PANEL THICKNESS & INSTALLATION GUIDE

CHPL INSTALLATION AND FABRICATION FUNDAMENTALS:
• Thickness: 0.038”

When fabricating with our Laminate Grade, the following techniques will produce a quality application.

1. STORAGE: Store panels flat in a dry location with a temperature range of approximately 60°F to 80°F and humidity below 70%.
2. CONDITIONING & EXPANSION: To ensure optimal assembly, condition all components in the environment where they will be fabricated for at least 48 hours prior to assembly. This environment should maintain a stable temperature between 70°F and 75°F with a relative humidity of 45% to 50%. When stacking multiple panels, use spacers between each panel to promote even air circulation around all surfaces. Thermal expansion should always be accounted for in designs using CHPL. Proper conditioning minimizes the negative effects of warping, shrinking, and expansion of assembled panels. The coefficient of expansion for dissimilar materials should also be considered when designing joints. Due to the organic composition of CHPL, environmental factors that cause expansion, contraction, and warping are natural. As such, these tendencies cannot be warrantied. Choosing the appropriate thickness of CHPL and ensuring proper installation will help minimize these natural forces.
3. CUTTING, DRILLING, ROUTING, AND COUNTERSINKING: Panels can be sawed, routed, drilled, and tapped using conventional woodworking equipment. Saw blades and router bits should be carbide or diamond-tipped and kept sharp to produce chip-free edges. The feed rate should be slow, and tool speed should be high for the best results. Before cutting, protect the panel surface from scratches by applying a peel coat or painter’s tape. Edges can be finished by sanding with coarse sandpaper (80 grit), followed by fine sandpaper (180–220 grit) to remove saw striations and create a smooth edge appearance. A final edge treatment with polymer car wax or Thompson’s® Waterproofing Wood Protector will further enhance and protect the edge aesthetics. Inside corners of cutouts should have a minimum radius of 1/8” and be filed smooth to reduce the likelihood of stress cracks. Self-tapping screws or nails can be used in predrilled holes. Avoid screwing into or using splines on the edges of panels. Panels can be joined using metal brackets or clips, though shims may sometimes be necessary to level out the joint.
4. BONDING, FASTENING and SUPPORT: Bonding FOSSIL laminate panels to substrate materials should be done according to the proven principles of veneering. Typically the material is glued to the desired substrate, and then trimmed to final dimensions. Always bond laminate to a suitable substrate such as medium to high-density fiberboard, particleboard, or metals. It should not be glued directly to plaster walls, gypsum wallboard, plywood or concrete. When requested, Fossil will ship materials untrimmed. Recommended adhesives include solvent or water-based contact cement, white glue (PVA), epoxy, and hot melt glue. Consult your adhesive supplier for your specific application requirements. More information contained in “ADHESIVES FOR CHPL” section below.
5. WASHERS: When mechanically fastening a panel to a sub-surface, place a metal washer beneath the screw or bolt head. Beneath the metal washer, add a locking or rubber washer to protect the panel’s anti-graffiti layer from excessive tightening or rotation. Alternatively, countersinking the screw or bolt eliminate the need for washers entirely.
6. EDGES: All edges of laminate should be filed smooth with file direction towards substrate to help prevent stress cracks and to minimize chipping.
7. EXTERIOR or HUMID USE: When used outdoors or in humid conditions, edges must be sealed with a water proof material, such as silicone. Fossil panels are extremely resistant to water on the top surface and in extreme water conditions, although not covered under our warranty, care must be taken to assure that the substrate does not allow water to penetrate to the back surface of the CHPL.

CHPL INSTALLATION AND FABRICATION FUNDAMENTALS:
• Thickness: .090” – 1/10” – 1/8″; 1/4″

The following techniques will produce a quality application.

