Panel Buckling

[pbailey]

We recently had all of our newly installed paneling buckle. We installed it in a weekend, came back a few weeks later and it looked like this… thoughts with anyone with this experience?

 

[JoshPlumSE]

I'd say it's probably a change in temperature, moisture content/ humidity or both.

 

[ChorasDen]

Agree with Josh here. What's the moisture content level of the panels? What's the MC levels of the framing behind the panels? What was the MC of the framing on the day that you installed the panels? All of that info may help you to make a more informed decision.

 

[pbailey]

I believe the studs had a relatively high MC compared to what it should have been. Panels were fresh from Lowes and had no MC issues. Do you have a recommended fix? Do you think a dehumidifier would stuck the panels into place?

 

[ChorasDen]

Do you think a dehumidifier would suck

It's certainly possible that it could help, however, it might require pulling the panels off first to allow the dehumidifier to dry the studs out. Looks like the building is closed in from the photos, so my guess is that high moisture of the studs is somehow getting into the panels and causing them to buckle. To alleviate, I would consider addressing the issues with moisture in the framing.

 

[Compositepro]

A dehumidifier will help, and it will dry the studs behind the panels as well, but slowly. Dry wood is around 10% water by weight, so a wooden house can contain tons of water. Panel buckling usually means that the panel has tried to expand past the floor and ceiling. You need to cut them a little shorter to fix this.

 

[MotorCity]

When I read the title of this thread, I thought this was going to be a discussion on the buckling of wood shear walls