Moisture-resistant mdf sheet panels for bathroom walls (types and installation) Moisture-resistant mdf panels for the bathroom selection secrets and installation rules. Strengths and weaknesses of the panels, adhesive installation option.
Moisture-resistant sheet mdf panels for bathroom walls (types and installation)
From an operational point of view, the shower room is a very complex space. A high level of humidity, condensation and temperature fluctuations are constantly present here.
Finishing materials for the bathroom, unlike the rest of the living space, must have increased characteristics. In addition to successfully resisting negative factors, the raw materials should have the ability to do it yourself.
Often these functions in the shower room are performed by ceramic tiles. Of course, such a pleasure is very expensive! However, modern technologies represent a new generation of finishing materials moisture resistant MDF panels for the bathroom.. They have a number of advantages, thanks to which you can significantly save money, time, and nerves. To date, these products have become a full-fledged alternative to tiles.
Advantages and disadvantages
It is worth noting that not everyone can afford expensive materials for wall decoration in a shower room. MDF panels for the bathroom are an effective way to get out of this situation. They differ in availability, strength, and durability. It is convenient to mount them on the wall. Sheet products are made not only from wood sawdust, but also from other wood components that are specially processed.
MDF panels for walls are in stable demand in the domestic market. They are usually used instead of tiles in the shower room. Sheet products on the wall are in no way inferior to their ceramic counterparts, while significantly gaining in price. In addition, MDF has an attractive appearance, is made like a rectangle, and has no gaps at the edges or on the side of the ends. Strengths of moisture resistant wall panels:
- Ease of installation;
- Long service life;
- Ease of processing;
- Affordable price;
- Good thermal insulation;
- High strength;
- Environmentally friendly material;
- Simplicity of operation;
- A wide range of.
The dimensions of the panels allow the products to be used in any shower room, regardless of its area. Moisture resistant MDF is equally well suited for both small spaces and large bathrooms.
However, it is worth noting that bathroom sheet panels have their drawbacks. This is an absolutely normal phenomenon, since today it is difficult to imagine any material without weaknesses. In addition, with the proper skill, you can avoid creating unpleasant situations. Currently, MDF products have the following disadvantages:
- Low impact resistance;
- Weak resistance to scratches;
- Fire hazard.
According to their characteristics, moisture-resistant sheets on the wall are distinguished by high performance. As for the shortcomings, here it is worth taking them quite seriously. However, the degree of risk should not be exaggerated, because weaknesses can be minimized, for example, not to mount sheet products on a wall near the workspace. For other indicators, the material, in principle, does not need any recommendations.
Installation features
In order to fix models of various sizes on the bathroom walls, special skills and abilities are not required. By and large, the installation of wall MDF is very simple, but it has its own nuances. Many panels are fastened to the lathing, which greatly simplifies the installation process. In addition, if the walls of the shower rooms are flat, then finishing can be carried out without preliminary preparation.
However, if there are flaws in the wall surface, they must be corrected. You should prime the wall, plaster it, or use plasterboard blocks. The latter option allows you not only to level the surface, but also to create a new one. After the preparation, you need to measure the room. In addition, it is necessary to let the moisture-resistant panels stand for several days in the bathroom. This will allow them to acclimatize and get used to new conditions.
After that, they will acquire qualities that correspond to the temperature regime of the shower room, as well as the level of humidity. It is best to fasten sheet panels of various sizes to the wall using a special sheathing frame. This makes it possible to bring communications, for example, wiring for lighting. This method is suitable for coatings with small defects that need to be hidden. Wall MDF are mounted using self-tapping screws, special brackets, clips or nails.
Installation is carried out starting from the corner of the moisture-resistant product. It is worth knowing that a smaller hole will be better in terms of subsequent operation. In addition, if you get tired of the option with a crate, then after a while it can be removed without unnecessary problems. This is suitable for people who like frequent changes in bathroom furnishings. Separately, it should be noted that the installation of wall panels can be carried out both on a frame with a metal base, and on a structure with another material.
Slope finishing
Decorating slopes with MDF panels is done in the same way, but two options are possible: pieces of MDF panels along and across the slope. If the slope is narrow, less than 1.8 times the width of the MDF panel, then it definitely needs to be sheathed across. With wide slopes, the choice of sheathing method is a matter of taste. Slopes, sheathed alternately with pieces of dark and light colors, look good. In general, at the discretion of the master and his household.
MDF paneling
MDF (MDF Medium Density Fibreboard English, HDF German) is made from wood waste. But they should not be confused with fiberboard or particleboard. MDF is produced by dry hot pressing of wood, without binder. The essence of this method is that the microscopic tubes and lignin fibers that make up the wood, under high pressure and temperature, become plastic, as if steamed, adhere and stick together. The structure of MDF is similar to felt, only not from wool, but from wood fibers.
MDF does not differ in special mechanical properties, but, due to the absence of a chemical binder, it is absolutely environmentally friendly. For interior decoration MDF is ideal. Techniques for working with MDF are the same as for wood. MDF is glued with any wood glue. Especially for MDF, an adhesive composition Liquid Nails was developed, a construction glue with a filler of sawdust, which allows both gluing and filling cracks and filling holes with self-tapping heads.
