A commercial kitchen wall finish needs to be considered with the operator’s use of the room, cleaning arrangements and equipment. Begin with a coordinated finish schedule and the appointed design requirements, because wall panels are not interchangeable.
Collect the operator and designer’s requirements
Ask what activities take place in each area and which surfaces the refurbishment affects. Obtain the relevant drawings and the operator’s requirements for cleaning, maintenance and keeping food operations separate from construction work. Identify who confirms the specification.
Government guidance for food businesses sets requirements for the condition and cleanability of food-preparation surfaces. A contractor’s wall-finish quotation does not by itself establish that the premises as a whole meet every food-safety requirement. The operator and appropriate advisers retain their responsibilities.
Draw and number the elevations
Give each wall a reference and record approximate dimensions, openings, existing finishes and known defects. Mark the boundary between retained and replacement work. Photographs should show the junctions as well as the centre of the wall.
Ask the installer to assess the background. Keep removal, repairs and preparation separate from cladding supply and fitting. Covering a damaged surface does not establish that the concealed construction is suitable.
Resolve equipment, heat and service interfaces
Locate cooking equipment, sinks, shelving, sockets, pipework and extraction interfaces on the drawing. Provide current equipment and finish-system instructions. Heat-related suitability, clearances and protection must be resolved for those products and positions.
Altro describes integrated wall and floor solutions for commercial kitchens. Check the selected range’s instructions for your background, junctions and equipment positions. Confirm the specified package and any installer requirements before the finish is ordered.
Kitchen wall finish register
| Record | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| Location and background | Wall reference, extent, retained surfaces and assessed preparation. |
| Specified system | Product, finish, trims, adhesive and current installation information. |
| Equipment interfaces | Heat zones, fixings, penetrations and responsible specialist. |
| Completion | Junction details, cleaning information, checks and handover responsibilities. |
Price the junctions and the handover condition
Ask how corners, exposed edges, penetrations, floor junctions and adjoining retained finishes will be completed. Record who removes and reinstates equipment and who isolates or reconnects services. Those appointments should not be hidden in a broad allowance for wall cladding.
Agree the work area, protection, access, waste arrangements and sequence around food operations. Any reopening date depends on the complete project, necessary checks and the agreed responsibilities. A panel installation date is not a general approval to resume operation.
Keep changes visible
Say the operator relocates a cooking appliance after the finish quotation. In this hypothetical example, the equipment position and relevant product requirements are reviewed before the finish is ordered. The elevation and quotation scope are revised together.
For a commercial refurbishment enquiry, send the postcode, operator/designer brief, numbered elevations, equipment information and intended programme. We can discuss a defined construction and finish package. Kitchen design, equipment commissioning and food-safety certification need their own appointments.
Useful next steps
Sources and product information
Have a project in London or the surrounding areas? Send us your project brief, with photographs and the decisions you have already made.