r/engineering • u/Azure_Daemon • 13d ago

Montage riddle

Hi everyone. I have a project for which I have not found an elegant solution, and I would like to ask for your advice in the following situation. I want to install a decorative wood panel all the way up the wall from the baseboard to the ceiling. I can't screw it on the front directly, but it is about 1 cm thick, which allows me to install some fasteners on the back side. There is some space (1-1,5 cm) between the panel and the wall, so just gluing it down will not work. The construction must be stable, I tentatively estimate its weight at 20 kg. The wall is made of concrete. I would be very grateful for your ideas. Thank you for reading!

2 Upvotes

56% Upvoted

7

u/benedictus 13d ago

French cleats

3

u/Azure_Daemon 13d ago

I knew there must be an existing solution and it’s the one. Thanks a million.

3

u/benedictus 13d ago

Anytime 🙂

3

u/KingofPro 13d ago

I’m confused on why the glue wouldn’t work…? Seems like the most reasonable and effective solution.

2

u/Azure_Daemon 13d ago

I described only the base of the final construction to avoid confusion. The other reason is that at some point I will have to remove it, it should be an „on and off“ thing.

1

u/KingofPro 13d ago

I wish I had a solution for you, I can’t think of a solution that would work without leaving holes or other damage to the concrete wall.

1

u/Azure_Daemon 13d ago

The holes in the wall are totally fine, screwing things is allowed in this apartment.

2

u/roguemenace 13d ago

Just fur it out for the gap and glue it?

2

u/ClimateBasics 13d ago edited 13d ago

Magnets. Back your panels with a thin ferrous metal plate, mount the magnets on the wall (epoxy? flat or circular magnet with a hole in the center, screwed into a concrete anchor?). Lift and click the panel into place.

6 or 8 of these per panel should hold it:
https://www.amazon.com/Neosmuk-Neodymium-Mounting-Magnetic-Strength/dp/B0CS2WZXHD/

You'd have to do the calculations as to how much magnetic holding power you need for 20 kg, and thus how many magnets you need for each panel. Don't put too many, you'll play hell pulling the panel back off... modern magnets are pretty powerful.

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u/Azure_Daemon 13d ago

That’s a great thought, thank you. I haven’t seen magnets to be mount yet, but I’ll check it out.

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u/GlockAF 13d ago

French cleats on top with high strength magnets below to prevent flapping. French cleats are suited for vertical loading and can be very thin if metal.

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u/BareLee_Acceptable 7d ago

You can try heavy duty velcro Similarly, fur it out. Then apply both sides od the velcro. Do just 1 corner first to get the depth right. Then try a small amount in 4 spots; Its much harder to remove than people think

1

u/mdudewheresmacar 1d ago

Probably someone said already, but french cleats? Or add spacers at strategic intervals to bridge the gap and put glue on the spacers?