Installation of mdf panels: frame installation method
The very name of this method speaks for itself; for its implementation, you will need to build a frame, which in some way resembles the structure that is used to fasten drywall. The difference lies only in the position of the bearing profiles, if they are installed vertically for fastening the drywall sheets, then the installation of MDF wall panels provides for the horizontal arrangement of the profiles. In this regard, there are also features of the construction of such a frame.
In principle, at the first stage, everything happens in a similar way, the plane of the future frame is beaten off, then guide profiles are attached along the perimeter of the wall, on the floor, ceiling and adjacent walls. This is where the differences begin. In the given plane, the vertical bearing profiles cd are installed not every 600mm, but 3000mm, which is the standard length of the bearing profile.
Installation of mdf panels: frame method
This is done in order to subsequently install between them horizontal bearing profiles cd, the step of which is 500 mm. They are connected to vertical profiles using crab cd connectors, and are fixed to the wall with the same U-shaped brackets.
The installation of the frame is the main work in the process of installing MDF panels. The fastening itself is an easier process that almost everyone can handle. MDF panels are attached to the frame with clamps (special clamps). The kleimer itself, before being attached to the frame, is inserted into the groove located at the end of the panel, thus ensuring their reliable fixation to the frame. The cleats are designed so that they do not interfere with the insertion of the next panel into the groove.
DIY installation of mdf panels photo
Installation of MDF panels: two ways of attaching wall panels to walls
By Alexander Kulikov in Finishing | 5 comments
Today, the easiest and fastest way to make the walls of your home beautiful and even is to decorate with MDF panels. This solution is, of course, not suitable for all rooms, but for corridors, staircases, storage rooms and hallways, this material will be almost ideal. We will talk about it in this article, in which, together with the site stroisovety.Org, we will consider how the installation of mdf panels is carried out in a frame and frameless way with our own hands.
There are two ways to fix mdf panels on the walls, the so-called glue and frame. Both of these methods are good and are used depending on the circumstances. If the wall decoration with MDF panels provides for the hiding of any communications, then the frame method of fixing MDF is used. If we are talking about finishing smooth walls, then the glue method is used.
Wall decoration with mdf panels photo
Do-it-yourself installation of panels on glue: installation features
Installation of MDF panels on walls with the help of glue is much easier; the entire installation process is greatly facilitated by the absence of a metal or wooden frame, the construction of which takes a lot of time.
Installation of wall panels mdf photo
Before proceeding with the direct fastening of the panels, first we will deal with the glue that is used for these purposes. Or what kind of glue is not suitable here, you need a composition that has certain qualities.
- Firstly, the glue must be plastic even after hardening, the fact is that MDF panels made of pressed cardboard are highly susceptible to deformation depending on the temperature and humidity in the room. Therefore, an adhesive is needed that can extinguish these very thermal expansions.
- Secondly, the glue used for MDF panels should facilitate their fastening even in places where the walls are slightly curved. That is, the texture of the glue should make it possible to spread it both with a thin layer and with a thick one in one word, it should be thick enough. The so-called liquid nails, which are successfully used to resolve the issue of how to mount MDF panels, by almost all craftsmen, are the best fit for these requirements.
Liquid nails for mounting MDF panels photo
The very installation of panels using glue looks quite simple, its technology is almost completely described on a tube with glue Liquid nails. It is not recommended to violate it. To begin with, the walls covered with panels must be cleaned of dust and dirt, in principle, if you are going to seriously engage in self-repair, then the priming process, which is performed to clean the walls of dust and dirt, and at the same time to improve the adhesion of materials, should become a habit Primer always, everything and everywhere.
Priming the walls before installing the MDF panels photo
After the primer has dried, proceed to the direct gluing of the panels. In the meantime, it dries, you can do other preparations, for example, cut several dozen panels to size.
The glue is applied directly to the panel itself in a dotted manner and the glue drops in a checkerboard pattern should be large. After the glue is applied, the panel is pressed against the wall, taps tightly and comes off. This is required by the technology of gluing; it is necessary to tear off the panel so that the glue is weathered and the panel does not peel off from the wall under its own weight. To speed up the process and make the installation of MDF panels with your own hands faster, you can immediately, one by one, smear up to a dozen panels, attach them to the wall and tear them off. While the glue is weathered, it is allowed to smoke after five minutes, the panels can be cling to the wall again and thoroughly slammed.
How to glue mdf panels on a photo wall
It is easy to glue the panels, it is much more difficult to cut them evenly and with high quality. In this regard, special attention should be paid to slopes and similar obstacles that come across in the path of installing MDF panels. It should be understood that the appearance of the room depends entirely on the even trimming of the panels.
Well, in conclusion, let’s dwell on the basic nuances of installation, which are characteristic of both methods of fixing MDF panels.
- First, there are corners. It should be understood that it will not work to bend the MDF panels, so they are simply cut as close to the corner as possible, after which the cut edges are safely overlapped with a special corner that can be used for both outer and inner corners.
