Installation Guide

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ENGLISH

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

CAUTION: The edges of the metal panels are sharp! Wear heavy

protective gloves when handling the metal panels.

Metallaire

™

panels are produced from steel or aluminum yet they are

designed to emulate an antique tin type visual. Periodic “wrinkles”

or dents may cause the panel to appear not to be flat; these

characteristics add to the antique affect and are not considered

manufacturing defects.

PREPARATION FOR NAIL-UP CEILING PANEL

INSTALLATION

You will find it beneficial to build scaffolding so you can reach the

ceiling comfortably and walk about freely without climbing up and

down ladders. This can be done with sawhorses, planks and

plywood sheets.

NOTE: Bare steel panels come unfinished and should be cleaned with

denatured alcohol and wiped dry. Then the panels must be painted

with an oil based paint to prevent rusting. For best results use a

semi-gloss or high-gloss paint. To leave unfinished steel panels in the

natural color, use clear gloss polyurethane.

Other panels with prepainted colors and finished metal surfaces have

a PVC film that should be removed before or during installation.

Installing Metallaire decorative metal panels is a two-person

installation; one person is needed to hold the panel in position and

the other person is needed to fasten it.

INSTALLATION OF SUBSTRATE

Plywood option:

Check the joists to see if they are level or flat (if inclined). To do this,

mark a level line around the room using a laser, water level, or

carpenter’s level. Stretch several strings from side to side using the

level line as a reference. Mark where you will fasten 3/8" or 1/2"

plywood or OSB (oriented strand board) sheets to the ceiling.

Measure from the strings to the bottom of the joists. Secure shims

to the joists at the points where the plywood will be fastened. This

will ensure that the plywood will be level (or flat). The shims you

install to level the plywood must be fastened to joists.

If you are installing over an existing plaster or drywall ceiling, locate

the hidden joists by tapping on the ceiling until you hear a solid thud.

Drive in a nail to ensure you found a joist. Tap to the side of this joist

to find the next joist. Joists are usually 16" or 24" on center. Find and

mark the location of each joist. The shims you install to level the

plywood must be fastened to joists.

LAY OUT THE ROOM

Measure the room to determine the layout of the panels. The metal

panels are 24 3/8" x 48 3/8". The 3/8" oversize measurement is to

account for the overlap when panels meet. The full–size decorative

metal panels will be installed in the center of the room. You will install

border panels along the edges of the room. Border panels have

shallower embossing than the decorative panels and form a more

attractive interface with the cornice.

The layout should be balanced so the borders on opposite sides of

the room are equal. To do this, find the center of the room in both

directions. Strike a chalk line in one direction down the center of the

room. Find the center of the room in the other direction and strike

another chalk line at a 9-degree angle to the first (See Illustration A).

Determine the direction you want to run the 2' x 4' panels in the

room. Starting with a full panel near the center of the room aligned

with the two chalk lines, measure how much is left at the wall when

the last full panel would be installed. If this border is too large or too

small, shift the center line half the panel width (or length) short of the

center of the room. Do the same in the other direction and shift the

other center line if necessary. Resnap the chalk lines to indicate the

new “centering.” Use the resulting chalk lines as a guide to install the

full panels.

Wood furring option:

Nail furring strips to the ceiling around the perimeter of the room

about 1-1/2" from the walls. Nail furring strips across the joists where

the panels will overlap each other every 24" (check your layout for

these locations). Nail furring on 12" centers between the furring you

have already installed. Shim the furring to make it level. Fasten cross

furring to the ceiling where the panels will overlap on the ends (again,

check your layout for these locations).

BORDER PANEL INSTALLATION

Install border panels first. Once you know the width of the borders

on each side of the room, cut and install border panels to reach from

the wall to 1 inch past the edge of where the last full panel will be

installed along that wall. You can use tin snips or electric sheet metal

shears to cut the panels. Use 1 1/4" wire nails to secure the

panels to the plywood.

With the long edge of the border panel against the wall, place the

nails close to the wall so that the cornice will hide the nails when it is

installed later. Nail the other long edge of the border panels very

close to the edge toward the center of the room. The full panels will

later hide these nails. Overlap the border panels when they meet by

1/2"- 3/4". Complete the border panel installation around the

perimeter of the room.

90 deg.

Illustration A

Summary of content (3 pages)

PAGE 1
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS Metallaire™ panels are produced from steel or aluminum yet they are designed to emulate an antique tin type visual. Periodic “wrinkles” or dents may cause the panel to appear not to be flat; these characteristics add to the antique affect and are not considered manufacturing defects. The layout should be balanced so the borders on opposite sides of the room are equal. To do this, find the center of the room in both directions.
PAGE 2
When the border panels meet each other, there will be high spots on one panel meeting low spots on the other panel. Tap these high spots down using a nail head or small tack hammer. FULL DECORATIVE PANEL INSTALLATION When the panels overlap, the buttons will fit over each other like a ball and socket. Drive cone head nails directly through the buttons at the edges of the panels when the panels overlap. Drive the cone head nails through the buttons every 6".
PAGE 3
buttons (See Illustration F) until the head of the nail sits on the button. Hammering the nail any further into the button will dent the panel. Do not remove the nails. You may choose to use Metallaire Girder Nosing (sold separately), or a wood molding of your choice, to create a border or cover the edge of the backsplash installation. Illustration F Cone Head Nail Placement As an alternative to adhesive, install 1/4" plywood over the area that will be covered by the panels.