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How to Panel a Wall

How to Panel a Wall Apr. 06, 2023

How to Panel a Wall

Expert step-by-step do-it-yourself advice on how to install sheet paneling, including preparation.

There is a paneling style for almost every decor. Choices include rustic boards, frame-and-panel designs with or without molding, and elaborate raised panels. You can cover an entire wall or choose waist- or shoulder-high wainscoting.

Paneling can be made from fine hardwoods or inexpensive pine. Finishes run the gamut as well. Panels can be given a clear finish, or they can be painted, stained, or coated with any number of decorative finishes.

Paneling is sold in two forms: sheets and boards. Sheets are typically 4 by 8 feet. Boards range from 3/8 to 7/8 inch in thickness, but the most common are 1/2 and 3/4 inch. Boards come in widths of between 3 and 10 inches and may have either square, tongue-and-groove, or shiplap edges.

Before installing paneling, place the materials in the room where they will be installed for two to five days to allow the wood to adjust to the humidity level. This will help eliminate any shrinkage or expansion problems once the panels are secured to the wall.

Preparing the Wall

When applying sheet or board panels over a finished wood-frame wall, you may be able to attach the material through the wallboard or plaster to the wall studs; otherwise, you will have to attach furring strips—1 by 3s or 1 by 4s—to the studs as a base for securing the panels. If the wall is new and without wallboard or plaster, you can attach sheets or boards directly to the studs or to 2-by-4 blocks nailed between the studs. If you do attach furring strips to the wall studs, use nails long enough to penetrate them by at least 1 inch. Fasten the strips to masonry walls using concrete nails or screws and shield-type masonry anchors.

To ensure that the siding will sit flat on the wall, furring strips should be plumb and flat; you can make adjustments with cedar-shingle shims wedged behind the furring strips as needed. Leave a 1/4-inch space at both the top and bottom of the wall when applying the strips to allow for unevenness in the floor or ceiling.

Note that furring strips and paneling will add to the thickness of the wall. Window and door jambs must be built out to compensate for this. It is likely that you will have to add extensions to electrical switches and receptacle boxes, as well.

Installing Sheet Paneling

Cut each sheet 1/4 inch shorter than the distance from the floor to the ceiling. Apply adhesive to the framing in a wavy pattern. Drive four finishing nails through the top edge of the panel. Position the panel on the wall, leaving a 1/4-inch space at the bottom, and drive the four nails partway into the wall. Pull the bottom edge of the panel about 6 inches from the wall and push a block behind the sheet. When the adhesive is tacky. Remove the block and press the panel firmly into place by striking it with a rubber mallet or by hammering against a padded block. Drive the top-edge nails all the way in, and then nail the panel at the bottom and, if needed, through the grooves at stud locations. Cover the nailheads and the 1/4-inch gap with molding.

Fitting a panel around any opening requires careful measuring, marking, and cutting. Keep track of all the measurements by sketching them on a piece of paper.

Starting from the corner of the wall or the edge of the nearest panel, measure out to the edge of the opening or electrical box. Then, from the same point, measure out to the opening’s opposite edge. Next, measure the distance from the floor to the opening’s bottom edge and from the floor to the opening’s top edge. (Remember that you will install the paneling 1/4 inch above the floor.) Transfer these measurements to the panel, marking the side of the panel that will face you as you cut (face up for a handsaw, face down for a power saw).

With a helper, position the first panel at one corner of the room, but do not apply panel adhesive yet. Check the inside edge of the panel with a level to make sure it is plumb.

While your helper holds the panel in place, use a compass or scribe tool to scribe the corner edge of the panel so that it can be cut to fit snugly against the adjoining wall. Draw the compass along the adjoining wall so the pencil leg duplicates the unevenness onto the panel.

Cut the marked edge along the pencil line. A saber saw works best for this, but you will need to use a fine-toothed blade to avoid fraying the front of the panel. Or, you can transfer the mark to the backside and cut the panel on that side.

4Attach the panel to the wall, placing nails in the dark grooves where they’re least likely to be visible. Stop hammering before the nailhead reaches the surface, and set the head flush with a nailset.

When a panel must be cut for a switch or receptacle, hold the panel in position against the electrical box and mark the box’s location. Snap chalk lines to the approximate place where the box will go. Then measure the distance from the edge of the adjoining installed panel to both sides of the box and transfer these dimensions onto the panel between the chalk lines.

Make cutouts for electrical boxes using a saber saw equipped with a fine cutting blade.

