Can Vaccum Forms Handel the Impact

[jason]

Are vacuum forms strong/thick enough to be placed in impact wall areas?

What are/is the proper way(s) to install vacuum forms?

[Jim Warfield]

Put them up in areas the customer cannot physically reach or get to.
Or use really old vaccuum cleaners that have alot of real steel in them.
I have my parent's vacuum cleaner it's older than me (Dirt?) a Busy-Bee? steel all around.

[jason]

Can Vacuum Froms Handel the Impact??

lol vaccum..gesh this is why i should not be typing early in the morning. thanks for pointing out my error jim.

Anyway back to the question(s) at hand...are they of no use in impact areas?

Anyone know of any how-to tips with putting such things up?

[Allen H]

Jason,
They are normally just stapled up, You could foam fill them from the back and give them a better degree of impact resistance. A few layers of fiberglass and mat put onto the back should give them very good impact resistance. I would screw them to the wall after that and then reinforce the screws with more fiberglass so they wont pull through.
Allen H

[gadget-evilusions]

It all depends on how good of quality the vac u form pieces are. I know of one company that makes all theirs with 1/8" thick plastic and you can jump up and down on them with out breaking them, so normal impact walls can hold up just fine.

[scarymother]

Several things will determine how much impact the walls can withstand.
1. material -what kind of plastic and how thick is the sheet stock
2. processing - how long was it heated for, how deep is the draw, how even (or what is the transition between) pattern
3. installation - is backed with a sheet of wood or just a frame.

Obviously the thicker the sheet of material used the stronger, right? For the most part. However if there is alot of variation in the depth of the pattern, or if the pattern is deep you may end up with weak spots at the "high points" (where the plastic had to stretch the most). Sometimes were a pattern changes or were the pattern is located can produce a weak point. You could use Great Stuff to try and "beef up" an area, but it may still crack. Also, some plastic if heated too long will become more brittle and break easier. As for installation, if you screw the panels to wood they would be stronger then just using a frame.

[scarymother]

i wouldn't bother fiberglass over the screws incase you want to reuse the panels. use more screws. cover them up with moss, spiders, webbing etc. its usually fairly dark and the patrons are moving too fast to notice.

[jason]

i wouldn't bother fiberglass over the screws incase you want to reuse the panels. use more screws. cover them up with moss, spiders, webbing etc. its usually fairly dark and the patrons are moving too fast to notice.

he's suggesting the fiberglass over the screws as a vacuum form of protection. not as a cosmetic issue. i agree it's dark, people move quickly and they don't see the screws to often (especially if you camouflage them well enough).

i do agree with your point of making them portable in the long run. so what would one use to make sure the screws do not rip through the vacuum form? large washers?

[scarymother]

Are you screwing to a full sheet of wood or just a frame? As long as you are not too close to an edge I've not had a problem with it cracking thru. Just don't torque down all the way - keep it snug to the wood but don't push. Have you ever hung drywall? Just don't go to the point were the board starts bending in. I think you can set "limits" on some elect. drills. I've just used wood deck screws and drilled into a frame made of 1x3s. The panel facade was then set up against the side of my house.

[Jim Warfield]

Oar..

Give each customer a set of "Screw" Glasses to wear that have the image of a screw on the lenses so when they see the screws in the wall they will also be seing them everywhere on everything.
Screw Glasses should have been invented by one of those people who are always saying, "Oh screw everything!"