MDF wall panels do-it-yourself installation: mounting options for MDF wall panels on glue and frame. Sheathing walls with MDF panels: doing it right How to make a wall from MDF panels

MDF wall panels - boards made from wood fiber by dry pressing wood chips. The construction material differs in average density, and to give it high degree sawdust strength is mixed with urea resins and processed with high temperature and significant pressure. Finally, the MDF panel undergoes further processing to obtain an aesthetic appeal.

Features and Benefits

MDF for walls is harvested according to the same technology, but their surface finish is always different, in this regard, several types of these wall panels can be distinguished:

created using natural veneer as a decorative finish. Products differ not only in excellent durability and reliability, but also in the high price.
panels are the most popular and sought after of all types of material. To create these panels, pasting with melamine film is used. This allows you to simulate the structure natural wood so popular when decorating the walls of the room. To improve the appearance of the plates, they are pasted over with a high-gloss film.
Technical, service rooms, workshops and garages are finished using painted MDF panels. In this case, the decorative coating is a layer of paint. On such models, there is no imitation of the tree structure.

MDF panels are distinguished by improved technical specifications. When creating them, the manufacturer does not use harmful resins rich in phenol.

After crushing and processing wood chips, the resulting dust is processed under the influence of high temperature in special furnaces. The process lasts until the release of lignin, which ensures the bonding of raw materials.

The main advantages of the MDF panel are:

attractive price;
the possibility of using both for leveling the surface of walls and for decorating;
ease of installation without the help of a qualified specialist;
strength;
reliability;
resistance to mechanical damage;
ease of care.

There are several mounting methods wall panels from MDF in the course of work related to decorating the surface of the walls inside the room. One of them requires the assembly of a frame and battens, while the other requires a special adhesive for wall panels.

Mounting on the frame

To assemble a high-quality frame and battens, use wooden blocks or metal profile. Both structures are required for fastening decorative material in the design of residential and office space. The methods of attaching panels to the frame allow not only to visually change the interior space, but also to hide certain defects found on the surface of the walls. When choosing how to fix, you need to take into account the degree of unevenness of the base. Significant flaws in the form of voids, dips or bumps can be corrected with a high-quality frame and crate.

Fastening wall panels to the frame is necessary in the course of work related to leveling the surface. In rooms with high humidity for the construction of the frame, only a metal profile is used. The construction of the crate allows for the installation of additional insulation. Do-it-yourself frame for fixing panels in dry and warm room collected from wooden beam: prepared wood (bars with a section of 30x40) must be installed and fixed strictly vertically around the entire perimeter of the room.

The very first (starting) profile is attached directly to the floor, the second - to the ceiling. Having installed horizontal profiles around the entire perimeter of the room, they begin to mount the vertical guides. The distance between the bars does not exceed 60 cm. This is due to the fact that the dimensions of the MDF panels are as follows:

width is from 153 to 200mm;
the length depends on which company is the manufacturer; this parameter reaches from 2 to 2.6 m;
thickness from 5 to 14 mm.

Installation Features

Installation of MDF panels, metal profiles or bars starts from any corner of the room by laying individual elements vertically or horizontally. If it is necessary to create additional noise or heat insulation, insulation boards are placed between the battens of the crate.

The distance between the rails in this case depends on the parameters of the thermal insulation material used. It is less than the width of the insulation by 2-3 cm, which allows you to tightly lay the mineral wool slabs.

Each MDF panel is equipped with a special groove for installing clamps and fastening to the frame. The frame itself is fixed with the help of "crabs" and brackets. Fixing MDF panels to the wall cannot be called a complicated process if the frame of the structure is assembled correctly and strictly according to the level.

When creating a crate, it is important to remember that the fasteners (self-tapping screws), or rather their length, are selected taking into account the thickness and height of the bar or profile. The self-tapping screw must be inserted into the wall to a depth of at least 40 mm.

Before constructing the frame, you need to determine the highest point on the wall surface and set the vertical and horizontal from this value. All work is carried out under constant supervision. building level equipped with a spirit level. It is necessary to check not only the horizontal and vertical, but also both diagonals on each sheathed wall.

The dimensions of the MDF panels are great value in the case when it is decided to attach them to the wall using a frame, and when performing work using a special adhesive composition, certain types of panels are selected.

