How to attach VJ panels to the wall?

[PatchH]

Hi friends, my partner and I have been struggling with the vj panelling sheets. We sanded and cleaned the wall beforehand. Then used Selleys liquid nails to adhere it to the wall. We tried to nail it to the wall but the sheets continually pulled away from the wall, pulling up the nails as well. We stood and used our body weight for 2 hours to push it flat and when we finally gave up it had still only dried in two corners with the centre completely unable to be pushed flush. What are we doing wrong? Feeling defeated about continuing the project as this was only one sheet out of several. 

[Jason]

Hi @PatchH,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. We're pleased to have you join us and trust you'll get loads of help and inspiration for all your projects from our wonderful members.

Please don't be discouraged - I'm sure our members will be able to assist you and ensure you get a great result. The key question is: what type of walls do you have in your home? Are they plasterboard?

Jason

[PatchH]

Hi Jason, yes I believe they are plasterboard walls. Since putting up the sheet, we’ve redone nails into the studs. But within minutes the sheet pops up and pulled the nails out too. 

 

[BoeingFan]

Hi @PatchH ,

Forgive me if this sounds like a silly question, but was the VJ panel cut to the right length? It sounds as though it may have been squeezed into place and is bowing out to fit.

Cheers,

Jason

[PatchH]

Hi Jason, it actually has about a centimetre of free space at the end hidden by a doorway, so it isn’t having to squeeze in at all. 

At this point, we’re wondering whether we need to pull it down before the liquid nails cures and we’re completely stuck?

[EricL]

Hi @PatchH, 

I'm sorry to hear that you're having a bit of an issue with the EasyVJ panels. One of the reasons that the panel won't adhere to the plaster board wall is that it's possible that the wall or the panel has a bow in it. But not to worry, it's still possible to fix the panel to the wall even if the corners lift.

In order to fix the panel firmly to your wall, I suggest locating the timber studs in your wall. Once you've located them, I propose using the Zenith 6G - 18 x 40mm Needle Point Gold Passivated Plasterboard Screw to fix the EasyVJ panel over the plasterboard to the timber stud. I suggest counter sinking the screws so that you can use a filler to cover the heads of the screw.

To ensure that the other panels are fixed in place make sure to anchor the screws to the studs and not just the plasterboard itself. I've placed a sample image below to give you an idea of how to attach the screws to the stud. 

It sounds like an excellent project. You've already started the revamp, don't loose heart. You can do this!   

Here is a handy step-by-step guide: How to use a stud finder.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know. 

Eric

[PatchH]

Hi Eric, thank you for the recommendation and the encouragement! I am going to give this a try this weekend. Thanks again!