TECHNICAL DOCUMENT

HOW TO USE WOOD-BASED PANELS

AS WALL FINISH
 SONAE ARAUCO

This leaflet is part of a set of publications developed by Sonae Arauco to promote the use of wood-based panels as wall and ceiling finishes.
These applications are an integral part of many construction solutions, offering different levels of performance with regard to fire, acoustic and structural protection,
as well as contributing significantly to the appearance and quality of the places where they are used.
Many of these applications are integral solutions and the preparation and installation must be carried out by specialist technical teams.
This leaflet is not intended to be a comprehensive technical manual for the installation of wood-based panels as wall finishes, as new solutions are always appearing
within each finish system, particularly in terms of fixing systems. Even with this constant evolution, we believe that the content of this publication may help architects
and designers to better understand some of the technical solutions possible.

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 HOW TO USE WOOD-BASED PANELS AS WALL FINISH

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION TO TYPES OF FINISH 04

FINISH WITH DIRECT GLUING 05

WALL PREPARATION 05
INSTALLATION 06

DIRECT FINISH WITH VELCRO 08

WALL PREPARATION 08
INSTALLATION 08

DIRECT FINISH WITH METAL PROFILES 10

WALL PREPARATION 10
INSTALLATION 10

DIRECT FINISH WITH BATTENS 14

WALL PREPARATION 14
INSTALLATION 14

SELF-SUPPORTING FINISH 16
WALL PREPARATION 16
INSTALLATION 17

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 SONAE ARAUCO

INTRODUCTION TO TYPES OF FINISH

Wood-based panel finish systems are used for finishing self-supporting, where a self-supporting structure identical
the inside of exterior walls and for interior walls. In to that used on the partition walls is used or, in more
the first situation, this is a technique often used in specific cases, ceiling profiles.
remodelling buildings, thus promoting an improvement
in the thermal and acoustic performance of the existing The self-supporting finish system can be
construction elements, in addition to the important subdivided into two types: either secured to the
aesthetic component. support element or completely independent of the
construction elements it is being used on.
There are several types of finishes, depending on how they
are attached to the existing construction element. They The self-supporting system has the advantage of
can be applied directly (using glue or strips of Velcro on an permitting an insulation layer in the space between
auxiliary metal profile structure or on wooden battens) or the panels and the existing construction element.

FIGURE 1: Finish with FIGURE 2: Direct finish FIGURE 3: Self-supporting

direct gluing with profile finish

FIGURE 4: Finish attached to the support element FIGURE 5: Finish independent of the support element

The system recommended depends mainly on the resistance or thermal insulation properties, may also
condition of the existing wall and the insulation required. be resolved through correct selection of the decorative
Other factors, such as thickness limitations or fire finish panel.

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 HOW TO USE WOOD-BASED PANELS AS WALL FINISH

FINISH WITH DIRECT GLUING

WALL PREPARATION

Before installing the panel on a cement or brick wall, An insulation alternative for cases where it is possible to
remove all dirt, dust and debris from the wall. A clean have a larger final wall thickness is to glue an insulating
surface strengthens the connection between the panels panel to the cement or brick. The wood-based panels
and the wall. are then fixed to this.

Cracks or holes must be caulked to ensure insulation

and avoid unwanted pests getting into the house. High
quality latex or acrylic inside the caulking is ideal for
filling in these areas.

Consider the need for applying a sealant on the entire

surface for additional insulation and to prevent external
humidity from penetrating the wall. There are several
types of cement sealants available on the market,
produced by different manufacturers. They are easy to
apply using an ordinary garden sprayer or a paint roller.

It is important to seal the brick or cement wall to prevent

humidity from penetrating the surface and causing the
panels to deteriorate or become warped.