Featured Resource: Find a Pre-Screened Local Wall Framing Contractor


How To Install Paneling: Reclaimed Wood Panel Installation Guide

How To Install Paneling: Reclaimed Wood Panel Installation Guide

Shiplap has been a commonly used feature in many homes for decades.

But shiplap falls short when you’re looking for something original and interesting for your home or business. At this point, it’s not very original and doesn’t offer what homeowners are looking for in an accent wall.

Reclaimed wood paneling offers originality, sustainability, and a unique way to make your home look great.

We’re giving you all the info you need to install paneling in your home. Let’s get started.

Purchasing Your Wood Paneling

Before you can install the wood paneling, you have to purchase it. Where you purchase your reclaimed wood matters because the quality of the product itself will vary drastically depending on the vendor you purchase it from, what it’s made of, and how it’s intended to be installed.

Local hardware stores often have paneling that you can purchase specifically for installation on walls. But, another option is purchasing from a lumberyard or specialty store like Manomin Resawn Timbers. We offer specific resawn timber options for wood paneling that will give your home a unique look.

Types of Wood Paneling

As you look through different purchasing options for wood paneling, it’s important to know that there are a few different types of wood, different ways of installing it, and different sizes to consider.

Reclaimed Wood

At MR Timbers, we’re partial to reclaimed wood paneling and not just because it’s our bread and butter. But because there’s a lot of value in choosing a product that’s been recycled, restored, and reused creatively.

Reclaimed wood panels can come from almost anywhere. Sometimes the wood comes from warehouses or old factories, and other times it comes from barns or remodeling homes. Either way, the wood offers character and is sometimes more than 100 years old.

There are several colors/shades of wood that you can purchase from a reclaimed wood dealer. Whatever style or design you’re going for, we can help!

Shiplap

In the last few years, one of the big trends has been to create a shiplap wall in your home or business. HGTV and other remodeling influencers have made it even more popular.

Shiplap is usually something you buy from your local lumber yard or hardware store, and the boards come ready to be slid together just like tongue and groove and then nailed or fastened to the wall.

Tongue and Groove

The main difference between tongue and groove and shiplap is that shiplap is often made to overlap one board over another. Tongue and groove, however, fit together at the joints and don’t overlap at all.

Whether you choose tongue and groove or shiplap is up to how you want the wall to look when it’s finished.

Board and Batten

Board and batten allow you to install a paneling that offers a 3D approach. First, your “boards” or panels are attached to the walls, and then the “batten” or molding is situated between the panels.

Board and batten can be expensive to have installed, but it offers a very sophisticated look to any home or room. It can also be a fun way to add depth to an accent wall.

Raised Panels

Similar to baseboards, raised panels are often set against the floor or ceiling to offer a more pronounced molding in a room.

This paneling option has often been used in formal areas throughout colonial homes, where it gives a very high-end and fancy look to dining or sitting rooms in a home.

Flat Panels

Often used in homes or commercial spaces to provide depths to walls and add a material that’s more durable than drywall. Flat panels are laid on the wall and accented by the edges that they’re commonly raised above.

These panels can often be made of a synthetic material that imitates the look of wood.

Installing the Paneling in Your Home

DIY wood paneling is possible, but we do recommend talking with a professional if you’re going after a larger area in the home. There is no sense in getting in over your head and not being able to finish the project. Here are the steps we’ll be going over for installing reclaimed wood paneling.

  • Gather the tools you’ll need
  • Prep the wall for installation
  • Draw or tape or reference line
  • Measure twice and cut once
  • Adhere the panels with glue or nails
  • Stagger your seams and
  • Cut around outlets or other obstacles
  • Admire your handy work

Step 1: Gather Your Tools and Materials

Before you can get started at all, you’ll need to gather any tools you need and the materials to complete the project. You can find reclaimed wood panels online or from reclaimed wood dealers that are local to you. These sellers will often group different shades of wood together so that it looks great as you install it.

Tools you’ll need include:

  • Construction adhesive
  • Caulk gun
  • Hammer
  • 1-2 inch finish nails
  • Stud finder
  • Saw
  • Pencil
  • Tape measure
  • Level

Optional tools to make the job easier:

  • Paint supplies and paint
  • Contour gauge
  • Speed square
  • Air nail gun
  • Laser level
  • Tape
  • Air compressor
  • Jigsaw or Dremel tool
  • Power saw
  • Table Saw
  • Miter Saw

You won’t need all of these saws at once, but depending on what your project entails, it might not hurt to have them close by.

Step 2: Prep the Wall for Installation and Paint

Some of the prep for the wall is included in the next step. But before you jump to that one, it might be a good idea to paint the wall that you’re installing on. There are a few different options for what color to paint the wall, but we recommend black.

