PUF panel installation basics: cold rooms and roofs

How is a cam-lock cold room installed?

1. 01

   Check the floor

   The floor must be level and clean. Sub-zero rooms need the insulated floor (and any heating or ventilation below it) finished first.

2. 02

   Set out and fix the floor channel

   Mark the room outline and fix the U-channel or L-angle that holds the bottom edge of the wall panels.

3. 03

   Stand the first corner

   Erect the two corner panels, check they are plumb and square, and lock them together with the hex key.

4. 04

   Erect the walls panel by panel

   Add each panel, engage the tongue and groove, and turn every cam lock until the panels pull tight. Keep checking plumb as you go.

5. 05

   Fit the ceiling

   Lift the ceiling panels onto the walls and lock them. Wide rooms hang the ceiling from the roof steel on suspension rods or T-sections as the brand’s span table requires.

6. 06

   Seal every joint

   Run sealant along every joint and junction, especially on the warm side, so moist air cannot get into the foam. Plug the cam-lock access holes with the caps supplied.

7. 07

   Fit flashing, coving and the door

   Fit corner and ceiling trims (flashing made to your profile and colour), floor coving where hygiene matters, then hang and adjust the door. Sub-zero rooms get a pressure relief port.

What should be ready before the panels arrive?

• A level, cured floor (and the insulated floor for sub-zero rooms).
• For continuous panels: the steel frame erected, aligned and painted, with purlin and girt spacing checked against the span table.
• Clear unloading space and access for the vehicle that carries the longest panel.
• A dry, flat storage area with timber battens (see storage and care).
• The door positions, refrigeration openings and electrical routes marked on the drawing.
• Flashing and trims ordered to your profile and colour, so the building can be closed as soon as panels are up.

How are roof and wall panels fixed?

• Check the steel frame: purlins and girts straight, in line and at the spacing the maker’s span table allows for your panel thickness.
• Lay roof panels from the end away from the prevailing wind, so the side laps face away from wind-driven rain.
• Fix through the crown of the rib with self-drilling screws and sealing washers; tighten until the washer is just compressed, not crushed.
• Seal the side laps and any end laps as the maker specifies, and respect the minimum roof slope in the maker’s manual.
• Wall panels: engage the tongue and groove and fix through the joint (hidden-fix) or face-fix as the system requires.
• Finish with ridge, eave, corner and drip flashing made to your requirement, and close the ends of trapezoidal ribs with foam fillers.

What are the common installation mistakes?

Do you install the panels?

We supply panels and accessories. Erection guidance is available, and installation can be arranged on request depending on the location and project size. Whoever installs, follow the chosen brand’s installation manual: span tables, fixing patterns and sealant details differ between makers.