ADVANTAGES

• Available in 16 Eveneer FSC® certified veneers and a wide range of natural timber veneers
• Quickly and easily installed by wall-covering professionals with standard wall-covering tools and minimal site disturbance
• Saves time and money – less than half the cost of conventional timber wall panelling
• Applies to plaster or plasterboard – with clay based wallpaper glue
• Applies to metal, plastic or other impermeable surfaces – with contact glue
• Flexible – for application to curved surfaces
• Folds around a > 1mm radius – parallel to the grain – for seam free corners
• Long sequence runs – matched and numbered
• Group 1 fire rated
• Environmentally friendly—up to 300% the yield of conventional veneer slicing saves trees

DELIVERY AND STORAGE

WoodWall must be delivered to the site in the Manufacturers packaging, properly identified and labelled. Material must be stored undamaged in Manufacturers packaging, maintained in a clean, dry, protected area where temperature and humidity remain stable and within the ranges specified by the manufacturer.

PROJECT CONDITIONS

Areas to receive WoodWall should be environmentally controlled by a permanent HVAC system. Maintain a temperature range of 18C – 30C with not more than 50% relative humidity, for a period of not less than 4 days prior to installation and maintained thereafter.

SURFACE PREPARATION

Surfaces to receive WoodWall shall be clean, smooth and free from defects and imperfections. Check moisture content with a moisture meter. Installation should not begin if the moisture content is over 7%. Primers may or may not be used depending upon the wall and environmental conditions.

INSTALLATION

Finishing
Install as is, with the standard, factory applied polyurethane finish. If an additional finish is applied, use 1 – 2 coats of a low – mid sheen polyurethane finish. Note that this may alter the fire rating of this product.

Maintenance
Treat WoodWall as you would fine furniture. Use a lint free cloth and Murphy’s Oil Soap, or similar, to clean. Polish as required with a Watco, or similar, furniture oil.

PREPARING THE SURFACE

New Plasterboard
Finish Plasterboard to comply with Australian Standards AS/NZS 2589.1:1997 Part 1 “Gypsum Plasterboard” and/or Architect’s specifications. All joints and interior angles shall have tape embedded in joint compound and 3 separate coats of joint compound applied over all joints, angles, fastener heads and accessories. All joint compound shall be smooth and free of tool marks and ridges. The surface shall be clean, smooth and dry prior to the application of WoodWall®. Check the moisture content of the wall with a moisture meter. Moisture content shall not be in excess of 7%. If you are installing WoodWall® in extremely low humidity areas, then one of the approved primers should be used. This will help ensure that a good bond between the substrate and WoodWall® occurs. The primer prevents the adhesive from being absorbed into the substrate too quickly and it will give added time to the installer for slippage and removal of selvedge when double cutting with heavy-duty, clay based adhesive. Allow the size to dry, then paste the back of the WoodWall® and install.

Painted Plasterboard
All surfaces must be clean, dry and smooth and it is extremely important that the paint be tight and free from flaking. Allow freshly painted plasterboard to cure at least 14 days prior to priming and installing WoodWall®.

Alkyd/Oil Surface
Surfaces painted with alkyd/oil paint will not allow the moisture to be absorbed into the plasterboard. Therefore, a wall liner must be applied before proceeding with installing WoodWall™ to allow the moisture to wick away from the WoodWall®. Allow sufficient time for the moisture in the adhesive used to install the wall liner to evaporate and cure. A paper wall liner is all that is needed in this application.

Acrylic/Latex Surface
Sand painted surface to break the seal and allow for the moisture in the adhesive to be absorbed into the plasterboard. Apply one of the approved primers to ensure a strong bond of WoodWall®.   Size the substrate with adhesive. Allow it to dry. Paste the back of the WoodWall® and install. Depending on the condition of the painted substrate, the installer may choose not to size the plasterboard. It is suggested that the installer test an area first.

Damaged Plasterboard
Prime damaged areas such as torn plasterboard facing paper, over skim coat repairs and old adhesive residue with a high performance sealer.

New Plaster (12mm – 20mm thickness)
Finish all plaster to comply with the relevant Australian standards and/or Architects specifications.
All surfaces must be clean, dry, smooth and free of defects. All undulations in the plaster must be smoothed to a flat finish. Test the wall surfaces with a moisture meter to ensure the moisture content does not exceed 7%. Ideally new plaster walls should age 60 to 90 days before painting or installing WoodWall®. If you cannot wait, then wash newly plastered walls with zinc sulphate solution to neutralize the lime (1/4 to 1/2kg of zinc sulphate crystals per litre of water).  Apply an approved primer, size the substrate with a recommended adhesive and allow to dry, then paste the back of the WoodWall® and install.

Painted Plaster
All surfaces must be clean, dry and smooth and it is extremely important that the paint be tight and free from flaking. All efflorescence crystals should be removed before starting the installation.  All undulations in the plaster must be smoothed to a flat finish. Attention must be paid to the type of paint and the number of coats the plaster has received over time. If the paint surface can be sanded and the paint surface broken to allow the moisture from the adhesive to be wicked away, then the installer may size the wall with a recommended adhesive. Allow the size to dry, then paste the back of the WoodWall® and install. Painted plaster walls which have numerous coats of Alkyd /Oil or even Latex may have to use wall liner when the sealed surface cannot be broken by sanding. Install the wall liner allowing sufficient time for the moisture in the adhesive used to evaporate. Then paste the back of WoodWall® and install.

