Wood Paneling

Wood paneling is an old style of treating a wall. It instantly provides warmth and comfort to any house with its humble effect. If you have decided to apply wood paneling on your walls, here we provide the types of wood panels in the market, tips on how to install wood panels, and how to maintain their charming aura.

Indoor Wood Paneling Types

You can find several types of pre-finished wood paneling in the market that vary in quality. This wall treatment is classified according to their surface/backing, as well as groove quality.

Surface Types

Veneer finish – the quality and type of veneer used in this type of wood panels determine their quality, of which, the most expensive kind is pre-finished wood veneer in three different layers consisting of the face, core, and another layer of veneer for the back.

The more expensive kind is that which is composed of grained that creates a beautiful finish. Non-grain wood veneer is the least expensive although it still consists of three plies. The distinctive feature of non-grain veneer contains prints and is embossed to have the appearance of expensive, high-quality hardwoods.

Vinyl-covered – wood paneling of this kind has vinyl with wood patterns that are laminated on to a plywood or particleboard. The face of vinyl-covered wood panels look uniform because they are merely printed using photo process. The only contention with this type is it can be hard to repair when scratched, although vinyl is easy to clean using soap and water.

Also take care to avoid buying inferior quality vinyl by discerning its ends – if you see pieces of vinyl that extends at the edges of a sheet (usually measuring 4x8), then it's probably a second, which could further indicate that the manufacturer was lax in its production.

Printed-paper panel – wood paneling style having printed paper laminated to a hardboard or other types of wood projecting a printed finish. This is the low cost type of wood panel and is great for people fond of DIY (do-it-yourself). Covering wood paneling with a clear finish is a way to protect the surface of printed-paper wood paneling.

Surface-printed – this style achieves a wood grain finish by photographing a wood grain pattern directly onto a board surface. It's another type of low cost wood wall paneling excellent for DIYs. However, consumers must take care to use only the appropriate cleaning products to avoid inflicting damage on the wood grain.

Backing Types

Backing types likewise have an extensive availability in the market and features a plywood, particleboard, or hardboard backing. When you are in a tight budget, hardboard is the least expensive kind and used as a back surface for printed wood panel. The price of plywood backing depends whether the face surface is made of the same material as the backing although might not be in the same finish.

More expensive wood paneling undergo treatment to effectively reduce the wood panel's ability to absorb moisture and prevent it from warping; while the less expensive plywood backing may have defects on the surface.

Groove Types

Grooves are found on wood paneling surfaces and come in two types: real grooves and painted grooves. Real grooves prices depend on the quality of grooves, which you can tell by merely looking at them. Sharp and straight grooves indicate high quality while rough and crooked grooves are the inferior kind. Painted grooves are generally less expensive and can be identified by touching the grooves.

Installing Wood Paneling

Be sure to level and dry the wall where to install wood paneling since they can easily warp and swell with moisture. If wood paneling will be installed on a concrete wall, consider sealing the concrete first with furring strips or lumber to put a space where moisture can evaporate. If you purchase the moisture-resistant wood paneling, it is a bad idea to directly install them on a concrete wall.

Wood paneling offers a different idea to design your wall. Polishing the wood regularly will keep moisture away and lengthen the life of your wood paneling.