1. STORAGE: Store panels flat in a dry location with a temperature range of approximately 60°F to 80°F and humidity below 70%.
2. CONDITIONING & EXPANSION: To ensure optimal assembly, condition all components in the environment where they will be fabricated for at least 48 hours prior to assembly. This environment should maintain a stable temperature between 70°F and 75°F with a relative humidity of 45% to 50%. When stacking multiple panels, use spacers between each panel to promote even air circulation around all surfaces. Thermal expansion should always be accounted for in designs using CHPL. Proper conditioning minimizes the negative effects of warping, shrinking, and expansion of assembled panels. The coefficient of expansion for dissimilar materials should also be considered when designing joints. Due to the organic composition of CHPL, environmental factors that cause expansion, contraction, and warping are natural. As such, these tendencies cannot be warrantied. Choosing the appropriate thickness of CHPL and ensuring proper installation will help minimize these natural forces.
3. CUTTING, DRILLING, ROUTING and COUNTERSINKING: Panels can be sawed, routed, drilled, and tapped using conventional woodworking equipment. Saw blades and router bits should be carbide or diamond-tipped and kept sharp to produce chip-free edges. The feed rate should be slow, and tool speed should be high for the best results. Before cutting, protect the panel surface from scratches by applying a peel coat or painter’s tape. Edges can be finished by sanding with coarse sandpaper (80 grit), followed by fine sandpaper (180–220 grit) to remove saw striations and create a smooth edge appearance. A final edge treatment with polymer car wax or Thompson’s® Waterproofing Wood Protector will further enhance and protect the edge aesthetics. Inside corners of cutouts should have a minimum radius of 1/8” and be filed smooth to reduce the likelihood of stress cracks. Self-tapping screws or nails can be used in predrilled holes. Avoid screwing into or using splines on the edges of panels. Panels can be joined using metal brackets or clips, though shims may sometimes be necessary to level out the joint. Mitered edges should be avoided. For countersinking screws or bolts, we recommend a depth no greater than 40% of the panel thickness, and only on panels that are at least 1/2″ thick.
4. FASTENING and SUPPORT: Panels must be enclosed in a frame with back support or mechanically fastened and bonded directly to a surface. Panels to be bonded, must have their backs slightly sanded to remove their gloss using a coarse sandpaper (80 grit) followed by a fine sandpaper (180 – 220 grit). Depending on the climate conditions and adhesive used, you may choose not to use mechanical fasteners on panels (0.090” and 1/10”), but the results are not warrantied by Fossil. While Fossil panels are extremely resistant to water on the top surface, when using panels in extreme water conditions, the effects of water can minimized by applying a water resistant coating to the back and sides of the panel.
5. WASHERS: When mechanically fastening a panel to a sub-surface, place a metal washer beneath the screw or bolt head. Beneath the metal washer, add a locking or rubber washer to protect the panel’s anti-graffiti layer from excessive tightening or rotation. Alternatively, countersinking the screw or bolt eliminate the need for washers entirely.
6. ADHESIVES: To achieve reliable bonding, it is imperative to follow the adhesive manufacturer’s application instructions. Care must be taken in the selection of an adhesive regarding the thermal expansion of the materials to be joined. Where significant thermal expansion can occur (i.e. exterior applications) adhesives should be of medium or low modulus materials to allow for movement without shear or loss of bond. For interior applications where thermal expansion is less of a consideration, high modulus adhesives can be used to join materials. Cure time is generally a consideration in the choice of adhesives. Silicones take a good deal of time to cure before a load can be applied whereas the faster curing adhesives do not have the movement capabilities to meet the long term thermal expansion needs. In these instances, a combination of Double Sided Foam tape or VHB tape & adhesive can be used. Example: A strip of Double Sided Foam tape or VHB tape (approx. 3/4” wide) will be applied next to a bead of silicone adhesive. For the near term, the tape holds the ACG. For the longer term, the silicone adhesive will cure and relieve the load applied to the tape.

CHPL INSTALLATION AND FABRICATION FUNDAMENTALS:
• Thickness: 1/2″ – 3/4” – 1”

The following techniques will produce a quality application.

