Recently, some of our clients were facing the installation problem of not knowing how to install the wall cladding. For this problem, I am going to make a complete guide for the fixed interior furniture, keep reading you will gain lots of helpful information about it.
What is the Wall Cladding?
Wall cladding is a type of decorative covering to make a wall look more different than its actual appearance. The most common examples are on the exterior of buildings; they are all on the same materials, which are made of concrete, bricks, and marble. However, the interior wall cladding can make various designs using wood, marble, bamboo, or other materials. Different materials will create various atmospheres in the same area, and it always brings aesthetics to the wall covering. And It’s usually non-structural, which means it doesn’t impact the stability or integrity of a building’s architectural core; in a word, It’s just decorative wall panels.
What Types of Wall Cladding?
1. Plywood wall cladding. This material is used in the custom furniture field, like the hotels, apartments, villas, and other commercial furniture.
The plywood has different grades, E1 and E0; the smaller the number, the less the formaldehyde content. Most countries use the E1 grade, but I have two European projects that have been requested using the E0 grade from our clients. The surface material has three options, the first one is wood veneer finish, the second one is high press laminate finish, and the last one is melamine finish. The wood veneer finish is popular because it’s durable and attractive. Nowadays, more and more hotels prefer to use wood wall paneling to enhance the effect of interior hotel decoration.
2. Stone wall cladding/marble wall cladding. It is the heaviest wall cladding among interior walls, and the cost is expensive, especially the labor cost. Natural stone wall cladding will create a contemporary and luxurious wall cladding, which seems like Palace. For that material decorative wall, it’s always used in a 5-star hotel, such as Kempinski, Sheraton, Hilton, etc.
3. Metal Cladding. Metal cladding always means stainless steel cladding is a popular and versatile type of wall cladding, particularly for wood cladding. With the vacuum plating feature, stainless steel can make many colors, like bronze, rose gold, champagne, and copper color platings. Depending on the interior designer or hotel owner, the finish can be matt and shiny.
4. Timber Wall Cladding. Timber is also called solid wood, which has different types of wood, such as beech wood, birch wood, elm wood, oak wood, and ash wood. And It highly impact resistant, which is great if used on business premises or in homes with children and pets. The timber’s thermal conductivity is much lower than steel and concrete, and it will reduce the energy needed to heat or cool the interior space. The solid wood wall cladding doesn’t commonly see in the hotel because the cost is more expensive than plywood, and the flexibility is weak.
These 4 types of wall claddings are the main cladding wall panels. If you are an interior designer, you can think about these materials. As a professional hotel furniture specialist, I suggest using the plywood base with wood veneer because this material is easy to install and maintain. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you are still wondering how to choose the wall panel material.
How to Install the Wall Cladding
The first method uses a wall cleat, a flat plate with a pair of parallel 45-degree edge slopes, and one or more angled grooves for mounting screws. Maybe some readers understand the wall cleat now, but you are confusing how to install it, right? One pcs 45-degree wall cleat is mounted on the wall, and the other is mounted on the wall cladding. Below is the picture for the wall cleat.
The second method is to use glue, but this way has limitations. It requires a base, like a plywood base or timber base, but the marble or concrete base can’t use glue because it’s easy to rip off after extended use.
