rating standard of D-s1, d0 EN 13501-1.
 
To find out more about the Fibo range of bathroom waterproof wall panel systems, visit www.fibo.co.uk