Install Hardwood Paneling - Part Two

In preparing to install hardwood paneling, an important consideration is whether to use nails or plywood adhesive. Construction adhesives, or mastics, hold panels as well as nails and eliminate unsightly nail holes. But, if some of your quarter or half-inch plywood seems warped or wavy, you may want to use both the mastic and paneling nails.

Actually, it’s typical to find waves or warping in quarter-inch hardwood plywood paneling. When you install it properly, following the manufacturer’s instructions, you should be able to straighten it. But if you’re worried about warping, first cover the walls with wallboard. This makes your wall more substantial and smooth, and you can glue the panels against the board with mastic to control the warping. Since you don’t have to worry about precise cuts or taping, the wallboard will go up quickly.

The mastic is easy to use. It comes in tubes, just like caulk. Apply it to the wall an inch or so in from where the panel edges will fit, and apply a large "X" to hold the middle of the panel. Use a caulking gun and make an eight-inch bead. Then push the cut panel in place on the wall. Pound several nails along the top edge to hold it and to act as a hinge.

Then pull the panel’s bottom edge away from the wall and prop it open with a block while you wait for the mastic to set. This takes about three minutes. When the glue is tacky, just push the panel in place. Then firmly set it with light pounding. Protect the panel from dents by holding a cloth-covered block of wood against the panel and hammering through it. Then, remove the nails or cover them with molding.

Whether or not you’ll use molding is a consideration in choosing nails or mastic. It’s easy to cover nails with cornice or baseboard molding. So, if your room’s design lends itself to moldings, use nails. But if you can’t use molding, the mastic will hold these panels invisibly.

You can make nail holes almost invisible by filling them with a closely matching putty after you’ve stained and varnished the wood. Or, nail the dark lines of the grain.