It is more difficult than to sheathe a correctly assembled frame with such panels.

Glue mounting

Before attaching MDF panels to the wall, you must:

Clean the surface of any dust contamination, remnants of the old coating in the form of paint, wallpaper or cracked plaster.
Re-plaster all areas to be restored.
After the solution has completely dried, prime the wall for maximum adhesion.

Knowing how to fix MDF panels to the wall, you can complete all the work in the shortest possible time. It is necessary that the surface was not only carefully prepared, but also absolutely even. It is necessary to glue the MDF panels on the wall in such a way as to ensure a complete fit and avoid air from entering under the components of the structure.

If tiled or ceramic tile is glued to the walls in one motion and cannot be dismantled and re-glued, then the peculiarity of the process of gluing MDF panels is that the future sheathing cannot be glued immediately. It must be pressed against the wall, held for a few seconds and torn off. After that, allow the glue to dry slightly and reattach the panel to the wall surface. MDF can be glued only by applying considerable force when pressing the panel.

With improper or poor-quality preparation of the wall surface for gluing MDF panels, the fixation will not be strong and durable.

Panels coated on their surface adhesive composition must be laid on a clean, dry, absolutely flat and smooth wall. The quality of the sheathing also depends on how correctly the first panel was glued. It must be fixed in strict accordance with vertical mark made with a plumb line or laser level level.

The final stage is the installation of plugs and other decorative elements. The inner corners are fixed with glue. Its color is selected exactly to match the finishing material and applied with a thin snake, trying to avoid the appearance of excess on the panels after pressing the corner.

You can study in detail all the stages of the work by watching the video.

Interior decoration using MDF wall panels is very popular due to the many positive qualities, which this finishing material. This is not only an opportunity to perform all the manipulations without the involvement of qualified specialists, but also to increase the strength and reliability of the structure. MDF wall panels allow you to change the interior space of the room, giving it attractiveness and increasing its aesthetics.

When performing wall decoration, a large amount of time is spent on leveling the surface. Therefore, for those who wish to carry out major repairs or make a new department after the construction of the facility, it is very important to simplify this task. One of the most common materials for leveling is drywall. However, it cannot provide high structural strength, and must also be replaced after the adhesive-based decorative finish has been removed. A more advantageous material in this situation is MDF. It is made with applied decorative layer or without it, allowing you to create your own colors. Do-it-yourself wall decoration with MDF panels is quite simple and does not require special skills or abilities in facing work.

Installation technology

MDF panels have various forms in the form of square, rectangular or type-setting lath plates. Therefore, at the first stage it is necessary to determine the most suitable sizes, as well as the type of decorative finishes. If you plan to do the work yourself without outside help, then it is better to choose those that are smaller in size. If necessary, reduce the time of work carried out, take large panels.

Before installation work it is necessary to lay out the panels in the room so that they can purchase normal humidity. This will prevent the formation of gaps at the joints or the appearance of mechanical stresses. When the temperature changes by 300C, the elongation can be up to 10 mm. Walls must be treated with special impregnations without fail. They destroy harmful microorganisms and do not allow them to develop further.

MDF is mounted on a wooden or metal profile crate. This allows not only to create a strong and reliable design, and to ensure the ventilation of the main wall material. Wooden crate is more common, as it is close in properties to MDF, and is also relatively cheap. However, if the bars were not dried natural way, then during operation they can be bent, and the MDF sheet in best case move away, and at worst - get damaged. Due to the fact that the wall may be damp, it is necessary to lay a waterproofing layer. As a result, mold and fungus will not form in the niche. Additionally, you can put thermal insulation layer to improve the energy efficiency of the building. Usually mineral wool mats or polystyrene are laid.

If the main walls are initially even, then you can refuse to install the crate by choosing to mount on an adhesive base. The value of deviations from evenness should be no more than 3 mm/m2. In addition, with this installation method, it will not be possible to install a heat-insulating layer.

In case for MDF fasteners to the metal profile with your own hands, you will need to purchase additional special fasteners. They are connectors and connectors. special form, which quickly and securely snap into place, resulting in panels being securely fastened.

