The installation of tongue-and-groove plates is carried out according to the technology that has been used recently by professional builders and home craftsmen more and more often. These products have a low weight, reliable locking connection and convenient size. All this allows you to install them without much effort, redeveloping the premises, as required by personal preference.
Varieties and features of tongue-and-groove products
Before you begin installation of tongue-and-groove plates, you need to understand what types of these products are presented on the market today. They are silicate and gypsum, the latter are made of the same material, to which a plasticizing admixture is added. For the manufacture of silicate, lump quicklime is used , as well as quartz sand, which is pressed and autoclaved.
Which plates to choose
If you want to give the walls heat-insulating qualities, it is better to prefer gypsum boards, they do not let in sounds. However, silicate is able to withstand higher mechanical loads, as well as absorb less moisture. Tongue-and-groove plates, the do-it-yourself installation is quite environmentally friendly, so they can be used to equip residential premises. Materials are not combustible, do not rot, do not emit harmful substances into the atmosphere and are not deformed. On sale you can find solid and hollow slabs that can reduce the weight of the masonry by 25%. If we talk about the size of gypsum boards, then they are equal to 500 x 667 x 80 mm. But silicate is more compact: 250 x 500 x 70 mm. As soon as you understand all the supporting structures, you can begin to lay tongue-and-groove products, but this must be done before laying the final coating on the floor and finishing work.
Preparation of tools and materials
Installation of tongue-and-groove plates is carried out after preparation of a certain set of tools and materials. These products can be installed in the center of the room, as well as right next to the wall that goes outside the building or in a cold room. By forming double partitions, you can hide the wiring, other systems and communications.
To divide the room into separate zones, you can use partitions, the height of which starts from 80 cm. For installation you will need:
- building level;
- adhesive composition;
- anchor dowels;
- gypsum mortar;
- putty knife;
- screwdriver;
- cement-sand mortar;
- Staples;
- felt seal;
- primer;
- hacksaw;
- rubber mallet.
Site preparation
Installation of tongue-and-groove plates begins with the preparation of the site. To do this, check the evenness of the walls and floor where the products will fit. If there are defects by the type of influx, then they should be disposed of by grinding. Walls and floors should also be freed from cracks and depressions, closing up errors with a cement-sand mixture.
Once the bases have dried, they should be coated with a primer. If in the process of in-line repair you decided to install a partition, then lines of fit should be indicated on the floor and walls. After the finish coating is cut according to the marking so that it is possible to see the base. Plates cannot be installed on paint, wallpaper, decorative plaster, this applies to laminate, parquet and linoleum. If the surfaces have a decorative coating in the form of ceramic tiles, then you can not remove it, but first the surface is checked for strength.
Specialist recommendations
Installation of the tongue-and-groove plate should be carried out correctly, for this, a cord should be tensioned between the walls over the entire area, removing it from the floor surface by 30 cm. This will allow you to control the vertical position of the products. On the line of contact, it is necessary to stick a sealant, the width of which should correspond to the thickness of the plate. In the role of this material, you can use felt impregnated with bitumen or cork substrate.
Work on the first row
Installation of a tongue-and-groove plate cannot be called complex work, but it is necessary to approach this issue with utmost care. To install the starting row of plates, it is necessary to cut the lower ridges using a hacksaw. Glue is applied to the sealant, which should be on a vertical and horizontal surface. The first plate is installed on the side where it will adjoin the wall. The perforated bracket is inserted into the groove. A few centimeters bracket should protrude above the stove part. It is fixed to the wall with self-tapping screws or anchor dowels, which is true when you are working with a concrete base.
The plate should be facing upward, level it and press it to the bases, tapping with a mallet. In the place where the second plate will adjoin, it is necessary to install a piece of the bracket and fix it with dowels to the floor. If it turned out that this product is not installed correctly, then the rest will repeat the angle of inclination. In this situation, alignment of the masonry will not work, castle joints will interfere. This explains the need to align the first plate of the lower row. The composition is applied to the lateral grooves and ridges so that the joints between the plates are not thicker than 2 mm. Excess mixture should be removed with a spatula, checking the masonry with a building level. In the lower part, a bracket is installed and fixed with anchor dowels to the floor. Each next product must be installed after setting the adhesive on the previous one.
Installation of the following rows
Installation of walls from tongue-and-groove plates involves the displacement of joints in the second and subsequent rows. To ensure this condition, the stove must be cut in half. At the end and beginning of the row, staples should be fixed on the slices. This must be done at the place where the sections adjoin the wall. The glue should be more liquid, it should be applied to the lower and side grooves of each product. It is important at this stage to check the vertical and horizontal masonry. The next row is installed only after the glue has seized in the second row.