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INSTALLATION

1. Adhesive glue in tubes is the easiest to work with. The 4. The adhesive glue may be applied to the panels or
tubes are fitted to the caulking guns so the glue can be directly on the support.
applied easily.
6. The glue points must be no more than 40 cm from
2. Generic construction glue should not be used each other, but we recommend a shorter distance on
to install the panels, as there may be surface the perimeter of each board in order to reinforce this
leaks causing streaks and giving the panel a poor area. (fig. 6)
appearance.
6. If you choose to apply the glue in strips, these should
3. The most suitable glues are Polyvinyl Acetate (PVA). be 10 cm wide and 40 cm away from each other.

40 cm

FIGURE 6: Glue on the panel FIGURE 7: Gluing to the wall

7. Installing a section of wood-based panel normally 8. After cutting the panel to size, apply dots of glue of
implies cutting it to adjust it to the height of the wall. the same size on the back. (fig. 7)

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 HOW TO USE WOOD-BASED PANELS AS WALL FINISH

9. Position the panel next to the wall, place two wooden 12. Panels with mortised edges or splines can be used,
shims on the floor, rest the panel on them up to the so that the joint between them is perfect.
ceiling and push them into place. (fig. 8)
13. At corners, the most common method is to overlap
10. Use a level to ensure the panel is straight before the panels. (fig. 9)
installing additional sections.

11. The space left by the shims at the bottom can be

filled with polystyrene.

FIGURE 8: Positioning the panel FIGURE 9: Corner fitting

14. For this type of installation, the wood-based panels If they are any thicker, the weight of the panels could be
must be between 12 and 19 mm thick. too much for the gluing system.

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 SONAE ARAUCO

DIRECT FINISH WITH VELCRO

This solution is effective for situations where the panels WALL PREPARATION
need to be removable for later access to parts of the
wall where the finish will be (for example for access to
concealed electrical wiring or for rewiring).
Before installing the panel on a cement or plaster
There is another advantage if double-sided panels are wall, remove all dirt, dust and debris from the wall,
used (e.g. panels with a melamine or veneer finish). If particularly the places the Velcro strips will be attached.
the exposed side of the panel is damaged, the Velcro
can be removed from the inside, a Velcro strip placed
on the damaged side and the panel reversed and re-
attached to the Velcro strips on the wall. INSTALLATION
This type of finish is feasible even with standard panels
(2750 x 610/1220/1830 mm) and larger Velcro strips.
However, the use of small or medium-sized panels is The Velcro strips should be sized according to the
the most common. weight of the panels to be used.

For a good finish using this method, the wall should be 1. The characteristics of the Velcro and the
flat. recommendations for its attachment (normally by
gluing) indicated by the manufacturers should be borne
in mind.

2. For the most common types of Velcro on the market

and, for example, for finished particleboard panels 16
mm thick, 600 mm wide and 2750 mm high, strips of
Velcro measuring 100 x 50 mm spaced 200 mm apart
are cut and applied.

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 HOW TO USE WOOD-BASED PANELS AS WALL FINISH

3. On the wall, ensure that the Velcro strips (loop side) 5. Normally, with this type of finish, the panels are in
are placed along the panel joint lines. contact with the base (e.g. directly on the floor or on
strips attached to the floor). A gap is then left at the
4. Repeat the positioning of the Velcro strips when upper part of the panels.
placing the strips (hook side) on the panels.

Section A-A

A
fixed to the wall

panel wall
fixed to the panel trip of Velcro

fixed to the wall

fixed to the panel

panel wall

FIGURE 10: Construction detail for installing panels with

Velcro

FIGURE 11: Installation of panels with Velcro

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 SONAE ARAUCO

DIRECT FINISH WITH METAL PROFILES

WALL PREPARATION INSTALLATION

This type of installation does not require special care in 1. The screws and wall plugs to be used for attaching the
terms of surface cleaning of the wall. metal profiles will depend on the nature of the material
the wall is made from. For example, Assy screws by
However, the wall should be dry, not prone to Wurth, or similar, and W-GS wall plugs by Wurth, or
condensation, be strong enough to hold screws and be similar, can be used with plasterboard walls, or W-ZX, or
flat enough to allow the panels to be positioned without similar, with cement walls.
causing unevenness.
2. The most commonly used metal profiles are Omega-
type ones, with a depth suitable to the thickness of the
panel (between 8 and 16 mm) if used with the flanges
out, and suitable to the space/filling to be used between
the wall and the panel if they are inside.

