NorLock by Trusscore is a divider plank system designed for partitions and penning in agricultural applications. This guide covers the installation process for NorLock panels using U Channel for securing.
Video: How to Install NorLock by Trusscore
Acclimatize NorLock panels before installation. PVC expands and contracts with temperature changes, so panels must sit in the installation location for a minimum of 24 hours before installation.
For walls over 14 feet high, run a horizontal support halfway up the wall, such as a steel C-, H-, or box-channel.
Fasten the U Channel down to the floor or curb where you wish the NorLock panel to stand.
Using a level, draw a line from the outside edge of the floor channel up to the ceiling. This ensures your wall will be plumb.
Installation method depends on ceiling type:
Strapped ceiling with PVC panels: Run the channel across the entire length where the wall will stand. Use a chalk line to keep it straight.
Plywood or poly-coated plywood ceiling: Install only 20′ of channel at a time. Use a chalk line to keep it straight.
Begin sliding panels into place. Always start the first piece with the groove entering the channel on the back wall.
If the ceiling has some flexibility:
Hold the panel at an angle
Place the bottom tongue corner into the floor channel
Slightly twist the panel and place one side of the top groove corner into the ceiling channel
Straighten the panel and stand it completely vertically
Slide the first panel's groove into the back wall channel. Small pry bars may be needed as the channel fits snugly.
Put a 3/4″ to 1-1/2″ stainless steel screw into the top and bottom corner to ensure the panel stays in place.
Repeat the positioning process from Step 4. Slide the next panel's groove onto the tongue of the first panel.
Take a piece of wood (ideally a 4″×4″ that is one foot long) and place its side on the edge of the second panel's ledge, right beside the tongue.
Using a large hammer or sledgehammer, tap the wood starting at the bottom and working your way to the top until the tongue and groove are completely locked together.
Repeat Steps 6-7 for subsequent panels until you reach the second-to-last panel.
When you reach the last two panels:
Measure the length of ceiling channel needed to complete the wall
Measure a piece of channel for the front wall
Cut your two pieces of channel
Run these pieces through a table saw, slightly favoring one side to create L-shaped pieces (one larger L and one smaller L)
Take the larger L-shaped piece and fasten it to the ceiling and front wall.
Place the second-to-last panel in the bottom channel and lock it into the wall. You should see one side of the panel is not covered with channel at the ceiling.
Measure your last panel. You may need to rip it through the table saw depending on the wall length.
Important: When measuring, account for the fact that the tongue of the second-to-last panel will be covered by the groove of the last panel. Do not rip this panel too short.
Set your last panel into the bottom channel and snap it into place. Small pry bars may be needed to get the last panel into position.
Using 3/4″ to 1-1/2″ stainless steel screws, screw the last two panels to the L-shaped channel on the ceiling and front wall.
Take the smaller L-shaped piece of channel, cap the last two panels, and screw them into place.