- Secondly, this is the frame, the lowest horizontal profile should lie on the floor. In this way, you will ensure that the skirting boards are securely fastened.
- Thirdly, so that there is no distortion in the future, the first panel must be installed in accordance with the vertical level and firmly fixed with self-tapping screws in places where they will subsequently overlap (at the bottom with a plinth, at the top of the ceiling, in the corner with a decorative overlay). It is desirable to check the position of the panels with the level and in the future it is not worth monitoring everything, but you need to apply a building level to every fifth panel.
That’s basically it. This is how MDF panels are installed. This process is not difficult and not simple, as, in general, any finishing work, in which your attitude to the little things plays an important role, which together affect the overall picture of the repair. Simply put, there are no trifles in this matter.
Than cutting panels, effortlessly!
PVC panels lend themselves well to cutting. But this business has its own subtleties. In the article we will tell you how and how to cut plastic (wall) products.
Let’s start with the main point plastic panels can be cut up and down. It depends on which in a particular case it is better to cut the panel. This can be done with the following tools.
Molar knife
The easiest PVC cutting tool. But an unusual kitchen or shoe, here you only need a molar knife.
Its blade, while new, is very thin and sharp. And when it gets dull, the blade can be replaced instantly. By biting off a piece or inserting a new one. An ordinary knife is inconvenient, it cannot be sharpened quickly. Also, it will not be so thin.
The molar knife is limited in scope. You can only cut the panel lengthwise with it. Of course, you can try to make a cut and across. But nothing good will come of it.
How to cut panels lengthwise? This is difficult to explain within the framework of the article. However, the basic principle can be described.
The blade extends a short distance of 3 mm.
On the back side of the panel, select the place where the cut will be made.
Then we cut out a strip, from edge to edge (we are talking about the inner edges of the panel). A cut is made near the rib, then another cut is made near the adjacent one. We make cuts along the entire length.
The strip of plastic falls out and a groove forms.
Then, on the same back side, you need to make a shallow incision near the desired rib. And on it to break the body.
The molar knife has advantages: speed, noiselessness and simplicity. And its disadvantages are that the panels can only be cut lengthwise.
Jigsaw
This tool can be called basic. A jigsaw is good for everyone and has a minimum of disadvantages. You can cut the panels up and down. You can cut shapes with ovals and other broken things.
The jigsaw has a special feature. It tears the edge of the panel in places where very little remains to cut. At this time, very often the panels burst (especially in cold weather).
Therefore, it is worth using a file with a minimum tooth. For ourselves, we chose a Bosch metal blade with a 0.8 mm tooth. This file will protect you as much as possible from a ragged cut.
If the jigsaw is working at high speeds, you can cut with such a file very quickly. This file is for metal, it does not dull from cutting plastic products.
The main advantage of the jigsaw is its versatility. Cut PVC panels, you can both along and across. In any spatial position.
The minus of the jigsaw is weight, the presence of a wire. Ripped cut with wrong blade.
There is one secret
When you have to harvest a lot of sticks, frame size. For example, you need to cut off 20-30 pieces at once.
And so as not to cut one piece at a time, but to increase the speed. You can resort to one secret.
You will need clamps (bench presses) as in our photo. Take several at once, usually 5 pieces. Adjust them so that they do not stick out each other and clamp them with bench presses. Two on each side of the panel.
And calmly saw. In this way, you can cut up to 5 panels at a time. You can cut more, but the Bosch file does not provide this opportunity.
You will speed up the slicing process five times and make your work easier.
Angle grinder (angle grinder)
Not every angle grinder is suitable for cutting panels. It should be small so that you can easily hold it with one hand. You cannot use a large angle grinder.
The thinnest disc of 0.8 mm, 1 mm or a maximum of 1.2 mm is installed in the angle grinder. The disc is used for conventional metal.
The angle grinder gives an amazingly smooth cut, without chipping and, as they say, snot among the people.
The angle grinder does not tear plastic. It doesn’t matter what part of the panel you cut and in what weather. Whether it’s cold or hot, using an angle grinder will give you a smooth cut.
With an angle grinder, you can literally cut off millimeters from a wall panel.
The disadvantages include the fact that it is heavier than a jigsaw and even more so a knife. But the biggest disadvantage of an angle grinder gives a lot of fine dust. It hits all places.
Universal cutter
The multi-purpose cutter has various names. He has many manufacturers. When we bought our tools, Bosch was one of the leading manufacturers.
The tool is not cheap. But having bought it, you can no longer get by with something else.
The cutter, unlike all other tools, oscillates.
We mainly use two main types of files. Wide 25mm40mm and narrow 10mm20mm.
Very often during installation, it is necessary to cut the PVC panel in place. Often this can only be done with a Bosch cutter. No other tool can crawl into difficult places.
The cutter greatly simplifies and speeds up work. You can cut wall products along and across. You can even cut off the top or bottom layer of the panel.
Let’s talk about the cons. The price of the tool and consumables for it goes through the roof. For example, a jigsaw file will cost 100r, and a file for a cutter 800r. Files quickly deteriorate.