Mount 3mm MDF ceiling, how?

[Olaf3]

I have a new Swedish brand of grooved MDF 2.4 x 0.4 that I haven't used before. Really tricky to put up as a ceiling with both short and long side joints that need to fit together. At the same time. And no real material to tap it into place because it's thin (and light, thankfully).
Anyone have a smart technique to make this work if you're alone? Or are four hands a must?

It's unusually stubborn to press into the joints compared to the brands that used to be available. Byggmax had a Norwegian board that worked okay even when you were alone, but it's no longer available.

 

[rävlyan]

2.4X0.4 is meters I hope
You might have some small pieces left that can be used as pads for the hammer and knock them together
Rent a panel lift that you use to lift plasterboards up to the ceiling, since the boards are thin you might need to make something to support, some beams lying on the lift, doesn’t cost much for a weekend if you manage in a short time, you have free hands then

 

[Olaf3]

Thanks for the ideas. I have no problem keeping the panel in place as I clamp a strip with a small air gap under the panel. The troubles begin when I try to get the tongue and groove to fit together and this flimsy MDF panel starts to chip if there's slightest resistance.
Now I've put up three panels and realize I have to bevel all the edges extra and set the bevel at such an angle that it really helps.
In the end, you have to knock it with a smack on a scrap piece but you have to be careful otherwise the panel bounces out again. Or on the other end...

I absolutely don't like this brand. It is dimensionally well-designed when in place, but it is not designed for smooth installation. The other brands I've tried over the years are much better. For the rest of the house, it will be the panel that calls itself "the original."

 

[HansomeHanson]

Where did you find a ceiling panel that is only 3mm?! I'm searching high and low for something like that. I would love to know, as I'm in the process of removing masonite from the 60s in the basement ceiling and don't want anything that adds more thickness to avoid problems with wiring etc.

 

[jonaserik]

Thanks for the ideas. I have no problem keeping the board in place as I clamp down a strip with a small air gap under the board. The trouble begins when I have to get the tongue and groove to fit together and this weak MDF board starts to splinter if it meets the slightest resistance.
Now I've put up three boards and realized I have to bevel all the edges extra and lay the bevel at such an angle that it really helps.
In the end, I have to tap it with a blow on a scrap piece but you have to be careful, otherwise the board bounces out again. Or at the other end...

I absolutely don't like this brand. It's dimensionally correct once it’s in place but it's not designed for easy assembly. The other brands I've tried over the years are much better. In the rest of the house, it will be the board that calls itself "the original."

Where do you attach the board to the ceiling and with what? In the tongue of the groove since it can become like a bulge that resists when the next board is to be fitted.

 

[Olaf3]

I've been using Moelven regina boards after initially trying some junk brand that I think was from Karlskrona or something like that. To put up the boards, I make two of these "helping hands": at one end of a 45x45 that's 800 mm long, I screw a piece of 22x95 that's 100 long. Then I set them up with a clamp on the sparse panel so I can place the next ceiling panel board on those helping hands. Then it's just a matter of pushing up the board so it fits into the tongue of the previous board.
As I mentioned earlier, I use a small hand plane to break the top edge of the tongue so it's not so sharp, and I run a candle along the entire edge of the tongue. That makes it a bit easier to fit the boards together.