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 HOW TO USE WOOD-BASED PANELS AS WALL FINISH

loads to be borne (weight of system and overloads). The

support fixings should not be more than 600 mm from
each other.

3.3. Double fixings on each profile (on both flanges) and

staggered.

FIGURE 12: Interior profile d

FIGURE 15: Fixing metal profiles

3.4. With metal profiles, positioning the end pieces at the

floor and ceiling level is fundamental for a good finish with
these systems, as it allows the panels to be correctly fitted to
FIGURE 13: Visible profile baseboards and ceiling moulding. These end pieces can be
segments placed between the vertical profiles or a continuous
profile, in which case the vertical profiles stay between them.

m m m m m= 400 / 600 mm

m m m m m m

FIGURE 14: Double fixed interior profile

3. For the installation of the most common metal

profiles (interior profiles), we recommend:
Omega profile End pieces Omega profile

3.1. Spacing of 400 mm between profiles for fixing 8 to

FIGURE 16: Applying end pieces
12 mm panels or 600 mm for 16 mm panels.

3.2. Positioning on the vertical alignment defined during

the support preparation phase. Attachment to the
support must be suitable to the type of support and the

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 SONAE ARAUCO

3.5. Reinforcement of the metal structure in corners 3.6. Application of vertical profile sections at the
or at partitions, without interrupting the modulation top of door openings and above and below window
defined for the finish system. openings, without interruption to the modulation of
the finish system, in such a way that the panel joints
are always located over a metal profile.

3.7. Application of profiles (vertical and horizontal)

around openings and at vertical alignments on each
side (frames), all around the finish, regardless of the
geometry of the panels that are going to be installed
later. If the height of the opening coincides with the
height of the wall to be finished, this recommendation
does not apply.

FIGURE 17: Reinforcing the structure in corners

modulation

FIGURE 18: Reinforcing the structure at partitions FIGURE 19: Application of profiles at openings

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 HOW TO USE WOOD-BASED PANELS AS WALL FINISH

4. There are also recommendations to be followed for 4.2. Attaching the panels to the metal structure of all
correct installation of the panels: profiles using screws spaced no more than 200 mm
apart (MDF panels should be pre-drilled at a diameter
4.1. Application of the panels vertically, spaced at least 1 mm less than the diameter of the screw) or using
10 mm from the floor, to ensure that there is no direct double-sided adhesive tape. (fig. 20)
contact with possible humidity.
4.3. Installation of panels in flag form whenever there
is a need to go around openings.
≥ 25 mm

This configuration makes it possible for the board

joints to be staggered, not coinciding with the vertical
alignment of the openings (frames). They should be at
least 300 mm from these.

4.4. If it is not possible to follow the previous

d recommendation, a panel the width of the opening,
or the width corresponding to the distance (between
axes) of the metal profiles, can be installed above
200 mm
or below (for windows), immediately after those
delimiting the opening.

≥ 12 mm

FIGURE 20: Fixing the panels to the metal profiles

≥ 300 mm ≥ 300 mm

FIGURE 21: Going around openings with direct metal profile finishes

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 SONAE ARAUCO

DIRECT FINISH WITH BATTENS

WALL PREPARATION INSTALLATION

This fixing solution does not require special care in 1. The screws and wall plugs to be used for attaching
terms of surface cleaning of the wall. the wooden battens will depend on the nature of the
material the wall is made from.
However, the wall itself must be dry, not prone to
condensation and be strong enough to hold the screws. For example, Wurth AW or similar screws and Wurth
W-ZX, W-UR8 or similar wall plugs can be used for
This is the installation method recommended for walls cement walls.
that are not quite flat, as this can be compensated by
adjusting the thickness of the battens. 2. The most commonly used wooden battens are
treated pine laths, with a section of 40 x 20 mm.

