Installation Of Bonethane & IPA Acrylic Splashbacks & Wall Panels

Download your step by step instructions, always follow Australian standards.

Install Bonethane Polymer Printed Splashbacks & Coloured Splashbacks

Install IPA Acrylic Polymer Printed Splashbacks & Coloured Splashbacks for Showers & Feature Walls

IPA Acrylic Splashback Installation Tutorial - YouTube DIY Acrylic polymer splashback installation tutorial

Bonethane ® has a continuous service temperature of 110°C behind induction & ceramic cooktops. Heat greater than 110°C will require a form of heat shield to protect the sheet.

Can be used behind free-standing cooktops with raised fixed metal shield to the rear of cooktop, cooktop must sit off the wall and not be butt up to the wall. Bonethane has a continuous service temperature of 110°C. Refer to your cooktop manufacturers specifications and follow Australian standards. 

Not suitable for exposed gas burners, air fryers, BBQs, or where heat is greater than 110°C. 

Increased heat requires minimum of 200 mm clearance to the rear & or above the cooktop/appliance. Stainless steel or glass inserts can rest behind cooktop where heat exceeds 110 ° C - Bonethane can rest above the inserts or to the side of insert depending on the style you choose.

Bonethane® stands out as an excellent choice for metal and glass replacement for service temperatures that do not exceed 110°C providing adequate distance is maintained.

Bonethane & IPA Acrylic are not suitable to rest behind BBQs, open gas burners, air fryers or heat greater than 110°C.

Below are handy tips to installing your Bonethane & IPA Acrylic Splashbacks.

Printed Bonethane & Coloured Splashback Instructions

Please read PREPARATION before handling & installation. Areas of the wall should be flat, smooth, level prior to installation.

Installation tutorial https://youtu.be/PhjWDlizNyE

Picking up your sheets.

Ensure that the back of the sheet is not dragged along rough or uneven surfaces. Protect the back of the sheet coated side, where image is printed.

When holding the sheets hold from the masked side for the support side, it is best to hold sheet up right so not to bend the image and not bow the sheets. Two to three persons hold/guide, depending on sheet size.

Your sheets will be on a skid, or as a flat pack.

If your sheets were pre-cut, just ensure they fit before install. When cutting, sand internal edges when butt joining sheets to remove saw marks.

When measuring corner wall panels that sit at a right angle, remember one sheet will slot in first and the return will slot in second, make an allowance for the return sheet to be shorter than the thickness of the first sheet if you don’t have the space.

On printed panels this is discussed during your measurement process, refer to your signed proof for sheet placement addressed in numbered order.

Important

For Bonethane heat greater than 110°C requires a 200mm space to the rear & or above the cooktop/appliance top.

Do not place Bonethane or IPA Acrylic  behind gas cooktops with out appropriate heat shield, be it stainless steel or toughened glass.

Clearance between a gas cooking appliance & a combustible surface must be in accordance with the appliance manufacturers specifications. Bonethane is not suitable directly behind gas cooktop.

FOR INDUCTION, CERAMIC OR FREE-STANDING COOKTOPS WITH RAISED METAL INSULATOR STAINLESS STEEL FIXED PLATE TO REAR OF COOKTOP, ALLOW 60 mm SPACE FOR AIR FLOW BEWTEEN WALL & COOKTOP OR FOLLOW THE RECOMMENDED COOKTOP DIRECTIONS PROVIDED BY THE MANUFACUTURER.

BONETHANE IS NOT SUITABLE TO SIT DIRECTLY BEHIND EXPOSED GAS HOBS OR HOBS WHERE FLAME EXTENSION IS NOT PROTECTED - CLEAR TOUGHEND GLASS INSERTS CAN BE PROVIDED FOR LENGTH & HEIGHT OF THE AREA OR OPTIONAL STAINLESS STEEL.

Attention Required.

REMINDER DO NOT CUT PRINTED SPLASHBACK SIDES, WHERE THE IMAGE FOLLOWS ONTO ANOTHER SHEET.

ON PRINTED PANELS, WHEN TRIMMING TOPS OR BOTTOMS OF SHEETS, REMEMBER IMAGE HEIGHTS ARE ALIGNED, IF YOU HAVE TO TRIM THE HEIGHT OF TWO SHEETS, THEY SHOULD BE DONE FROM THE SAME SIDE SO MAGE MARRIES UP.

USE FULLY CHARGED SHARP TOOLS, WITH FINE BLADES.

USE NEUTRAL CURE CLEAR SILICONE FOR ADHERING TO THE WALL!

