Install Hardwood Paneling -Part One

The key to doing an excellent job of installing paneling is to get the first panel straight. Spend all the time you need on the first panel, because you’ll save time later by getting it right.

To start, butt a panel into a corner and tack it in place along the edge with one nail. Then use a three or four-foot level to make sure the outside edge is plumb. Another nail at the bottom will hold it in position. If you discover the surface of your wall isn’t straight, and most walls aren’t, cover the gap with molding or scribe the corner.

Scribing is easy. With the first panel tacked in place, put a china marker or grease pencil in a compass, set it to just slightly more than the width of the largest gap, and run the point down the wall. This will mark your wall’s contours on your panel. Then trim the panel accordingly. This trick works well with panels that butt up against fireplaces.

To make your panels fit tight against the ceiling, make a lift jack from a pry bar and a block of wood. Put the wood on the floor close to the wall, lay the pry bar on top of it, with the straighter edge of the bar under the edge of the paneling. Then step on the other end of the bar to lift the paneling tight against the ceiling. When everything is straight and plumb, attach the panel and remove the bar. Scribe it to fit, if necessary.

Hardwood paneling moves with every change in humidity. Here’s how to avoid gaps when the panels shrink. Let your panels set a few days in the room where they’ll be installed. With furring strips or 2 x 4’s between them, the air can circulate so their moisture level matches the room’s. Or, hide the gaps by painting behind the paneling edges with a color that matches the paneling grooves.

For safety, run wiring through box extenders and make sure you use the proper size outlet boxes. Check with your home center or local building inspector to be sure you’re meeting code.