Lathing for PVC panels: types and production

Plastic lining is used for both interior and exterior finishing work. Recently, the material has started to go out of fashion due to the emergence of new finishes. However, the wide range, availability and low cost leaves it quite in demand.

A distinctive feature of the lining is the simplicity and ease of installation, which one person can easily handle, even if he is doing it for the first time. To create the lathing, you need a perforator, a level screwdriver, a foam gun, a grinder, a gun for silicone or liquid nails, a construction stapler, a molar knife, an angle, a tape measure and a pencil.

In appearance, the panels are divided into three types.

• Seamless - products, the standard dimensions of which are 250-350 mm in width and 3000-2700 mm in length. They form a beautiful molded surface. The thickness of the products varies from 8 mm to 10 mm. Panel options differ in the way the paint is applied to the work surface and, accordingly, in price. They are all easy to clean with a soapy solution. Laminated panels are resistant to mechanical stress, do not fade in the sun.

• Curly - products, the edges of which have a shaped form, which gives the assembled surface the appearance of a lining. The width of such models is most often 100 mm, less often - 153 mm. They have a solid color, usually white (matte or glossy) or beige. The panels have a lattice structure with air cavities, which can also vary in density and thickness.
• Ceiling - an easier option. Such panels are 5 mm thick. They are easily wrinkled by hand and are the cheapest. They must be installed and operated very carefully. It is recommended to decorate with such material only places protected from physical and mechanical stress.

There are only two mounting methods for PVC panels:

• directly on the plane of the base;
• using the crate.

To install panels without using a batten, you need a flat base plane with the smallest differences. Glass, brickwork, concrete, OSB boards, plywood, drywall, cobbled surfaces are suitable. For fasteners, silicone, liquid nails, and polyurethane foam are used.

If it is not possible to get such fasteners, you can glue the panels on hot bitumen or oil paint mixed with sand or cement. They are applied to the base in a dotted or zigzag manner, gradually collecting the plates and pressing them. If necessary, use spacers. Fasteners to a wooden or wood-containing surface are produced in the classical way - using nails with wide heads, self-tapping screws or a construction stapler.

Installing panels on uneven surfaces is a more time consuming process. This requires a crate.

It can be made from:

• plastic guides;
• wooden bars or slats;
• metal profiles.

The uniformity of the material used during construction gives many advantages. Therefore, it is best to use special plastic guides. They are durable, lightweight and do not require additional processing because they do not rot. They also have special fasteners for panels (clips), which simplifies installation.

Fasteners are made directly to the plane of the base, starting from the most convex point. Such a frame needs more accurate assembly. The guides must be mounted strictly parallel to each other. Only in this case the clips will fully fulfill the role of fasteners.The first plastic panel is installed strictly at an angle of 90 degrees relative to the crate. Installation is a bit complicated by the fact that the elements bend easily, so it can be difficult to achieve the ideal plane.

For fastening to the plane, not simple dowels 6/60 are used, but anchor bolts. It is best to work together, this applies even to the masters. The cavity inside the guides is used to route the electrical cable. Sockets and switches are made overhead, lighting fixtures are made external. Other types of installation of electrical accessories require additional preparatory work with the base.

Most often, inexpensive and affordable wooden lathing is used. The material for its manufacture can be slats or timber. They are pre-treated with an antiseptic agent against fungus and mold. If necessary, you can make a fireproof impregnation.

It should be borne in mind that the plane assembled from PVC panels does not breathe, and such a crate needs ventilation. For this, cuts are made in the bars if they are mounted close to the base. The slats can be fastened with small spaces. Decorative plastic grilles will not interfere. If there is an extractor hood (as, for example, in the bathroom, toilet, loggia or in the kitchen), then the built-in fan can be a good helper in maintaining the desired climate.

The frame for the panels is mounted on a dowel and leveled with shims in the place of its attachment. The distance between the guides of the frame is chosen arbitrarily, a step of 30 cm is enough. If there is a shortage or economy of material, the distance can be increased to 50 cm. For a high-quality result of installing the panels, the wooden components of the battens must be even and smooth. However, they are hidden behind the front cover, so it is very wasteful to use first-class blanks for these purposes. In this case, a semi-edged board or used (for example, old platbands or even skirting boards) is suitable.