DO NOT USE LIQUED NAILS TO INSTALL SHEETS. USE ONLY CLEAR NEUTRAL CURE SILICONE.

For silicone spills to the face of the sheet use diggers wax and grease remover. Apply solution to a soft cloth and remove silicone from the face of the sheet. Once silicone has been removed, ensure the degreaser residue is removed from the splashback by washing with soapy water, rinse and wipe splashback with a hot damp clean cloth - once residue is removed, the product will air dry and shine, do not dry polish splashbacks.

DO NOT USE ACETONE TO CLEAN SPLASHBACKS. Keep acidic vapours away from sheets & your hands when handling. DO NOT USE ACIDIC VARNISHES ON FLOORS, LIKE SEALANTS, OILS, - WHEN SLOW CURING VAPOURS ARE RELEASED THIS CAN DAMAGE THE COATING or THE PRINTED IMAGE

DO NOT DRY POLISH SHEETS. TO CLEAN: SIMPLY WIPE WITH CLEAN DAMP CLOTH AND ALLOW Bonethane TO AIR DRY AND SHINE.

Tools Required to cut Bonethane & IPA Acrylic Splashbacks

Measuring tape, jigsaw (fine sharp tooth blade), drill bit, electric planner, hole saw, tile wedge, straight edge, masking tape, safety goggles, sacrificial panel for cutting on. Diggers wax and grease remover for removing silicone spills.

Tools & Performance.

ALL BLADES SHOULD BE KEPT SHARP. BATTERY OPERATED TOOLS FULLY CHARGED.

WHEN DRIILING Bonethane USE SLOW REVOLUTUION OF SPEED, ENSURE MATERIAL ARE BRACED AND NOT FLOPPY.

CUTTING WITH JIGSAW, FINE SHARP TEETH FOR CUTTING PLASTIC.

When using a jigsaw to cut Bonethane all cuts are to be prepared & measured accurately. Fine sharp tooth blade to cut polymer or acrylic PMMA.

Jigsaws & hole saws should be used. You can address small holes, curves, squares on IPA Acrylic splashbacks or Bonethane Sheets. The blades are narrow and can be easily inserted through a drill hole when creating squares or shapes through the sheet.

Glue for sheets - STRICTLY Neutral cure clear silicone

Use neutral cure clear silicone to the back of our sheets to attach to the wall. Do not bend your Bonethane splashbacks. DO not use double sided tape.

Where to coat wall a neutral colour before fixing your polymer splashbacks.

Where sheets overlap in a corner or butt join, coat the corner a white neutral colour 20 mm wide either side (water-based paint), non-acidic paint and allow to cure 72 hours. Apply paint to the wall where sheets will be butt joined 20mm wide to rest either side of butt join.

The masked side is the face of the sheet.

THIS IS THE SIDE YOU SHOULD WORK FROM ADDRESSING ALL MEASUREMENTS & CUTS, ENSURE SHEETS ARE UP RIGHT WHEN ADDRESSING MEASURMENTS AND CUTTING.

The coated side is the back of the sheet (GRIPTEK).

GRIPTEK SIDE- GETS FIXED TO THE WALL. When carrying the sheets be sure not to drag or bend the sheets - PROTECTING THE BACKS OF THE SHEET & EDGES FROM DAMAGE WHILST LIFTING.

WHEN RESTING SHEET DOWN IN PREPARATION FOR CUTTING ENSURE THE SACRIFICIAL PANEL IS LEVEL AND FLAT - FREE OF DEBREE BEFORE SHEETS ARE PLACED FLAT FOR CUTTING - LAY SHEET FLAT, MASKED SIDE UP, IN PREPARATION FOR CUTTING.

Be mindful when resting or storing your sheets not to scratch the back of your printed sheets. Ensure they are away from toxic environments; this includes oil decking materials that omit even after 72 hours curing.

Being printed panels ensure sheets are right way up, masked side up when addressing all measurements and cut outs. If you have multiple printed sheets refer to your sheet placement for installation, this is your low-res pdf proof. Your sheets will be in numbered order.

After you confirm your sheet fit to the wall, it is best to apply silicone to the wall.  Before you put up panels peel the masking back from the edge of the sheet approximately 200 mm to align image with next sheet. Once sheets are fixed you can remove masking.

How to cut & drill Bonethane & IPA Acrylic Splashbacks.

To prevent chipping of the splashback, it is useful to use masking tape on the masked face of the sheet where you are going to cut. Mark your measurements on the masking tape.

