Pre-painted panel directly on existing drywall?

[Pasi K]

Hi, in connection with an extension, I plan to put up Moelven's pre-painted panels on interior walls in other rooms that connect to the extension. Will it be fine to nail the panels directly onto the existing wallpapered drywall, or do I need to first nail a thin batten (about 10 mm) to create an air gap?

 

[AG A]

An air gap is not needed. Nail directly onto the plasterboard, if there is something behind the plasterboard to nail into, that is. Otherwise, it's also fine to glue the panel in place.

 

[Pasi K]

Thanks AG A for the quick response! Yes, the air gap is not needed for the same reason as on the outside. I thought it might help to level out any irregularities in the wall. But the house isn't that old, so it's probably not an issue. There are studs in the wall. I need to find a good stud finder, - any tips? The ones I've tested haven't been very accurate, sometimes they mark a stud and sometimes not. I've considered gluing, but what about movement? The panel shrinks/swells a bit while the drywall doesn’t, right? When gluing, you glue on the wall and not in the tongue/groove, I guess.