We calculate the amount of materials

The first step is to measure the length and width of the walls using a tape measure. It is worth doing this for each of them, as they may vary slightly in size. After that, you need to calculate the number of rails for the crate. Draw a sketch on paper to scale, and then evenly place the slats in a horizontal or vertical position. At the same time, the distance between them is kept the same within 40-50 cm, taking into account the tight fit of the upper and lower slats to the floor and ceiling. The panels are mounted perpendicular to the rails.

The cross section of the wooden bars of the crate is selected taking into account the magnitude of the maximum irregularities of the wall, as well as the need to ensure sufficient structural strength. Therefore, in the case of wooden bars, the cross section must be at least 25x40 mm, and for a metal profile with a shelf width of 20 mm and a steel thickness of 2 mm.

The number of MDF panels is determined taking into account their size and the most successful location along the walls in order to reduce the amount of excess. However, do not forget about the observance of the pattern in the case of choosing panels with decorative trim. The stock by quantity of material must be at least 20% of the total quantity.

We carry out preparatory work

If construction or dismantling work was carried out before installing MDF panels, then it is necessary to remove dirt and wipe dust from the walls. If there are problem areas on the wall that peel off or crack, you need to determine how reliable they are and whether they will fall off during the installation of the crate. To do this, it is enough to tap them with a hammer.

Before attaching MDF wall panels to an adhesive base, it is necessary to determine the degree of deviation of the surface from ideally smooth. The simplest, but inaccurate method is to shine a flashlight from the corners of the wall and determine the places where shadows are created. Then, using a tape measure, you need to approximately measure their size. For deviations of more than 4 mm, you will have to perform partial alignment or install a shed. You will also need to brush off the old finish with abrasive material.

After that, the surface of the walls is treated antiseptic impregnations. During the time until they dry, it is necessary to determine the places for attaching the crate using a laser level, and apply the appropriate marks with a marker. In the absence of a laser level, a tape measure is used to measure distances, and with the help of a level, align them relative to the horizontal or vertical.

The wooden crate must be treated with impregnations against pests and fungi, and then painted. This will significantly extend its service life. It is not worth cutting them in advance, just like MDF panels, since it is not necessary to determine them exact dimensions quite difficult. Material should be prepared as installation progresses to minimize waste and connecting seams obtained without visible gaps.

Lathing installation

Installation starts from the floor if the crate is horizontal or from the wall in case of a vertical arrangement. They take a guide, apply it to the surface of the wall, and then mark the most convex places (enough one on each side). These will be the points zero level. Then equidistant points are laid from them with a selected value from the interval of 40-50 cm. These will be places additional fasteners, in which with the help of a puncher you will have to drill holes for plugs or dowels. For these purposes, a fastener diameter of more than 4 mm and a length of 5 cm is sufficient. The dimensions of the holes must correspond to them.

Then a rail is applied and a tight fixation is performed at two selected points. At the same time, make sure that it is parallel to the wall, otherwise the panels will be skewed. Deviation is acceptable only if the walls in the room are not parallel and you need to align them, or there was a design idea to make them that way. Since the first guide sets the initial level, it must be installed slowly, clearly measuring the distances and setting the correct position.

The fastening of the bar at other points is carried out so that it retains its position, but at the same time is firmly fixed. That is, in places where the guide does not fit snugly against the wall, it is necessary to install wedges made of wood or rigid steel beacons with required dimensions. They can be made independently or purchased ready-made, and the dimensions can be adjusted during installation to the level of the gap from the walls.

The second is attached to the upper guide. For it, two conditions must be met: it must be parallel to the wall and the bottom bar, and also located in the same plane with the first guide. Therefore, they take a rail and fix it at a point on one side of the wall, but not tightly, but so that it is movable. Then a similar procedure is performed on the opposite side. Using a plumb line, they check the location of the guide in the same plane as the one already installed, and adjust their parallelism with a level. After alignment is completed, final fixing is carried out.

All remaining rails are attached in the same way according to the applied markings. You will not need to use careful level checks, since it is enough to attach a flat bar and check the location of the guide in the same plane with the rest. After completing work on one wall, proceed to the rest. In places where the lathing is adjacent to the window and doorways it is necessary to mount guides along their perimeter.

