If you’re tired of the same old sheetrock for walls, one option is to spruce up your room with wood paneling. Because it’s a relatively light material, you might wonder if it’s sturdy enough to use as wall covering. Rest assured, there are several methods for installing wood paneling that will add both beauty and durability to your walls. Here’s how:
Materials
To start, you need to gather your materials. You will need:
- Wood paneling
- Liquid nails
- Saw
- Jigsaw (optional)
- Circular saw (optional)
- Level (optional)
- Pencil
- Paintbrush
Measure and cut wood paneling to size for each wall. This can be done directly on the wall with a pencil, level and saw.
- Measure and cut wood paneling to size for each wall. This can be done directly on the wall with a pencil, level and saw.
- Use a pencil to mark the wall where you want your panels to go. Then use a level to make sure that they are straight before cutting them with a saw or jigsaw.
Start at the top. Now that you’ve measured out the walls, pick a starting point.
You’ll want to start at the top. This will make your work easier later on, as the top wall will be much easier to install than the middle or bottom walls. Starting with the top wall also means that you’ll have access from above once you’ve installed it, which is convenient if you need to reach something behind it like a light fixture or outlet box.
It’s also important that you measure and mark out each of these pieces before beginning construction because your plans will dictate exactly how long they should be. If there’s any confusion about what size piece is needed for each area in question—whether it’s because of an irregularly shaped room or because some dimensions are hard-to-peg measurements like “as tall as possible”—you can use math (and common sense) to figure this out on paper first.
Proceed to install the wood paneling on the remaining walls along the same lines as your starting wall.
The next step is to install the wood paneling on the remaining walls along the same lines as your starting wall. You can use a jigsaw or circular saw to cut the wood, but if you are inexperienced with either of these tools, it may be safer and more accurate to have them cut by someone who knows what they’re doing. A pencil should be used to mark where you want each piece of wood installed; this will ensure that everything is straight and even. A level should also be used while installing your new paneling so that it will match up with your existing walls perfectly
If you have windows, cutout any necessary areas with a saw (electric or hand).
If you have windows, cutout any necessary areas with a saw (electric or hand).
If you are using paneling to cover your wall, measure the dimensions of the window frame and mark in pencil on the back of one of your panels. Using your jigsaw or circular saw, carefully cut out this area.
Remove any outlet covers from their outlets before cutting them out from the wall. If necessary, trace around an outlet cover onto a piece of paneling and then carefully cut around it with your jigsaw or circular saw until you get to what remains where you started tracing from. You can also remove an outlet altogether if there is no other fixture nearby that needs its service space
Use a jigsaw or circular saw to carefully cut out outlets from the paneling. You may need to remove an outlet cover and trace it onto the paneling or remove an outlet altogether and cut around it.
- Use a jigsaw or circular saw to carefully cut out outlets from the paneling. You may need to remove an outlet cover and trace it onto the paneling or remove an outlet altogether and cut around it.
- After you’ve traced your pattern, use a fine-toothed wood rasp to smooth away any rough areas that remain on the wall surface after cutting.
You do not need to add anything extra to secure your wood paneling as long as you used liquid nails in Step 2. Once installed, your new paneling is as sturdy as sheetrock.
You do not need to add anything extra to secure your wood paneling as long as you used liquid nails in Step 2. Once installed, your new paneling is as sturdy as sheetrock.
In addition to using a hammer and nails or screws, one could also use a glue gun to adhere panels together, which will also prevent them from ever pulling apart again.
It’s not hard to install wood paneling
To install wood paneling, you will need to measure and cut the wood paneling to size for each wall. You will start at the top of your room and work your way down, using a jigsaw or circular saw to carefully cut out outlets from the paneling. It’s important to pay attention to where wires are located in order not to accidentally end up cutting them during installation. Once all walls have been covered with their respective pieces of wood paneling, it’s time for finishing touches
Conclusion
If you don’t have the time or money to install drywall, you can still give your room an upgrade using wood paneling. Wood paneling is inexpensive and easy to install with common household tools. They will also make the room a lot more attractive. You can easily cover up stained sheetrock or damaged walls with this simple solution.