Using clamps (optional), secure your splashback and check measurements once applied with your straight edge, use a power jigsaw to address your cuts after you measure and mask your cuts. After cutting an edge it is advised to sand back the saw marks on the profile edge if you are butt joining.

Cutting with Jigsaw: Use a jigsaw with fine sharp teeth. Holding tool firm and steady slide through the cut. Do not force the jigsaw, let it glide. Ensure the sheet is braced and level to prevent cracking, splitting, or damaging the digital image to the rear. After cutting your sheet it is advised to sand the edges if butt joining. ENSURE SHEET IS LEVEL AND FLAT

FOR CUTTING.

Addressing long cuts for Bonethane & IPA Acrylic

When addressing long cuts, it is important not to stop and start during the cut as this can compromise the image on the underside. Address cut in one go. Ensure the cutting teeth are fine and sharp suitable for cutting polymer & fully charged.

Butt Joining polymer acrylic splashbacks

When butt joining sheets to create seamless finish, you can give a light sand to internal edge, removing saw marks, those edges can be butt joined together. It is important that the wall is level to achieve this finish. Also take note of your floor levels for floor to ceiling sheets as sometimes floor tiles can be raised by a few mm or ceilings can be out making the sheets not line upon tops and bottoms.

Corners -  Acrylic Splashback Sheet Overlap           

If you have an area like a shower or feature wall that has a return. Slot the first sheet to butt up to the corner once measured, then slot second sheet to overlap this corner. In some cases, if you don’t have space for the exterior edge you may need to lose the thickness of the sheet for overlapping.

If your sheets are pre-cut just check that measurements fit correctly before applying silicone.

With printed panels these have been designed to exact measurements you have provided.

It is advised to coat the internal corners of your wall white  approximately 20 mm either side of the corner.

Where sheets are overlapped in corners, it is important to paint corners of the wall a neutral colour, so no colour peers through the overlap of the sheet profile. When sheets are overlapped at a corner it works like a prism effect reflecting light and colour. The neutral white colour should rest 20 mm either side.

WHEN MEASURING Polymer / Acrylic Splashback Placement for floor to ceiling.

When measuring take into consideration the floor tile level and ceiling if placing panels floor to ceiling. If you have a tile on your floor slightly raised and you miss it, it can create unevenness, so always check panels, and ensure bracing for best possible result.

Drilling Acrylic Splashbacks & Bonethane

Firmly support Bonethane sheeting when cutting & drilling. This will minimize chipping, cracking, blow outs or damaging the rear of the printed panel. Drilling should be a slow revolution with steady pressure.

Drill Designs

If the proper drill, drill speed, & feed rate are being used, continuous spiral chips or ribbons will form. For larger diameter drills, slower rotating speeds will give the best results.

Hole Cutting Get a hole saw that cuts polymer (fine sharp teeth)

When measuring hole cut out for taps

1.    Always work from one side of the sheet when addressing cut outs. You can work from both sides if you are confident.

2.    determine the diameter of the cut out for your shower head or tap holes.

3.    measure from the edge to the centre of the diameter, then measure from the bottom (or top- optional) to the centre of the diameter.

4.    Use the shower or tap head bit to trace the diameter cut out onto the sheet (masked side), you hole cut out should be 5 mm smaller than the covering plate.

5.    Use a square measuring tool to ensure this rests centred

6.    Follow the instructions for cutting out holes.

Address preliminary hole, prior to hole saw cut out. At the centre of the diameter, use a drill bit 2mm in thickness, drilling through sheet, steady slow revolution, so not to crack or burn into product. Once preliminary hole is addressed use hole saw and follow hole saw instructions that appear with your tools you have purchased. Sheet needs to be level and flat for this action. Insert the hole saw drill bit into the predrilled hole and address the diameter cut out for shower head, taps or pipes.

Ensure the sheet is braced and on a level surface.

Power outlet cut outs

Work on the masked side of the sheet when measuring, this is the face

1.    Always work from one side when measuring cut outs or holes. You can work both sides if you are confident. Always double check your measurements before cutting. Ensure printed sheets are the right way up and in the correct numbered order.

2.    Measure from the edge of the wall to the centre of the outlet.

3.    Measure from the bottom (or top optional) of the wall to the centre of the outlet.

4.    Once you locate the centre of the outlet, trace the cover template onto the sheet face to the centre, then draw another rectangle 5 mm smaller within that rectangle.