Cladding with MDF panels

First, the panel is cut to the height of the room. If you plan to install suspended ceilings, then the height should be 2-3 cm lower from the ceilings. In case of exceeding the dimensions of the wall, indent from the corners on both sides by 3 mm. This is due to the fact that it is necessary to fasten the panels to each other according to the principle of the spike entering the groove.

The lining process consists of the following steps:

A J-element is installed in the corner of the room, if one is provided by the MDF manufacturer.
They take the panel, put it close to the wall and snap it into the lock, and then screw it onto the screws in several places along the spike. If there is no connecting element, then a spike is cut off from the end of the panel so that it can be pressed close to the corner. With the help of self-tapping screws or special fasteners, they are fixed on self-tapping screws with a distance from the corner of 5-10 mm.
Finally secure the panel, making sure it is in the correct position.
They take the second panel, coat the groove with glue and put it on the already installed spike. A spike is screwed onto the screws. In the grooves, you can connect to the clamps, which are a steel bracket that allows you to securely fix one panel to another. There is no need to additionally screw, glue or nail the panels. decorative trim on adjacent panels should fit naturally.
Paneling the surface up to next corner walls. The panel that borders the wall must be cut at an angle of 450 in the end part from the side of the groove.
The next wall is laid out with a panel with a cut under 450, but already from the side of the spike.
The last panel needs to be rounded at the end so that it can be inserted into the groove that was installed in the first step. Additionally, the panel can be fixed with self-tapping screws along the connecting seam.

Alternative ways to fasten panels

On glue to the wall surface. The glue is applied to the entire surface of the wall in a wave-like manner so that the excess glue does not go outside the panel, but forms a uniform layer. Due to the elasticity of the adhesive bond, the panel does not detach from the wall during temperature changes.
On glue to the crate. It is used in cases where the panels have decorative coating. Glue is applied to the crate in an even layer. Due to the small contact area, the panels must be screwed on with self-tapping screws in the upper and lower parts.
Staple fastening construction stapler or nails to the crate. Fairly simple and reliable way, but has a significant drawback - the decorative coating is damaged. Due to the rigidity of the fasteners, there is resistance to thermal expansion of the panels. Therefore, it can only be implemented in cases where the same indoor climate is maintained throughout the year.

Conclusion

Do-it-yourself installation of an MDF panel is quite simple. To do this, it is enough to take measurements correctly, cut them to size and choose suitable way mounts. At the same time, it is not necessary to prepare the wall surface, except for cases when it is planned to mount the panels on an adhesive base without a crate. The most important thing is not to rush when setting the position of the guides and the first panel. As a result, a perfectly flat and smooth surface of the walls will be obtained without significant financial costs.

Using MDF panels is the easiest way to finish the walls of a room, especially if you need an additional layer of thermal insulation. At the same time, it is quite possible to do the installation of MDF panels with your own hands in a very short period of time.

To install panels you will need:

tape measure and pencil - with their help you will mark the places for fixing the bars of the crate and the required length of the panels;
metal corner and level - to check the evenness of the corners, horizontality and verticality of the mounted elements;
jigsaw - for cutting panels to the desired length or width;
a construction stapler or nails with a hammer - to fix the panels on the crate;
drill and self-tapping screws (dowel-nails) - for attaching the lathing bars to the wall;
screwdriver or screwdriver.

Surface preparation

One of the main advantages of MDF panels is that there is no need to completely level the surface to which you are going to attach them. In this case, it does not matter at all whether the wall was pre-painted or not, and what material it is made of (brick, concrete, blocks, wood). It is enough just to cover the plastered or wooden surface(2 times) primer (or special composition to protect wood), and then either immediately fix the crate for mounting MDF panels, or first fix a layer on the wall (using liquid nails glue). thin thermal insulation(such as folgoizol).

Ceiling

If desired, MDF panels can be easily mounted on the ceiling. In this case, it is better to follow the rule that the MDF panels should be perpendicular to the wall with the window. The principle of mounting MDF panels to the ceiling and walls is the same, with one small exception: for ceiling cladding, you will most likely need an assistant to support the panel and feed the tool.

Mounting technology

The process of mounting MDF panels with your own hands implies that you will mount them on a wooden crate, which is bars of any section fixed with a certain step (in the direction perpendicular to the direction of installation of the panels). In this case, the size of the bar (its width and thickness) does not matter much (that is, any of the same thickness will do).

