Foam tongue and grove panels

[yanmars]

I have some used tongue and groove panels that have a 4 inch rigid foam core with 1/16 inch white steel sheets covering the top and bottom of the panels. I would like to attach them on the ceiling. The spacing there is 16 on center 2x8s. I would screw or lag screw them to the wood. The problem is the panels are hard to get to fit tightly together. Part of this is there is an occasional slight damage in the t&g that I can for the most part correct. The panels however are 12 to 15 feet in length and just difficult to get pressed together fully.
Would a soapy water solution lubricate then enough to help or would this tend to swell/expand the foam a bit and even make it harder to get them together?
Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. I do not like to hammer on the panels even with a wood block and rubber mallet.

 

[kenmbz]

Can you get a picture?
I only have experience with 1" 4x8 panels with plastic holds into concrete blocks.
The plastic heads act like large washers to spread the fastener load.

 

[Gator6x4]

I have some used tongue and groove panels that have a 4 inch rigid foam core with 1/16 inch white steel sheets covering the top and bottom of the panels. I would like to attach them on the ceiling. The spacing there is 16 on center 2x8s. I would screw or lag screw them to the wood. The problem is the panels are hard to get to fit tightly together. Part of this is there is an occasional slight damage in the t&g that I can for the most part correct. The panels however are 12 to 15 feet in length and just difficult to get pressed together fully.
Would a soapy water solution lubricate then enough to help or would this tend to swell/expand the foam a bit and even make it harder to get them together?
Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. I do not like to hammer on the panels even with a wood block and rubber mallet.

What you are trying to do is not a one person job with the only tools being a electric screw driver and drill job.

My suggestion is to rent one of the devices drywall installers use to install drywall on ceilings. Find a couple of old bumper jacks, (Junk Yard) and fabricate two tools you can use to force the panels together.

Another problem you will encounter. The panels were probably built in a jig and are square. Most building corners and nor square. Check the corners with a square and use the square's corner to start in. Or if you can cut the panels modify the corner panel(s) to conform to the corner and make it have a square edge on the ceiling.