Storage and installation
Store the decorative wall panels flat in a dry, ventilated room, making sure they do not touch excessively damp surfaces. If the panels are kept outdoors for some time (for example, on a building site), store them under a canopy to protect them from rain and snow. Carry the panels upright only, avoiding mechanical damage and keeping the surface dry. Damp panels must be dried before installation. If necessary, cut the panels before you start, using an angle grinder with a diamond blade or a jigsaw.
Inside a building, install the panels after the finishing work (in winter, with the heating switched on) and after the finished floor has been laid, once all wet work is complete, the electrical wiring and plumbing are in place and the room has normal humidity conditions. The room temperature must not fall below +15 °C. Before installation, the panels must acclimatise in the room for at least 3 days; if they were stored or transported to the site at temperatures below +5 °C, acclimatisation must last at least 5 days.
For interior work in dry, well-ventilated rooms, leave a gap of 4–5 mm between the panels, and 5–6 mm in rooms with higher humidity. Leave a gap of 6–10 mm between the panel edges and the adjoining structures (where the panels meet the floor, walls and ceiling).
Fill the joints no earlier than 3 days after installation is complete. In rooms with dry and normal humidity conditions, use acrylic- or silicone-based joint fillers; in damp rooms, use polymer-cement grouts such as Ceresit CE 40. In rooms with significant fluctuations in air temperature and humidity, permanently elastic polymer fillers are recommended for the perimeter joints between the panels and the walls or ceiling.
Installation on a frame is suitable where walls are uneven by 10 mm or more, and it can be carried out in the cold season, even with the heating switched off and at high humidity. This method involves no wet work, so no water is needed on site.
Frameless installation
In rooms with good-quality walls, where unevenness does not exceed 10 mm, or where space is limited, the panels can be installed directly on the wall without a metal frame. In this case, the wall is marked out and, if necessary, levelling guides are installed. The panels are fixed directly to the guides or to the wall.
Decorative wall panels can be installed with various elastic construction adhesives, such as liquid nails, foam adhesive or porcelain tile adhesive. Small amounts of adhesive are applied along the length of the panel at 35 cm intervals and at short intervals around the perimeter.
Installation on a frame
The metal frame is built using the same method as plasterboard walls and partitions. The frame is then clad with the panels.
The prepared panels are lifted and pressed against the frame using adhesive and double-sided tape. Installation should start from the fitted window and door units or from the internal and external corners.
Tools for installing PRODO decorative wall panels
Easy installation is one of the panels' many advantages. They can be installed with widely available tools:
- To cut openings for special mounting elements, use an adjustable hole cutter or a dedicated cutter.
- To cut the guide profiles and studs, use metal snips, a saw or a dedicated cutter.
- To cut the panels, an angle grinder with a diamond blade, a jigsaw or a dedicated cutting machine is recommended.
- Small areas can be cut out with an ordinary handsaw.
- Double-sided tape, foam adhesive or liquid nails are used to glue the decorative panels to the wall or to the metal profile.
Shadow gap profile
If the ceiling height is fixed in advance, it is advisable to use a wall-mounted shadow gap profile, which is installed after the panels. It gives a neat finish where the wall panel meets the ceiling, without extra finishing of the joints.
The profile creates the effect of a floating wall that does not touch the ceiling directly. An LED strip can also be fitted in the shadow gap to add extra lighting around the perimeter of the room and distribute the light effectively.
Concealed skirting
Concealed skirting gives a room a modern, clean look and practical benefits. Furniture can be pushed right up against such a wall.
Before fixing the aluminium profile, measure the exact level of the finished floor. The profile is then fixed to the wall and the decorative panel is set onto it. A shadow line runs along the bottom of the wall, creating the impression of a floating wall that does not touch the floor directly.
An LED strip can be built in to highlight the outline, give it a decorative effect and improve the light balance of the room.
Decorative corner protection
Corner profile finishes
Transport
- The panels can be shipped by any type of transport, in line with the cargo regulations that apply to it.
- To avoid damage, the panels should be packed on pallets and loaded as tightly as possible so that they cannot shift.
- By agreement with the customer, the panels may be transported unpacked (without strapping or film wrapping).
- During loading, unloading, transport, storage and other operations, do not knock the panels or drag them over one another or over other objects. Manual loading and unloading must be done by at least two people. Carry the panels upright only, spreading the load evenly across each panel. Carrying panels horizontally without a pallet is strictly prohibited.
- Always hold a panel upright when moving it. Do not let it bend, and protect the corners from accidental knocks.
Cleaning and maintenance
The multi-layer coating of the wall panels, with its protective outer layer of lacquer, is UV-resistant, does not fade and needs no special care during use.