If you are going to lay a layer of insulation under the MDF panel ( mineral wool or glass wool), the thickness of the bar must correspond to the thickness of the thermal insulation layer.

After preparing the bars for the crate, do-it-yourself installation of MDF panels will be carried out as follows:

Choose the direction of installation of MDF panels.
In a perpendicular direction to the panels to be installed, fasten the crate: lower bar at a distance of 3 to 5 centimeters from the floor, the upper beam - 2-3 cm from the ceiling, fix the bars between them with self-tapping screws in increments of no more than 45-50 centimeters.
Check the verticality of the resulting surface. If necessary, place pieces of plywood, fiberboard or laminate under the lathing bars.

Around (along the perimeter) of windows and doors, as well as in the corners, fix the vertical bars of the crate.
If you decide to mount the panels vertically, then you should start mounting the MDF panels with your own hands from the corner, moving from right to left. Attach the first panel (from the edge with a comb) to the bars along the entire height using self-tapping screws, which should be as close as possible to the corner of the room.
Fasten the second edge of the panel with clips specially designed to work with MDF, which can be attached to the bar with a construction stapler or small nails.
We install all other panels on the wall in the same way, inserting the comb into the groove.
The last (on each wall) MDF panel must be cut to right size, and then insert into the groove of the previous one, securing the cut side with self-tapping screws to the bars.

Having finished the installation of MDF panels with your own hands, do not forget to close the corners of the room with special MDF corners, which are simply glued on top of the panels. Under these corners, self-tapping screws holding the extreme panels should hide.
Similarly, stick the MDF corners on the edges of the panels near windows and doors.

Advantages and disadvantages of MDF panels

To undeniable merits MDF panels can be attributed not only to ease of installation (they can be fixed both vertically and horizontally), but also beautiful appearance, which, thanks to a wide variety of colors, allows you to choose panels for almost any interior. In addition, MDF panels are easy to care for, as they do not require special cleaning (just wipe with a slightly damp cloth). And, of course, MDF panels are relatively cheap finishing materials.

But MDF panels also have disadvantages:

Firstly, the walls of such panels, due to the fact that they are attached to the crate, remain hollow.

If you decide to hang something on such a wall, you will have to use special long dowel-nails. In addition, MDF panels do not hold up well to sharp objects (although a damaged finish can be taken apart and the panel replaced).

Secondly, wooden crate under MDF panels refers to combustible materials (like the panels themselves), so they cannot be used for finishing escape routes - corridors, stairwells, etc. (this rule does not apply to individual residential houses and apartments).
Thirdly, MDF panels do not form a continuous, smooth, even surface (that is, you will always see recesses at the points of their joining), which imposes certain restrictions on the designed design of the room using them.
Fourthly, if you make the crate step more than the recommended one (45-50 cm), then the panels may begin to “play” under external influence from the side of the room (for example, if you lean on them).

However, even despite the shortcomings of MDF panels, they still compete with drywall, the installation of sheets of which requires much more skills and people (at least two), while you can work with MDF panels alone.

Video

This video demonstrates the installation process of MDF panels.

By far the simplest and fast way to make the walls of your home beautiful and even is the decoration with MDF panels. This solution is, of course, not suitable for all rooms, but for corridors, stairwells, closets and hallways, this material will be almost ideal. We will talk about it in this article, in which, together with the website, we will consider how the installation of MDF panels with frame and frameless way with your 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 decoration of the walls with MDF panels provides for the hiding of any communications, then the frame method of fastening the MDF is used. If we are talking about finishing even walls, then the adhesive method is used.

Wall decoration with mdf panels photo

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 design that is used for. The difference lies only in the position of the carriers - if they are installed vertically to fasten drywall sheets, then MDF provides for a horizontal arrangement of 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 a given plane vertical bearing profiles cd are installed not through 600mm, but through 3000mm, which is standard length carrier profile.

Installation of MDF panels: frame method

This is done in order to subsequently install horizontal cd bearing profiles between them, the pitch of which is 500 mm. FROM vertical profiles they are connected using crab cd connectors, and fixed to the wall with the same U-shaped brackets.