5.    Ensure the power hole you cut is not greater than the cover plate. The covering plate will hide the hole cut.

6.    Use a square to ensure this sits centred.

7.    Drill 4 holes at each corner of the smaller rectangle.

8.    Apply masking tape around the traced line edge you are going to cut with the jigsaw, this will protect the face of the sheet from being scratched by the jigsaw.

9.    insert the jigsaw blade in hole and cut out hole to achieve the power hole cut out. The covering template should be greater than the second traced rectangle and will cover the hole.

Follow instructions for silicone application. make sure it is a waterproof silicone used for kitchen & bathroom areas (neutral cure - clear)

Tips Silicone

Cut nozzle on an 3mm/5mm angle. Work upwards or forwards when applying silicone in a grid format to either the sheet or wall. When caulking always remove excess silicone keeping neat straight line. Ensure you have a wet cloth and cloth with the diggers wax & grease remover. If you’re faced with accidental spill of silicone on the sheet face, apply diggers wax and grease remover to a clean cloth, wipe effected area, repeat process if you must. Then simply rinse residue with warm soapy water, rinse residue again and wipe with clean hot damp cloth, NO DRY POLISHING!   

Bonethane Polymer splashbacks will air dry and shine.

Applying neutral cure clear silicone to sheet or wall.

When applying silicone. Cut nozzle on a 5mm angle or greater. Apply silicone 60 mm from edge of the wall or sheet, so silicone does not bleed through edge. Silicone can be applied vertically from the top then horizontally creating a grid of squares around 10 to 15 cm width & length ways. No thicker than the nozzle, less space on smaller sheets.                                                                                                  

Remember to peel back masking to butt join sheets when marrying up image alignment. By placing silicone on the wall, it is less messy with the larger panels and allows you to align the image correctly.

After clear silicone grid process, mount Bonethane onto wall, inserting cables, or tap holes through the cut outs, securing tile wedges / bracing around the selected perimeter, leave tile wedges/bracing overnight. You may require masking tape for further support to hold in place while curing.

USE: neutral cure clear silicone to the backs of your Bonethane & IPA ACRYLIC sheeting not double-sided tape.

Peel off protective film from Bonethane face, once installation is up and secure for curing. Please refer to “Care Do’s” for keeping Bonethane bright & beautiful. 

Lets Install

Before you install.  

Ensure that wall is level and flush forming even flat surface for placement.

Ensure your wall is prepared correctly.

As you have premeasured your panels cut to size, simply check that measurements are correct before addressing any further cut outs or shaping and that the sheet is the right way up before shaping or addressing any further cut outs.

Measure the length and height of the space for your splashback. Mark up these measurements onto your Bonethane sheet using the masking tape.

MEASURING YOUR OUTSIDE PERIMETER & EXPANSION ALLOWANCE

Measure the outside perimeter of the wall, length & height, allowing a 2mm to 3mm gap where appropriate. One edge width by one height is sufficient. You want the sheet to float to allow for expansion movement, any fine gaps to corners or end of the wall can be hidden with silicone.

DO NOT LEAVE A GAP WITH A BUTT JOIN. You can butt join multiple sheets along the wall, as long as one side & top or bottom has an expansion allowance this will be sufficient.

Placing Sheets on the wall

Add strictly clear neutral cure nonacidic silicone to the wall face. Ensure to peel back masking from all edges of Bonethane so you can see the image and are able to marry up the image to either the corner or when butt joining to another image. Ensure the images are aligned. You may require the use of bracing to lift off the ground or masking tape to achieve an even fit for curing preventing slipping.

When applying the silicone to the wall come in about 5 cm from wall edge, so the silicone does not spurt out of edges, apply vertically from the top, then horizontally creating a grid format of squares around 10 to 15 cm in width and length, depending on the size of your polymer sheet. 

The tile wedge or bracing will be placed at the bottom of the sheet to hold in place whilst clear silicone is curing the wall & backs of the sheets to bond. You may require masking tape and bracing to assist.

For heavier panels you can secure masking tape to the wall and sheet while curing. Curing generally takes 24 hours. If elevating off the floor you will need to brace the sheet from the underside to the desired height. This can be done with multiple lengths of 18 mm mdf about 6 cm wide to run the length of the wall where sheet is applied, this will hold sheets in place until the silicone has cured.

ENSURE the image is aligned all the way through.

After the clear silicone grid process, mount Bonethane onto the wall, inserting cables through power hole cut outs, or taps through holes securing tile wedges or bracing. Leave tile wedges overnight.

Seal the gaps with clear or any non-acidic colour you think will work. Clear and white are generally more effective.

ISPS Innovations                      www.ispsinnovations.com.au