1. STORAGE: Store panels flat in a dry location with a temperature range of approximately 60°F to 80°F and humidity below 70%.
2. CONDITIONING & EXPANSION: To ensure optimal assembly, condition all components in the same environment where they will be fabricated for at least 48 hours before prior to assembly. This environment should have a stable temperature between 70°F to 75°F and a relative humidity of 45% to 50%. If stacking multiple panels, use spacers between each panel to promote even air circulation around all surfaces. Thermal expansion should always be considered in designs using CHPL. When fabricating or mounting panels, proper conditioning of all components minimizes the negative effects of warping, shrinking and expansion of assembled panels. The coefficient of expansion for unlike materials should be considered in joint design. Due to the organic composition of CHPL, environmental factors that cause expansion, contraction and warping are natural, as such these tendencies can not be warrantied.  Choosing the appropriate thickness of CHPL and proper installation will minimize these natural forces.
3. CUTTING, DRILLING, ROUTING and COUNTERSINKING: Panels can be sawed, routed, drilled, and tapped using conventional woodworking equipment. Saw blades and router bits should be carbide or diamond-tipped and kept sharp to produce chip-free edges. The feed rate should be slow, and tool speed should be high for the best results. Before cutting, protect the panel surface from scratches by applying a peel coat or painter’s tape. Edges can be finished by sanding with coarse sandpaper (80 grit), followed by fine sandpaper (180–220 grit) to remove saw striations and create a smooth edge appearance. A final edge treatment with polymer car wax or Thompson’s® Waterproofing Wood Protector will further enhance and protect the edge aesthetics. Inside corners of cutouts should have a minimum radius of 1/8” and be filed smooth to reduce the likelihood of stress cracks. Self-tapping screws or nails can be used in predrilled holes. Avoid screwing into or using splines on the edges of panels. Panels can be joined using metal brackets or clips, though shims may sometimes be necessary to level out the joint. Mitered edges should be avoided. For countersinking screws or bolts, we recommend a depth no greater than 40% of the panel thickness, and only on panels that are at least 1/2″ thick.
4. FASTENING and SUPPORT: Panels 1/2″ thick or more must be mechanically fastened, not glued or epoxied, to a surface. We recommend using a 1/8” spacer between the panel and the mounting surface. This spacer helps prevent excessive heat buildup, protects against standing water damage, and reduces ice formation underneath, which could otherwise force the panel away from the mounting surface. Additionally, when attaching CHPL panels with threaded holes and bolts, use the largest possible mounting plate to further minimize panel warping. If using a drill to secure the bolts, set the torque to its lowest setting to avoid stripping the threaded holes. For threaded studs, do not use silicone in the holes. Instead, apply a permanent epoxy to prevent warping and ensure the studs remain securely fastened.
5. WASHERS: When mechanically fastening a panel to a sub-surface, place a metal washer beneath the screw or bolt head. Beneath the metal washer, add a locking or rubber washer to protect the panel’s anti-graffiti layer from excessive tightening or rotation. Alternatively, countersinking the screw or bolt eliminate the need for washers entirely.

CHPL MANUFACTURING TOLERANCES:

We take great pride in our work and as such, you will find that our manufacturing tolerances are world class.

– Printing Tolerance: Less than (+/-) 0.0104 per ft. (0.125″ -12′).
– Panel Thickness Tolerance: Less than (+/-) 5% per panel (.025 for 1/2” panel).
– Panel Size (HxW) Tolerance: Less than (+/-) 0.02 per panel.

– Visual Tolerance: Less than (+/-) 0.25 panel surface or subsurface blemishes may occur.
– Fabrication Tolerance: If you are using Fossil Panels as assembly components and have critical cuts or tolerances, make us aware when placing your order so that we can achieve your desired results.

ADHESIVES FOR CHPL:

There are many factors in determining the best adhesive for your application. It is not only determined by our CHPL panel, but by the material that you are adhering it to, temperature, humidity, moisture, job site conditions etc. That being said, we have received excellent feedback in regards to 3M products. We suggest visiting their website and actually calling them at 1-800-362-3550. We have heard that bonding results are better when applying from a canister and not a can. It is important to follow the Manufactures Guidelines and to experiment with any new adhesive or technique prior to generating the final product.Please share your results with us.

Below are some links that you may find useful:
3M info on adhesives by categories of applications:
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Adhesives/Tapes/

3M online resource questionnaire “Ask a 3M specialist”:
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Adhesives/Tapes/Support/Contact-Us/

3M Hi-Strength Postforming 94 CA adhesive:
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Adhesives/Tapes/Products/~/3M-Hi-Strength-Postforming-94-CA-Adhesive?N=5396314+3294310811&rt=rud

Avoid “3M Super 77TM Multi-Purpose Spray Adhesive”. We have heard of failures using this product.
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Adhesives/Tapes/Products/~/3M-Super-77-Multi-Purpose-Spray-Adhesive?N=5396314+3294310584&rt=rud