Mounting the frame is the main work in the process MDF installations panels. The mount itself is more easy process that almost everyone can handle. MDF panels are attached to the frame using clamps (special clips). The clamper itself is inserted into the groove located at the end of the panel before being attached to the frame, thus ensuring their secure fixation to the frame. The kleimers are designed so that they do not interfere with inserting the next panel into the groove.

Do-it-yourself installation of mdf panels photo

Do-it-yourself installation of panels on glue: installation features

Mounting MDF panels on walls with 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 mdf wall panels 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 from pressed cardboard are highly susceptible to deformation depending on the temperature and humidity in the room. Therefore, an adhesive is needed that can quench these very thermal expansions.
Secondly, the adhesive used for MDF panels should help them to fasten 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 a word, it should be thick enough. The so-called "", which are successfully used to solve the question of how to mount MDF panels, are the best fit for these requirements, almost all masters.

Liquid nails for mounting mdf panels photo

The installation of panels with glue itself looks quite simple - its technology is almost completely described on a tube with Liquid Nails glue. It is not recommended to break it. To begin with, the walls pasted over 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 from dust and dirt, and at the same time to improve the adhesion of materials, should become your habit. Priming always, everything and everywhere.

Primer walls before mounting 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 in a checkerboard pattern - the glue drops should be large. After the adhesive has been applied, the panel is pressed against the wall, firmly tapped and torn off. This is required by the gluing technology - 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 after another, 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 hooked onto the wall again and slammed down.

How to glue mdf panels on the wall photo

It is easy to glue the panels - it is much more difficult to cut them evenly and with high quality. In this respect Special attention it is necessary to pay attention to slopes and similar obstacles that get in the way of mounting MDF panels. It should be understood that the appearance of the room depends entirely on the even trimming of the panels.

Installing mdf panels on walls

Well, in conclusion, let's dwell on the main nuances of installation, which are typical for both methods of fastening MDF panels.

First, there are the corners. It should be understood that bending MDF panels will not work, so they are simply cut as close to the corner as possible, after which the cut edges are safely covered with a special corner that can be used for both external and internal corners.
Secondly, this is a frame - the lowest horizontal profile should lie on the floor. In this way you will ensure secure fastening skirting boards.
Thirdly, in order to avoid 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 decorative overlay). It is advisable to check the position of the panels with a level in the future - you should not control everything in a row, but you need to apply it to every fifth panel.

That's basically it. This is how MDF panels are installed. This process is not complicated and not simple, as, in general, any finishing work, wherein important role plays your attitude to the little things, which together have an impact on the overall picture of the repair. Simply put, there are no trifles in this matter.

This article will be useful to those who decide to make self-assembly wall MDF panels, as well as those who for some reason doubt their abilities. MirSovetov will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of MDF panels, and share with you detailed photo report on the installation process.
MDF is close relative Chipboard. It is also made from wood chips pressed and bonded with special substances. But thanks to a special hot pressing technology, MDF has higher ratings in operation and does not contain resins and phenol. Because of this and not only, MDF, which appeared recently, instantly became popular and in demand. MDF panels sheathe walls, ceilings, niches. True, despite their environmental friendliness, they are most often used when decorating the walls of corridors, balconies, offices, cafes, bars and are avoided during repairs. living rooms. The thing is that after sheathing the walls and ceiling of the MDF, you get the feeling of " standard box", and many do not like this state of affairs.

Advantages and disadvantages of MDF

The most significant, in my opinion, the advantage of MDF panels is the ease of installation. Even without special skills, you can easily cope with the task. At the same time, no pre-training walls are not required. The installation itself is finishing, and the process is incredibly low-dust (especially in comparison with). Easily and quickly, you can also dismantle all panels, as well as one damaged one.
But this is not all the advantages of MDF panels. They provide excellent sound and heat insulation (especially on external walls with additional insulation). Easy to clean with a normal damp cloth. Durable and environmentally friendly. Panels have original look and an incredible range of colors: wood, stone, brick - for every taste. Well, a pleasant range of prices - for every wallet.
I will not hide the shortcomings. MDF panels have low moisture resistance - wood is wood. Although now there are special series of durable panels for the bathroom and kitchen. They can be successfully used in the country. The second disadvantage is low strength. Of course, you can’t push them with your fingernail, but it’s not! A strong kick with a soccer ball can spoil all the beauty. But, as mentioned above, a damaged panel can be easily dismantled. And lastly, MDF panels burn well and quickly. Therefore, you need to be careful with fire, and the wiring should be “hidden” in a special self-extinguishing corrugation, which will extinguish the spark in the event of a wiring fire.