3. After cutting the finished particleboard or MDF,

according to the modulation defined for the finish,
these should be edged.

4. One of the most commonly used techniques

includes opening a double space all along the inside
longitudinal edge of the first and last panels and on
both longitudinal edges of the intermediate panels.

5. The width of the opening should be the same as the

thickness of the spline to be used (usually 4 mm) and
the depth should be 5 mm larger than the width of the
spline.

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 HOW TO USE WOOD-BASED PANELS AS WALL FINISH

6. The surface of the spline should have the same 7.3. Positioning on the horizontal alignment defined
design or an aesthetically similar pattern to the during the support preparation phase.
panels.
7.4. The fixing must be suitable to the type of wall
7. For installing the laths, we recommend: and the loads to be borne (weight of system and
overloads).
7.1. Spacing of 400 mm between battens for fixing 8
to 12 mm panels or 500 mm for 16 mm panels. 7.5. The fixings should not be more than 500 mm from
each other.
7.2. Filling any gaps between the wall (support) and
the back of the batten with polyethylene foam. 7.6. Simple fixing in the centre of the laths with
countersunk screws/wall plugs.

Support
Wooden lath, 20 mm
Glue
Screw/wall plug
Adhesive tape
Panel, 16 mm

500 mm

Wooden lath
Glue Spline Grooved panel

FIGURE 22: Detail of the finish system with laths (seen FIGURE 23: Detail of the finish system with laths (seen
from above) from the side)

FIGURE 24: Installation of laths

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 SONAE ARAUCO

SELF-SUPPORTING FINISH

WALL PREPARATION

This type of installation does not require special care • Its composition allows different levels of acoustic
in terms of surface cleaning of the wall, nor does the and thermal insulation to be obtained, according to the
support need to be flat. The wall itself must be dry, not needs of each case.
prone to condensation and be strong enough to hold the
screws.

It is the ideal system for refurbishing deteriorated walls

or improving acoustic, thermal and fire protection
characteristics. It is a system consisting of metal
profiles and wood-based boards.

This system can also have an extra layer of insulation

inside to improve acoustic and thermal characteristics.

The advantages of this solution:

• Any kind of wall can be refurbished: damp, uneven,

etc.

• The installations are hidden in the chamber formed

with the wall.

• Finished decorative solution.

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 HOW TO USE WOOD-BASED PANELS AS WALL FINISH

5. If it is necessary to use mineral wool as a vapour

INSTALLATION barrier, it should be placed against the wood-based board
or, alternatively, install directly the wood-based board.

6. The uprights that have to be fixed to the channels

1. Install the upper and lower channels, fixing them to should be screwed on using metal/metal screws.
the ceiling and floor with screws and ensuring they are
straight. (fig. 25) 7. Cut the wood-based boards 1 cm shorter than the
height from floor to ceiling.
2. A joint guaranteeing waterproofness should be placed
below the lower channel. 8. Fix the panels to the uprights and channels using
wood/metal screws or glue them. In this case, double-
sided adhesive tape is the most practical option.

Upright 9. Use an upright with an L-profile, near the end upright,

Screw to build/reinforce the corners. (fig. 27)
20 cm

Upper channel

Lower channel
FIGURE 27: Corner detail

FIGURE 25: Self-supporting finish diagram

10. The wall finish should be carried out in such a
way as to cover it all, from floor to ceiling and, if the
project includes suspended ceilings, these will be
installed later. (fig. 28)

20 cm
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FIGURE 26: Fixing the panel to the upright FIGURE 28: Detail of suspended ceiling installed later

3. The distance between the fixing points of the channels

should not be more than 600 mm.

4. Position the uprights by inserting them into the channels.

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