Paneling installation with Z-bar
Hi All,
I am looking at a job that entails paneling a room, walls and ceiling with highly figured maple paneling. Panels on the walls are 3/4 MDF core and 3/4 ply core on the ceiling. Size of the panels vary from 3′ X 3′ and 2′ X 6′ down to 1’6” X 6” (there is an architectural plan I’ll attach). The architect is calling for a 3/8” gap between the panels. I was thinking more like 3/16 maybe 1/4. I was going to use for the walls Z-bar near the top of the panel and Velcro near the bottom, padding the Velcro out to the Z-bar plane. On the ceiling I was going to glue the panel to the joists. The Z-bar holds the panel out from the wall between 1/4” and 3/8”. The drawing shows a rabbeted panel meeting a square panel with the rabbet painted black. I want to have the edge of the panel be the figured maple leading into the black void. I want to use a spline painted black that would be around 3/8” below the face of the panel. This would have me edge banding the panels, then rabbeting the under edge all around and then attaching a 3/8” thick or so piece of painted black material to one side of the rabbet and then setting the next panel over to create the look we want. I know this is tedious but the job is sweet and the money is there. The room is essentially 12’X12′. Any thoughts or advice is much appreciated. My approach is far from written in stone so any advice is greatly welcome. I want to minimize face fasteners but I am not opposed to a few very small nails if reason warranted. Thanks again
QS
Edited 6/5/2009 10:11 am ET by quicksilver
Replies
I've done quite a few jobs like this in a prior life.
I think that you when you mention the spline and the reveal you are going to have the spline overlap both panels, right? That will be essential to ease of installation. Also, I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth in terms of reveal size. 3/ 16 will show smaller variations more radically (It's kind of like a percentage. A small reveal shows a small error or out of plumb situation, while a larger one swallows it up, and there WILL be irregularities which show up when you hang large flat panels.
I don't get the velcro? WHy not just a strip that holds the panel out the same depth as the Z clip.
When I did these I found that the best detail at the floor was to have a solid wood baseboard (I suggest that just to prevent moisture from mopping, spills, life wicking up the mdf and ruiing the veneer) that 1) is proud of the panels and can be applied over -- even just 1/4" proud and you rabbet them or 2) is on the same plane but again, the bottom of the panel and top of the baseboard is rabetted to allow a reveal similar to the vertical ones, which helps cover any zigging on the bottoms of these panels.
One forgotten addition: The baseboard overlap also give you a place to screw the panel in. Beyond that, with a z strip 18"' from top and another middle , you shouldn't need other fastening.
I've done some of this also and second the gift horse theory.
Between trying to make perfectly square panels and hang them
completely in line you'll appreciate that 3/8.
Also, keep an eye out for humps or valleys in the wall. Nothing like
a bow to turn a straight line to ####.
Hey guys, Thanks for the input. I was planning on using a hardwood starter. The idea of having it sit a little proud with the rabbet is well taken. I might widen the reveal a little but the 3/8 at this point seems to big for such a small expensive room. But I will mock it up and if it looks OK I'll go with it (I hear you). To avoid the waves in the wall. I was going to run the Z bar continuous and shim it into plane. As far as the Velcro. I searched You tube for advice and a video about sound deadening with panels came up and they were hanging them with Z-bar and using the velcro at the bottom. Originally I was planning on using two Z-bars, one on top and the other near the bottom. When I saw them using the velcro on the bottom I thought it would be a good way to lock the panel in place -from shifting left to right. But the ideas are still evolving. I took the job by the way. Anyway I appreciate the advice, the responses were in my email junk file for some reason.
I'm ok with "you guys," but on this site everone assumes I am a guy so I feel compelled to remind you that not everyone here is male! Good luck.
I address both male and females as "hey guys" often. I have a son and daughter and say hey guys to them all the time. Apparently this is an issue for you since you have mentioned it on at least a couple occassions. Maybe you should make you handle a little more feminine so people won't make the wrong assumption. There are several women that frequent this site, but rarely do they make a point that comments have to be gender specific. I don't think anyone means anything by it.
As I said, I didn't think you did mean anything by it. So sorry if you got offended. See you on the site.
The velcro is a great idea for these panels but it only works if your wall is dead flat..i know this from experience of thinking I had found a way to only use one z-clip at the top..I was foiled in my attempt and ended up using 2 z - clips as usual.
Thanks for the input, well taken. Does DC refer to Washington DC. If so I do all my work in the District.
If you want to go to the extra trouble, you could eliminate the gap by adding scribe strips to the back of your panels and then edgebanding them. this way you could have a nice tight fit to the wall. Its a lot of work, but it will look more like its always been there instead of just some panels that were hung on the wall.