There seems to be a lot of very unfortunate, unnecessary and ill-informed wood paneling hatred out there. I want to rant. I seriously want to rant. But let me just say this: Our Dads and Grandpas and in some cases our Moms and Grandmas, put up wood paneling because they were very very cautious with their money. They grew up during hard times, and they learned to fear debt and unnecessary overspending. They saved for a rainy day *clue phone*. Now that we have suffered the Great Recession and are living in the New Normal, this all seems to make a lot more sense to people *clue phone*.
Wood paneling? When Dad and Mom or Grandma and Grandpa excitedly and gratefully bought their 1,000 square foot house after 1945, the basement and attic and maybe even the second floor were unfinished. This is part of what made the house a “starter home”, and couples without children were fine with just having the space they really needed. As money and time permitted and as the family grew, the family — on their own — could start finishing off the basement or attic or second floor themselves. They would frame interior walls, add electric and maybe some insulation and then Cover the Walls with Wood Paneling. Cherry or knotty pine were particularly beloved, I think, but there may have been regional preferences. Installing wood paneling was way easier than putting up and taping drywall — Dad could do the paneling all his own, no problem. I’m thinking it was cheaper, too. Mom and Dad and Grandpa and Grandma did not feel at all oppressed by the paneling. The paneling was cozy. They made more space for their families, within their budgets. They were proud, and deserved to be.
So just shut yer pie holes, all you wood paneling haters who *can not bear to live with it*.
Eartha Kitsch — owner of a lovely time capsule knotty pine kitchen — did not rant and was very funny and probably more effective than me when she addressed the wood paneling topic last week in her story Dear Lord! Not Wood! The three images above are hers and used with her permission. Click on any of them to get to her sassy story. Props to you, Eartha Kitsch.
Where to get affordable wood paneling if you, like Mom and Dad and Grandma and Gramps, are interested in using it for a cozy, affordable DIY wall finish? I found this seemingly excellent company — Decorative Panels International, which makes a large variety of wood paneling.
The panels are affordable — $18 – $32 for a 4′ x 8′ sheet, depending on the design. They seem to be widely available at big box and lumber stores. I can’t vouch for the quality — I’d suggest asking to see a full panel before committing — but online, they look just like the wood paneling in the houses that my Mom and Dad and Gramps an Grams built.
Noon update: I talked at length this morning to the president of DPI, Tim Clark. Very nice and passionate man — passionate about making all DPI products the U.S., and passionate about doing it in an environmentally sensitive way. He clarified that DPI’s products consist of an engineered wood substrate with the final top design printed; the top is not veneer. Made in Alpena, Mich., the substrate or backer is made of only three ingredients — wood, water and a flaxseed-based oil. The substrates are put through presses in Alpena that create different textures. The final design is then printed onto the substrate in Toledo. DPI uses rotogravure (not digital) printing, and generally takes each design through several runs with different colors to get the design effect they want. I asked Tim if he thought I would be able to tell the difference between DPI’s printed cherry paneling (for example) and veneered cherry paneling. He said he thought I would be hard pressed (pun haha). Veneered paneling will likely cost about 50% more, he estimated. Also note, Tim said that DPI’s paneling is not positioned to be the cheapest in the market — it’s not the kind of paneling that an economical landlord would put into rental units between tenants. Tim said that DPI is passionate about the structural integrity and overall aesthetic of the product and the processes, and their pricing reflects that. This, along with their focus on environmentally sensitive manufacturing (their processes use minimal solvents, so there is zero or minimal offgassing of the paneling), means the have made major inroads in terms of being stocked at the big box stores like Home Depot, Lowes and Menards, he said.
Tim is sending me samples of a variety of designs — ones I thought would be of greatest interested to Retro Renovation readers. I will take a look and report back. I also will continue researching veneered wood paneling and compare the two.
For more than 50 years, we have been providers of high quality utility and designer wall panels. With a solid hardboard manufacturing facility located in Alpena Michigan, and a superior finishing facility in Toledo Ohio, we are proud to offer one of America’s finest wall products – worldwide.
DPI is recognized industry-wide as the leader in design style innovation and state-of- the- art manufacturing processes. A perfect fit in virtually every part of your home, DPI wall paneling allows you to achieve looks and performance comparable to ceramic tile, wall paper, wood wall paneling and even stone and brick masonry – at a fraction of the cost!
Go Alpena! Go Toledo! DPI also points out that their product is produced in an environmentally sensitive manner:
- All GreenCore finished products feature our S2S premium hardboard foundation for high performance with lower environmental impact
- Inherent durability resists buckling and warping experienced with other products
- Our prefinished panel resists moisture on the surface
- Formaldehyde-free manufacturing means our panels will not adversely affect your indoor air
- Mold-resistant formulation built into the substrate to fend off typical stains
Where to find it:
- Look at all the DPI wood paneling designs here.
Caryn says
I’m in the middle about paneling, but I sure don’t hate it! We have two rooms of it in our 1970 brick ranch, the kitchen and the family room. The kitchen was SO dark and dreary that I did paint the paneling and LOVE it! Still debating about the family room though, will probably live with it a couple more years before deciding. In a way it is very cozy and I’ve seen many, many photos in my vintage decorating books of paneled family rooms that looks AMAZING.
I’m glad to know it’s still being made (ours is just the thin basic fake kind, looks like the first pic in this post) because I would most certainly consider using it one day when we get ready to finish out part of our basement. I think with good lighting, and brightly colored vintage furniture, etc it can look wonderful!