Contact Adhesive over Non-Porous Surfaces
Substrates that may require the use of contact adhesive are: painted metal, stainless steel, plastic laminate and other non-porous surfaces.  Never use contact adhesive on plasterboard or plaster.

1. Preparation:  Ensure both surfaces are clean and free of all dust. The WoodWall® material and the substrate of choice should be stored in the same surroundings for 24 to 48 hours before starting the installation. This will allow both products to acclimatize together before bonding. If the metal surface has not been factory primed with a rust inhibitor, then the installer shall use a quality zinc chromate primer to prime the metal surface.
2. Adhesive: When using a contact adhesive, always use 100% coverage on both the back of the veneer sheet and the face of the substrate. Let the adhesive have the correct amount of dry open time. You don’t want to trap gases that can later cause blisters. The time can vary depending on the airflow around your work area, ambient temperature and humidity at the time of installation. Follow manufacturer’s instructions of the contact adhesive being used.
3. Bonding: When contact adhesive is being used the best method of pressure is a lot of pressure all at one time. This pressure can be reached by using an acrylic smoothing tool covered with a felt cloth when using pre-finished WoodWall® sheets. (Do not use a J-Roller for applying pressure.) Starting in the centre of the surface to be bonded, pull the smoother toward you going with the grain. Apply pressure with both hands, pushing down as hard as possible. Keep doing this as you move over 80 – 100mm at a time (your smoother should be 100 to 150 mm wide) until you have rubbed down the entire surface.
4. Time: Don’t rush your work. In order for contact cement to work, a chemical reaction must take place. This reaction produces gas and you need to allow this gas to escape from the edges. Many jobs appear perfect and then blisters start to appear. Reasons for this may include: (1) Insufficient adhesive coverage; (2) Not enough pressure applied to form an intimate bond; (3) Insufficient amount of open time.

CHANGING THE COLOUR/FINISH

No additional finish can be applied until adhesive has cured for a minimum of 4 days after complete installation. A quality brand of finish should be used to assure a good finished look.

Manufacturer’s instructions should be followed in applying all products with the exception of one factor, cleaning and sanding of veneer face. The sanding should be done with 3-M Trimite sand paper 380 grit or a Scotch-Brite pad, medium/fine grade (grey colour).  Sand the complete wood face area, clean off all powder residues with a clean lint free cloth.  An alternative to sanding is to clean the face of WoodWall® with de-natured alcohol for a chemical bond.

Please remember when doing the additional finishing process: Wood moves anytime moisture is added or removed.  Therefore, always add all chemicals in stages to help eliminate the chance of bubbles; do not flood the wood face at any time for this will increase your chance for bubbles and blisters.

FOR BEST RESULTS

DO NOT use oil/alkyd wall primers with WoodWall.
DO NOT install WoodWall over alkyd/oil based paints without using a wall liner.
DO NOT cut recommended adhesives with water.
DO NOT install WoodWall if wall moisture content > 7% and/or the relative humidity > 50%.
DO NOT use alcohol based stains or strong solvents finishes on WoodWall.
DO NOT install over solid timber substrates.
DO NOT use contact adhesive over plasterboard.
DO NOT cut through the surface paper of the plasterboard during installation.
DO NOT install over surfaces which are subject to extreme temperature changes.
DO NOT use as an exterior product
DO NOT sand wood face with heavy grit sandpaper if repairs of scratches are required.

FOLLOW all instructions carefully.
DO NOT rush the installation.

CLEANING

The cleaning process is a very important part of the installation process of WoodWall’s overall appearance. Adhesive and paste residue left on the surface of the wood species can become a problem later if not cleaned off during the installation process. It is recommended to clean the surface of the WoodWall with clean water once or twice during the final installation process. A lint-free cloth or a good grade sponge can be used for this process. If adhesive or paste is not cleaned off, the surface will become cloudy or look milky white after a 30 to 60 day period following the installation. If this occurs it is recommended to use an adhesive cleaning chemical by Zinsser Co. called DIFF. DIFF can be purchased at almost all paint supply stores.

MAINTENANCE

WoodWall with Standard Finish
Maintenance on Standard Finish WoodWall® is recommended to be done once a year and not more than twice a year as follows.

Clean the entire surface of all exposed wood by using Murphy’s Oil Soap, following directions by the manufacturer. The wood surface may also be cleaned with warm clean water using a damp lint-free rag or sponge.

DO NOT use any abrasive cleaners or pads on the surface of WoodWall Natural Wallcovering at anytime.

Usually installed vertically, WoodWall may also be hung horizontally

ROMAN DECORATING PRODUCTS TEST HANG

Roman Decorating Products conducted a test hang of WoodWall on a plasterboard wall and ceiling using a selection of their primers and adhesives. The full report is available to download below. In summary, best results were obtained as follows:

1. Apply 2 coats Roman PRO-977 Ultra Primer, allow each coat to dry overnight.
2. Apply 1 coat of Roman PRO-935 Adhesion Promoting Primer, allow to dry overnight.
3. For installations where strip-ability is not a requirement – apply  Roman PRO 880 Ultra Clear Adhesive (or Roman PRO838 Heavy Duty Clear Adhesive) to the back of the WoodWall sheet.
4. For installations where strip-ability is required – apply Roman PRO 732 Extra Strength Clay Adhesive to the back of the WoodWall sheet.
5. Book, then hang and smooth using a plastic tool.
6. Wipe any adhesive off the veneer surface using clean warm water and lint free cloth or sponge. Wipe dry with a clean soft cloth.