The frame is assembled around the perimeter. Bypass door and window openings, technical openings. In the corners where two planes meet, perpendicularity must be observed.

The next part of the lathing and at the same time the front finish is additional plastic fittings. Geometrically, space is three-dimensional. Therefore, only three planes can meet in one corner. For a uniform transition between planes and for hiding gaps, there are various plastic profiles. The starter strip surrounds a single plane around the perimeter, and the ceiling plinth is also used for the same purpose.

The connecting profile is used to delimit two panels of different appearance or color. in the same plane or building them up. For the meeting of two planes, strips are designed in the form of an inner and outer corner. To terminate the panel plane and hide the technical space between it and the base of the wall, an F-shaped bar is used.

The profiles are fixed in the corners and along the frame perimeter in the classical way. After that, the panel is cut off 3-4 mm less than the measured distance. This must be done, otherwise the plastic fittings will "swell". Then the panel is inserted into the grooves of the profiles. Attach it to the rest of the guides. The distance on the panel is marked with a corner, and cut with a hacksaw with a blade for metal or a jigsaw with the same blade. It is also easy and quick to cut plastic with a grinder, but it should be borne in mind that in this process a lot of construction dust is formed.

You can refuse to use plastic fittings, and use molding to seal the seams. The use of molding made of various materials (wood, foam) on PVC panels is irrational, because it will require additional processing (painting, varnishing). It is best to stick curly strips, that is, a molding made of the same PVC material.

You can attach the element with special glue, which you will be offered when buying molding in the store, as well as for liquid nails or super-glue like "Moment". There are PVC corners of different sizes, which are just as easy to stick on the panel. The hassle with this type of finish is less, and the process itself takes less time, but after that it is impossible to disassemble the panels without damaging them.

For very uneven surfaces, to create a multi-level plane or a plane with a different angle of inclination, to use various types of built-in lamps, as well as to create an exhaust duct, metal profiles are used, mainly used for mounting drywall. Such a frame weighs more and requires more special components for its installation. But it is reliable, does not require special care, and is perfect for both indoor and outdoor work.

The frame is assembled as easily as the Lego constructor, only when assembling, you will have to make more various manipulations (trimming, measurements, puffs, bends). However, there are no difficulties here. A person who has assembled such a frame at least once can cope with this task very quickly.

This version of the crate makes it possible to use insulation, which simultaneously acts as a sound insulator. The option of an interior partition is possible. In this case, the W-shaped aluminum rail (also called the ceiling rail) is reinforced with a wooden beam of 40/50 mm. Such reinforcement is necessary to create a doorway. If desired, you can strengthen the entire frame, but this is not necessary.

Such racks are attached to the ceiling and floor using reinforced or simple metal corners tightened with self-tapping screws. The cross members are fixed in the same way and can be reinforced as well. Their number depends on how the PVC panel will be mounted - vertically or horizontally.

The lathing is attached to the wall or ceiling in a standard way. A U-shaped guide is mounted along the perimeter at a planned distance from the base. If the area of ​​the overlapping surface is small (about one meter wide), then an W-shaped profile is inserted into it and tightened with a self-tapping screw (nine with or without a drill).

If the width is greater, then suspensions are mounted to the plane using a hammer drill and a dowel of nails 6/40, 6/60 or a screwdriver, depending on the material of the plane. Suspensions (crocodiles) fix the guide profile in the same plane with the same nine. Instead of a nine, you can use ordinary short self-tapping screws with or without a press washer. The option with a press washer will turn out to be more expensive, but it lies on the plane best of all and does not interfere with the installation of panels.

First, determine in which direction the panel will be mounted. For the ceiling, it is better to lay seamless panels perpendicular to the penetration of the light source into the room. The quality of the material is different, and no one is insured against installation defects either, and this method will reduce the external manifestation of these shortcomings.

In order to save material, you can consider both options for mounting panels. (along and across) and determine in which method there will be fewer clippings. After you know the direction of the battening guides, divide the plane distance by the guide spacing. So you get their number plus one more piece. This is the minimum molding of material for which panels can be installed.

To perform more voluminous work, you need to add the perimeter of each plane, technical, window and door openings. When calculating, it is necessary to take into account the molding of the purchased products. If possible, you can make custom-made crate accessories.

For the types of lathing for PVC panels, see the following video.