Nowadays sandwich panels are getting more and more popular as a cladding material for buildings of various purpose. The main advantage of sandwich panels is the ease and convenience of installation. Well-organized workflow and due preparation are of great importance. Therefore, attention should be paid not only to the quality of panels, but also to fasteners and high-quality tools that will save a lot of time later. You will need the following tools: a plummet, a drill, clamps, a screw driving machine, lifting gear, a holding down clamp, a level, and a fine-toothed saw. Materials must also be at hand: sandwich panels, sealant, metal angles, adhesive tape, mineral wool, and self-tapping screws.
This work step depends on the installation method, which can be horizontal and vertical.
If the panels are installed vertically, we should begin with a corner panel, i.e. the next one to the joint. Be sure to check the plumbness with the help of the plummet. If necessary, insulation is put between the first row of panels and the plinth.
Horizontal installation begins with the bottom row, and once it is completed you should proceed upward with the next row. Install metallic angle guide to the plinth. Thickness of the guide must be no less than 1 mm. The guide is fastened to a concrete plinth with anchor bolts at a pitch of 60 cm. In case you need to fasten the guide to a timber strip, use self-tapping screws at a pitch of 50 cm. At this stage be sure to use your level, because it is really important for success at the following stages of installation. Use polyurethane foam or mineral wool to seal vertical joints.
Don’t combine horizontal and vertical installation methods, otherwise gapping of joints and mismatch of size are likely to occur. At the final stage adjust last panels to a required size if necessary. The horizontal installation is easier, because the locks are automatically fastened together under the panels’ own weight. In case the panels are installed vertically, the locks need to be joint more tightly. For these purpose use special holding-down devices allowing to make a firm joint. In order to avoid direct contact of sandwich panels to a building’s constructional parts put a seal in between them. Polyurethane foam, mineral wool or a sealant may serve this purpose. If you install panels longer than 4 meters, the joint gap width must not exceed 1 cm. For shorter sandwich panels the maximum permissible joint gap width is 1.5 cm.
Joints between sandwich panels are sealed. A sealant is also applied to grooves of the locks before the panels are joined together. When the installation is over the joints are covered with decorative covers.