Jeff says
I have a knotty pine ceiling and cornice boards in my breezeway, and am making again long lost cornice boards in knotty pine and scalloped trim for the other 10 windows that are currently without!
My favorite mid mod paneling that seems impossible to find pre-dates the vertical line panels shown here, is what was commonly referred to as “combed” paneling, made of fir, mostly from Michigan and shipped all over the place.
Commonly, it was raked, or “combed” to create lines deeply etched into the surface. And was hung in squares with the lines alternating both vertically and horizontally. Also was trimmed out in coved moldings most often.
I find this style paneling still in homes locally when I attend estate sales, and sadly alot of people don’t like it, and say it’s the first thing to “go” when they talk of remodeling.
pam kueber says
stay tuned 😉
Shannon H. says
I remember that kind of panelling. It was in a trailer my friend’s parents had and the community club hall. It’s very rare to see it now.
Sherree says
I am not a hater. Paneling was also an easy and inexpensive fix to cover up damaged plaster in many remodels also.
All that is left of the knotty pine in my 1951 ranch is what is in the mud room off of the kitchen. It will stay in ode to the middle class family who built our house 🙂 I love it.
Jon Hunt says
We have knotty pine in our house — in the stairway leading down to the basement — and you’d have to pry that out of my COLD DEAD HANDS. Or something. I love it, and I wish more of our house was knotty pine!!
Beth says
Great post, Pam. When we bought our 1956 house, I was uneasy about our wood-paneled basement at first. It was all new to me. My husband is certain ours is cedar, but it looks just like knotty pine. It’s in pretty darn good shape, but we might sand it down and refinish it at some point down the road. I think it’s item 300 on our “To Do” list.
Anyway, my eyes have adjusted and I’m really into it now. It’s our little hang out den after a long day at work. We don’t have a TV upstairs, so we bought a big, comfy sofa (cobalt blue!) and we watch movies down there.
We have a varied and strange art & artifact collection, and it all looks wicked in the wood paneling context. The only thing I really want to do to the basement is put in fresh carpeting and maybe switch out the asbestos ceiling tiles for sheet rock. The wood had grown on me.
Hillary says
That’s funny – the original floor in my knotty pine room is cobalt blue asbestos tile! Knotty pine and cobalt – made for each other?
pam kueber says
🙂 bet it’s gorgeous!
Laura says
I’m contemplating knotty pine wood paneling for a front room in my Cape Cod that is used as both an office and coat/mud room. It’s going to need walls that can bear the wear and tear of four boys who tend to “throw” their shoes and boots on the mat instead of “place” them. While there are poorly done versions of almost every type of building material in existence, and lord knows I’ve torn out a few warped and weird-colored versions (exterior grade plywood stained pinkish/orange brown, anyone?), good quality paneling is buttery, warm, and comforting to the eyes. I don’t understand the ire it’s earned. Thanks for the product reference on this!
Patty says
A lot of what we like and don’t like is influenced by advertising, magazines, what others say. Companies make money convincing us we need to make a change. I would never paint or take down my knotty pine paneling. The room does have lots of windows.
Marcheline says
I have the last one – the whitewashed one – in my kitchen RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE! I’m actually going to paint it a lovely light butter yellow to counterpoint my white cabinets and retro curtains and tablecloths and dish towels. I think it’s rather yummy.
The kind of wood paneling that’s scary is the darker brown version if it’s completely lining a small room with not enough windows. You know, kind of like the room in the movies where the killer always tapes his newspaper articles and photographs with the eyes cut out to the walls. Those rooms always have wood paneling.
Carrie aka MIFroggies says
Our house has lots of wood paneling of different types. Real, fake, tongue and groove, beadboard, etc. Furthermore, we added MORE to rooms that did not already have it! This is very funny to me, since I really prefer the wood. It does not ding up and get holes as easily as drywall.
I admit, I even did a couple of rooms in OSB, Oriented Strand Board! Um, yes that is the stuff that is little chips of wood particles stuck together. We painted it with a mixture of drywall mud and paint, and it looks similar to stucco. We put strips of wood trim across that, and it is very durable and matches my house style of English Tudor Eccentric.
chris says
Funny! I am currently having some hate for the faux wood paneling that was put all over my kitchen when it was remodeled in the 70s.
Someday I am going to send before and after pix of our kitchen. Those of you in love with the 70s are going to think I was awful to change it. But the house is from the 30s.
I like knotty pine and other real wood paneling — but the yucky dark Brady Bunch stuff from when I was a kid??? I can’t love it. I just can’t — and you can’t make me!!!!! 🙂
It would be interesting to see if there is any truth to the thought that we retro folks tend to reject stuff from our own childhoods and embrace things from our parents’ childhoods. Certainly true for me.
OK — going out to get my coffee. I will kiss my ugly paneling while I’m out there — 🙂
pam kueber says
I didn’t say you had to *love* it. I just said you can’t *hate* it. It is only decorating, for gosh sakes. Save *hate* for wretched excess and injustice!
chris says
OK — we have come to a peaceful co-existence, my Brady Bunch paneling and I, with a coat of paint.
Just like I’m easier on the eyes with a layer of spackle and mascara!
Rebecca Prichard says
You tell ’em Pam! I am loving ALL the sass! 🙂 And I LOVE wood paneling, too! I am so excited about this. I didn’t know how to find it!