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    Tatra profile cladding: sizes, quality grades and installation

    Tatra profile cladding is one of the most widely used types of wood cladding in Slovakia. You will find it on the walls and ceilings of living rooms, in attics, cottages and hallways. It is easy to install, combines well with various finishes and gives wood a natural, calm look indoors. In this article we explain what Tatra profile cladding is, which sizes and quality grades exist and how to install it correctly.

    What Tatra profile cladding is

    It is a cladding board with a tongue on one long side and a groove on the other. The boards slot into each other, creating a continuous surface without visible screws. Characteristic is the shape of the joint on the visible side, which creates a fine line between the boards and gives the whole wall a rhythm.

    For some products you will come across the designation soft. This usually refers to profiles with slightly rounded edges, which look softer than sharp edges. Our range also includes tongue and groove cladding. It uses the same tongue and groove joint principle but differs in the shape of the visible side. Before choosing, look at the photo of the profile for the specific product.

    Tatra profile cladding sizes

    The size is given as the thickness × width of the board in millimetres. On the market you will most often find thicknesses from approximately 12.5 to 19 mm and widths from approximately 96 to 146 mm. Common sizes are, for example, 12.5 × 96 mm or 15 × 121 mm, but the range differs by manufacturer.

    In the Zrubko shop we have these spruce sizes in stock:

    • Tatra profile cladding soft 14 × 121 mm – length 4.2 m, grade AB, 8 pieces per pack,
    • Tatra profile cladding soft 19 × 146 mm – length 4.2 m.

    You will find the current price and availability in the Tatra profile cladding category. For outdoor use or rooms with higher humidity we also offer Thermo Tatra profile cladding 20 × 117 mm made of thermally modified pine in the Thermally modified wood category.

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    Which thickness to choose

    • Thinner profiles (around 12 – 14 mm) are lighter and are sufficient for ordinary walls and ceilings indoors.
    • Thicker profiles (around 19 mm) are stiffer, have a more pronounced relief and are suitable where you want a more solid look or where the cladding may be subject to more mechanical stress.

    How to calculate the quantity needed

    Base the calculation on the cover width, not the overall width of the board. The tongue slots into the groove, so one board covers slightly less than its overall width. Measure the area of the walls or ceiling, subtract windows and doors and add an allowance for offcuts. Its size depends on the shape of the room. With sloping ceilings and many openings it will be larger.

    Quality grades A, AB, B and C

    Spruce cladding is graded by appearance, that is by the number and type of knots, discolouration or resin pockets. The exact criteria are set by each manufacturer or follow the relevant standard, so take them as a general guide:

    • A – the highest grade. Mainly sound, firmly intergrown knots are permitted, and the visible side has no significant discolouration. Suitable where you want a clean and calm look.
    • AB – a transition between A and B. More natural features of the wood than with A, but still an even look. For ordinary interiors it is a common compromise between appearance and price.
    • B – more knots, including darker and partly intergrown ones; slight discolouration is permitted. A more pronounced, more rustic grain.
    • C – the most natural features and defects. Suitable where appearance is not the priority, for example in utility rooms or under further cladding.

    If you want to be sure what a grade really looks like, come and see the boards directly in the shop.

    Wood species: spruce

    Tatra profile cladding is most often made of spruce. Our Tatra profile and tongue and groove cladding is made of spruce. Spruce is light in colour, relatively light in weight and easy to work. In the light it gradually yellows and darkens slightly, which is a natural property of wood.

    Spruce Tatra profile cladding is intended for dry interiors: living rooms, bedrooms, hallways, attics, offices, ceilings or partitions. For outdoor use or rooms with higher humidity, consider thermally modified wood, which is more dimensionally stable.

    Installing Tatra profile cladding on battens

    Before installation

    • Let the boards acclimatise for several days in the room where they will be installed. Open the packs so that air can circulate around them.
    • Check that the wet processes in the room are finished, that is the plaster and screed have dried.
    • If you plan to apply a finish, apply at least the first coat before installation, including the tongue.

    Batten substructure

    Tatra profile cladding is not installed directly on the wall but on a substructure of battens, that is supporting timbers of smaller cross-sections. KVH timber is not used for the substructure under cladding. Fix the battens perpendicular to the direction of the boards. With vertical cladding the battens will be horizontal, with horizontal cladding vertical. A batten spacing of approximately 40 – 60 cm is commonly stated. Level the substructure carefully, because every unevenness carries over into the cladding.

    The gap between the wall and the cladding created by the substructure also allows air to circulate. On external walls and outdoors, ventilation is particularly important. Outdoors, counter-battens are therefore often added.

    Fixing the boards

    • Set the first board exactly level or plumb. The whole cladding follows from it.
    • Fix the boards concealed: with a nail or screw at an angle through the tongue into the batten, or with metal clips. The next board covers the joint.
    • With horizontal installation, point the tongue upwards so that dust and moisture do not collect in the groove.
    • Pre-drill at the ends of the boards so that the wood does not split.
    • Leave an expansion gap around the perimeter at the ceiling, floor and in the corners, which a moulding will cover.

    Screws, nails and other ESSVE fasteners can be found in our range.

    Surface treatment

    Untreated spruce is functional indoors, but it yellows in the light and gets dirty more easily. A finish protects the wood and at the same time lets you adjust its shade. You can choose from:

    • clear oil or wax – keeps the natural look and makes cleaning easier,
    • a finish with UV protection – slows down the yellowing of light wood,
    • a transparent shade – colours the wood, but the grain remains visible,
    • opaque paint – for a completely different wall colour.

    For interiors we recommend looking at OSMO interior finishes, for example wood wax finishes or a wax finish for UV protection of wood. Try the shade first on an offcut of your own cladding. That is what the 5 ml samples of oils and paints are for.

    Tatra profile cladding in stock near Žilina

    We have Tatra profile cladding in stock in the Zrubko shop at Hviezdoslavova 1118 in Kysucké Nové Mesto, near Žilina. You can see the boards in person, compare sizes and get advice on quantity, substructure or finish. We are open Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 17:00 and on Saturday from 8:00 to 12:00. You can call us on +421 911 869 777. You will find the whole range of cladding in the Wood cladding category.

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