Tools and materials

We will need a perforator, MDF panels, self-extinguishing corrugation for electrical wiring, a screwdriver, SD (ceiling) and UD profiles, clamps, bedbugs (self-tapping screws), 25 mm self-tapping screws, ceiling, suspensions.

Step by step installation process

Let's move on to practice. As mentioned above, there is nothing complicated in the installation itself, but some nuances are worth knowing.
Let's start by preparing the walls. Actually, no special preparation is required. First, tear off the wallpaper (if any) - you don’t have to try hard, the main thing is to remove those that are easily torn off. Further, I recommend treating the walls with a primer - it will prevent the spread of fungi, this is especially important for rooms with high humidity and external walls. If there is a desire and an urgent need, you should paste over the walls with insulation. Penofol A foil is perfect. It looks like wallpaper but is 5mm thick. It is glued to the wall with glue, but not overlapped, but end-to-end! And you need to glue the shiny side inside, so the room will keep warm like a thermos.
We sheathe MDF with panels of a typical three-ruble note in a nine-story building. External walls there is no dampness in this corridor, either, so the owner decided to refuse insulation.
We start installation from the ceiling. Using the hydraulic level, we find the lowest point of the four corners. We retreat 4-5 cm, draw a horizontal line, and fasten the UD profile to the wall with a quick installation of 60x6 mm.

I often see frames made of wooden planks. I prefer to make a frame from profiles, since wooden blocks, provided that the wood is not dried, will “lead” over time, and MDF will “swell”. I observed a similar case - the owners, driven to despair, had to start repairs, as they say, from scratch.

Now we attach suspensions to the ceiling at a distance of 600-700 mm from each other. Suspensions are attached using the fastening " quick installation» 40 or 60 mm long. Pre-drill holes in the ceiling with a 6 mm drill.

Next, we attach SD profiles to the suspensions as follows.

Such a frame is universal: both MDF and plastic can be attached to it, or. In our case, we fix the MDF panels. To do this, we buy glue for MDF and self-tapping bugs. But before you start installing the panels, you should stretch the electrical communications under the ceiling lights.

The first strip is attached to corner profile self-tapping screws, and on the other hand, it is fixed with adhesives (to all frame profiles), which are attached to the frame with bedbugs. In this way, it is quite quickly typed - one panel after another.

And install the lamp. There will be no problems with these lamps, exhaustive instructions are attached to the lamps.

Now about the walls. First of all, hide all electrical wires in special corrugations - they will prevent a fire in the event of a short circuit or a spark in the wiring.

Next, we make a frame on the walls. With the help of all the same suspensions, we attach vertical supports from the SD profile to the walls (in the corners, near doors and openings). The top of these profiles is attached to the UD profile (which is attached to the finished ceiling), and the bottom is attached to the UD profile attached to the floor.

Now about horizontal profiles. Usually builders mount them according to the principle (at the level) "knee-butt-shoulder". That is, at the level where the impact is most likely. Approximately 600-700 mm apart.

This is how the frame should look like.

When moving from a large corridor to a small one, we will build an arch. First, let's make a frame. We buy a special arched UD profile and attach it to the frame as follows:

Here is what the finished arch frame looks like.

We begin to recruit MDF panels.

The principle of installation is the same - on the gluer. Do not save, do not glue MDF, do not fasten with nails / self-tapping screws. MDF must "breathe", so use gluers - they are exactly what you need.

After the arch is completely sewn up with MDF panels, a plastic arched corner is glued to the joints. It bends easily, and there will be no problems with sticking. You need to glue it on liquid nails. In order for the corner to “grab” well, we fix it with mounting tape. By the way, after a few hours, the adhesive tape can be removed, only very carefully and slowly so as not to damage the surface of the MDF.

And here is the result:

Light, cozy and smells like wood.
Happy repair!