Protecting Walls from Pets with HardStop® Panels

As any pet owner can attest, our four-legged friends can be nightmare on walls. Whether it be sharp claws, a wagging tail, or playful slobber, it seems like the walls – especially the lower half – are always in need of cleaning or repair.

For WVRC, a 24-hour veterinary hospital in Wisconsin, that problem is amplified by the hundreds of furry patients they see each week. And with no down hours for deep cleaning or repairs, they needed a solution – fast. 

As such, WVRC turned to Keller, Inc. to help design and build their new animal hospital in Somers, Wisconsin. The fully functional facility called for 11,674 square feet with nine exam rooms, a treatment center, and a full ICU and recovery center, and needed to be built to last.

“Animal clinics and hospitals have to be extremely durable because they get a lot of abuse, and the surfaces have to be washable,” said Rebekah Spidle, Interior Designer and Co-Owner at Keller. “I was thrilled when I learned about HardStop panels because they are a great solution for these type of settings.”

HardStop^® Decorative Protection Panels feature a treated fiberglass core for added durability, strength and Class A fire rating. After it was introduced in 2019, Spidle took samples to the owners to discuss their benefits.

“To be honest, we had a different product specified initially, but when I saw the samples, I knew it could be a good fit for this job,” Spidle said. “In fact, we actually made the switch after the project had been through estimating. Like many clients, they relied on us for guidance, but we are all happy with how the project turned out.”  

Spidle and the owners decided on the Layered Sand series, part of the SurfaceSet^® 2020 collection. She used the standard Layered Sand on the walls, seating areas and reception desks in customer-facing areas, while offsetting that with the Black Layered Sand design on cabinets and fixtures.

And the Keller build team found it easy to work with as well.

“Our foreman said it was easy to install, and anyone who stopped out during construction raved about how durable it was while still maintaining the overall design aesthetic throughout,” Spidle said.