Last row formation
Installation of partitions from tongue-and-groove plates is usually not accompanied by difficulties. However, it is important to pay special attention to the entire process. For example, the top row should not be adjacent to the ceiling. About 1.5 cm should be left between the plates and the horizontal surface. For this purpose, the brackets are installed in the upper grooves of the final row with glue and screwed to the ceiling with dowels. After the installation is completed, the gap can be filled with foam, the excess of which is cut off after solidification.
Features of the installation of plates brand "Knauf"
Knauf tongue-and-groove plates, the installation of which requires the observance of certain nuances, can be installed by a home master independently. For example, when preparing, it is important to make sure that the base of the floor where the work will be carried out is motionless, even and stable. If there are bumps that exceed more than 10 mm, then it is necessary to form a leveling layer, this can only be done under the partition.
The surface before cleaning is cleaned of dirt and construction debris, as well as oil stains. To prepare the mixture, pour the dry composition into a clean plastic container with water. The fluid must have room temperature. The composition is mixed using a drill with a nozzle or an electric mixer. The solution is left for several minutes, and then mixed again. It is recommended to cook it in portions, one of which you can work out in the next half hour.
Such a gypsum tongue-and-groove plate, the installation of which is carried out quite often independently, can be installed in one of two ways. The first involves the use of glue, which is applied to a concrete base. This method allows you to get a rigid mount. The composition is applied to the floor and walls in a uniform layer, and the average consumption for an 80 mm board will be approximately 2 kg per square meter. If the thickness of the partition increases to 100 mm, then the glue consumption will be equal to 2.5 kg.
The second method involves fixing to the walls, ceiling and floor through a cork elastic gasket. This method allows to achieve higher sound insulation, which is especially true for impact noise, such as slamming doors and knocking. Such products are stacked with a comb or groove up. It is more practical to install it on top with a groove, since it is more convenient to lay the glue in this case than to try to spread it on the comb. If the comb will be located on top, then it should be removed using a hacksaw with large teeth. Sometimes elements are removed with a peeling planer until a smooth surface can be obtained.
Features of installation of tongue-and-groove plates of the Volma brand
The Volma tongue-and-groove plate, the installation of which is carried out using the same technology as described above, is a product with a total area of 0.33 m 2 . The plate is made of hydrophobic and plasticizing additives, which are complemented by a gypsum binder. The manufacturing process uses lithium technology. Intended products for the formation of partitions in rooms and buildings for various purposes with normal and dry microclimate.
You can control the resulting plane by applying a rule or an ordinary rail to the wall at different angles. If necessary, the plane can be adjusted until the glue sets. It is important to ensure that the plates are glued together at four ends. Speaking excess composition must be rubbed with a spatula before sealing the seam. You should not start laying the second row until you measure the remaining gap for which the segment is being prepared. An additional element will be the beginning of a new series. This will allow to achieve a run of vertical seams.
You will be able to carry out the installation of tongue-and-groove plates with your own hands, the tips presented in the article will help you with this. From them you can find out that it is necessary to uplift the plates from the side and from the top; to do this, use only a rubber mallet, so as not to damage the blocks. This rule should not be neglected, as otherwise it will not be possible to achieve a tight connection between the ridge and the groove.
Glue for tongue-and-groove plates "Fugen"
If you decide to buy glue for the installation of tongue-and-groove plates, then you can pay attention to the mixture "Fugen", which is offered by Knauf. About 1.5 kg should go per square meter. If the joints between the sheets of drywall are sealed, then the consumption will be 0.25 kg. This mixture is a dry composition, which is made on the basis of gypsum and polymer additives.
Designed mortar for sealing joints and cracks. For preparation, the dry mixture is poured into a container of cold water. For 1.9 liters of water, 2.5 kg of the composition will be needed. After uniform distribution of the dry mixture, it is necessary to maintain it for 3 minutes and mix until a homogeneous mass is obtained. Its consistency should resemble thick sour cream.
Conclusion
If you plan to make a window or doorway when laying the partition, then you need to think about the technology of fastening the plates above it. If the opening will have a width not exceeding 80 cm, then the product can be installed on a box or temporary support. This is true provided that the opening will have one row of blocks. If the width is greater than the specified value or there will be several rows, then a strong jumper must be formed.