When you’re working with reclaimed wood, sometimes, it can have gaps and other characteristics that allow you to see through to the wall behind it. Painting the wall black makes it so that those features can stand out, and you don’t see past it to a white wall behind the wood.

Step 3: Level and Create a Reference Line

The next step to making sure that your wall is ready for the wood is to level and create a reference line to help you place the wood in the right space.

Laser levels work great to help create this line. Otherwise, you can use a tape measure and level as well. Consider tape or a pencil to more permanently place that reference line where you need it to be.

Step 4: Cut Your Boards Carefully to Size

Next, you can place your first few boards. Depending on whether or not your boards are all the same size and what the wall is like that you’re installing them on, you might only need to make one cut for the first few rows.

We recommend laying some of the boards out before installing them. If you move too quickly to install them, you might find that you don’t like the pattern of different wood grains together or that they won’t fit the way you wanted them to.

Step 5: Adhere the Boards to Your Wall

You have a few options when you’re ready to place the boards on the wall. You can use glue or nail the boards to your studs. Either way works, and sometimes homeowners or installers will opt for both if they’re working with a heavier piece of wood.

When you’re nailing the boards to your studs, you’ll first have to find the studs with a stud finder and mark them out. If you use your level to mark the studs floor to ceiling, you’ll only need to do it once, and you can then nail each board easily and confidently.

Step 6: Stagger Your Seams During Installation

Staggering your seams on every row after the first is crucial to a great-looking reclaimed wood panel wall. You can do this by cutting the first board on every row down to around 6-8 inches from the first seam. Then, if all of your boards are the same length, you’ll easily be able to install them without lining up the seems.

Step 7: Cut Around Any Obstacles as You Go

You may encounter some obstacles as you work up the wall: outlets, light switches, and vents. You’ll need to cut around these obstacles carefully. Make sure to measure a few times so that you get the cut right on and not make any mistakes.

Hopefully, there aren’t too many obstacles on the wall you choose to install the paneling on, but if there are, you’ll just need to go slow about it.

Step 8: Admire Your Handy Work

If you carefully followed all of our steps, then it’s time to admire your handy work. Installing one of these wood panel walls isn’t always easy. You should be proud and ready to show off the wall to your friends and family the next time they stop by.

We hope this guide has helped you in your journey towards a wood-paneled wall. Remember, if you’re looking for sustainable, long-lasting, and superior paneling for your walls, choose reclaimed wood from Manomin.

A reclaimed wood wall comes with character that will look great in any home and be unique from anything else out there. Get an estimate from us today!

Top Tips for Installing Tongue-and-Groove Paneling

Install wood paneling in any room to inject architectural detail, warmth, and character into your home. Traditionally used on the walls of kitchens and entryways, many homeowners have begun to install wood paneling in less likely places—bedrooms, for example.

Related: 5 DIY Wood Wall Treatment Ideas

All you really need is a wall, and the process is simple enough to be tackled by intermediate DIYers. Here are a few tips for success:

STEP 1: Choose Your Paneling

Sheet paneling is inexpensive and easy to install, but in older homes, it can accentuate uneven and wavy walls, plus it’s difficult to install over plaster. So I recommend tongue-and-groove paneling, which is a bit more expensive and takes a bit more effort to install. It’s worth the investment, though: Tongue-and-groove paneling will look better and add more value to your home.

STEP 2: Create the Framework
Install wood paneling over one-by-two-inch furring strips installed horizontally at sixteen-inch intervals. Complete the furring portion of the job by cutting the strips to length before nailing them into wall studs. If you notice any unevenness in the wall, fasten scrap wood behind the furring in these areas in order to keep your tongue-and-groove planks in plane. Minor protruding areas can be sanded away or flattened with a handheld block plane.

STEP 3: To Finish or Not to Finish?

Before you install wood paneling, first decide on a finish. While a paint finish can be added post-installation, it’s easier to apply stain and clear coat beforehand (on account of all the grooves). It’s possible to purchase pre-finished paneling; just be cautious not to chip it.

STEP 4: Nail It

There’s an easy technique for working with any tongue-and-groove product. Start with a single plank. Once you’ve made sure that it’s level and flush, nail the plank to the furring with finishing nails. (If you don’t have an air nailer and compressor, rent one; it makes quick work of tasks like these.) Next, nail into the tongue of the plank at a 45-degree angle, making sure your compressor is set to sink the nail head just below the wood surface. (If using a hammer, you can sink the head with a punch.) Sliding the groove of the next plank onto the tongue of the first, repeat the process above.

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