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.
John aka AtomicHipster says
Hi Pam, I checked further and the DPI paneling appears to be reengineered wood? Here is there explanation
Q: What is the board made of?
A: Our products are made of S2S Hardboard.
DPI’s Green Core S2S Hardboard is a remarkable product – drawing on the strength of wood while eliminating many of wood’s weaknesses. Fibers are extracted from raw wood, rewoven and bound under heat and pressure by lignin, a natural adhesive found in wood. The result is a durable, tough, board completely uniform with exceptional strength. Hardboard is a true wood product – wood has been simply re-engineered to form a more versatile material with predictable properties. The absence of grain makes it equally strong in all directions, and can be easily sawn, routed, drilled or shaped.
Sounds odd but plausible.
John
pam kueber says
Thanks – I have a call in to their Marketing department to get clarification. I am reading Murphy’s site as well. Seems like, with paneling, on the top, you get either “paper overlay” — digital printing, or “real wood veneer”. Paper overlay, I’m sure, is going to be more “affordable”. I would also venture to guess: Paper overlays are going to look not too shabby — what they can do with digital printing these days is amazing. I am also asking DPI for samples; I’ll do the same with Murphy and then do a comparison story.
kristen says
Sorry Pam, but I can’t wait for the day when we paint over our wood paneled kitchen, which looks directly out of my parent’s basement from the 1970’s. All that’s missing is the chianti bottles hanging from the dropped ceiling…As a child of the 70’s, I can’t like it!
Our house was built in 1890, but we figure the last remodel was in the late 60’s or early 70’s, so our plan is to do a retro-country style (I call it “grandma style”) kitchen more in tune to the age of the house, which includes painting rather than ripping out the paneling, due to fear of what’s underneath (crumbling plaster?), and hopefully ditching the dropped ceiling for tin. However, we have embraced and accepted the avocado lamintate counters and aren’t really sure what to do about them 🙂
The PLASTIC faux wood paneling lining the starway to the 2nd floor will be left alone, since no one really sees it anyway. But, ugh, gross.
If we had knotty pine, I would go with a Mad Men kitchen…*sighs*
As a child of the 70’s and 80’s, no way do I want to decorate in that style…for me, “retro” is 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s, which funnily enough gets a lot of criticism from relatives who lived in/grew up during that time period. 🙂
pam kueber says
Hey, I’m 100% okay with taking the stuff out, kristen, as long as we do it with some reverence and respect for the people who put it on. does not deserve *hatred*
kristen says
Oh no, Pam, I don’t hate it…just don’t like it 🙂
The entire kitchen is this dark brown paneling/wood cabinets and just too dark! 🙂
(On the other hand, I am not touching my retro bathroom! Love my Hudee ring sink and 4(!) foot Crane tub!)
pam kueber says
All things in good measure — it’s been my experience, researching design history so far, that trends get a *bad name* when they get taken too far. When they go on every surface. When we overdose. Some of today’s examples: Granite and faux-granite floor tiles, chevron stripes, greige and dark gray paint. Mark my word, these will be deigned *hideous* in not too long at all.
Annie B. says
My tiny kitchen is panelled in dark walnut brown; the cabinets are the same color as the walls. Only the floor and coutertops give any light to the room. I thoroughly understand.
Once, the living and dining rooms were panelled with the same dark walnut……..even the celing. Talk about a cave in the winter months!
The paneling on the celing had to be replaced and the dark walls were painted over with white. Looks wonderful even though it was super labor intensive.
Tami says
BTW, Menard’s in the midwest carries a nice selection of real tongue-in-groove siding for inside and out.
John aka AtomicHipster says
Hi Pam,
Great article, I too love the look of natural wood and would never tear out real wood paneling. I even have a lighter shade of the faux paneling surrounding my fireplace in the living room and it looks fine.
When I bought my home 5 years ago it did have really dark faux paneling in the hallway which I removed as it made the hallway feel like a cave . I am thinking of having my den off the kitchen resurfaced with real knotty pine to match the built in knotty pine book cases in living room.
I have gone to 2 home shows in the last month and almost nothing featured real wood, it was terrible, it was all plastic or vinyl. If I wanted to live in a PLASTIC HOUSE I would have bought one!!!
I looked at the paneling on DPI’s website and it looks like its digitally printed wood grain on SUBSTRATE so it doesn’t look like real wood paneling.
pam kueber says
Thanks, John, for the tip on the DPI paneling. I will call them today and get clarification….
pam kueber says
Ok, I am stupid but not afraid to admit it, so I am not *that* stupid, but: What is *real* wood paneling? Has to have a real wood veneer on top??? Can you clarify, way-smarter-about-this-than-me readers?
TappanTrailerTami says
Yes Pam, “real” wood paneling would have real wood veneer bonded to the substrate (thin plywood). Fake paneling would have wood grain photofinish paper bonded to the substrate.
I’m kinda thinking DPI’s may not be veneered paneling, just based on the prices you posted. I think real veneered paneling is probably quite a bit more per sheet. My mom and dad bought real oak paneling way back (80’s I believe) and it was almost $30 a sheet then.
Here is another company that does real wood paneling – in a variety of woods, smooth or grooved:
http://www.murphyplywood.com/Products/HardwoodPlywood/tabid/65/Default.aspx
pam kueber says
Thanks, T3. Murphy looks great. That cherry is JUST LIKE what’s in our man cave! I will do a separate post…
Sandi says
We have real end-grain douglas fir panelling in our bathroom that is similar to the panelling in the photograph of the reception area on this web page (installed in a recent renovation by our house’s previous owners):
http://www.murphyplywood.com/Products/Paneling/tabid/72/Default.aspx
While it’s not a retro look, it is lovely and might be an option for those who want the look of wood panelling, without those vertical grooves of yesteryears. Warning: don’t put wood veneer in a bathroom. Ours is wicking up moisture and beginning to warp–stick with cedar.
Deb DeLuxe says
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Pam! I’ve seen some smack lately about the creepy datedness of paneled walls, and I just don’t get it. Our ’62 rambling ranch has a great room full of lovely honey-toned paneling that was carelessly slapped with chalky white at some point in its life. My mission (OK, one of them) is to restore this warm wood to its former glory. In fact, I’d love to read future posts on how to accomplish this (hint, hint). 🙂 I’m thinking that a heat stripper may be the best choice to remove the paint. Hm…
Tami says
Oh, hai, I have that combed paneling in my house! But mine is the 1/4″ thick plywood sheets, not the combed boards. It’s called ‘Weldtex.’ It was clumsily installed over badly damaged plaster and lath walls in my upstairs rooms. It must have looked beautiful as natural cedar/fir, but has been coated with several coats of different colors of paint, and those grooves are impossible to strip. BTW, as I’ve started to take it down, I’ve found new homes for all the pieces via craigslist. People are thrilled to get it for their own projects.
Here’s a source for the combed board version:
http://www.bearcreeklumber.com/image_gallery/wrc/wrcpp_cmb.html
TappanTrailerTami says
And so, alas, we have “arrived” at my existence. I probably have more paneling than all the RR readers put together. Every inch of the walls in my mobile home are done in glorious circa 1977 paneling – except for two walls that have the fab cut stone look panels.
I actually really *like* painted paneling…it easily becomes the “cottage” look for a few bucks worth of paint. Now, Pam – do you think you could convince the powers that be at DPI to do their back splash tile look panels in a subway tile? That would be the bomb!
My paneling is going to go by the way side though….switching to drywall at some point, although I think the stucco-ey looking panels might be just right for the home office. We shall see!
Thanks for another informative post!
pam kueber says
T3, they DO HAVE a subway tile paneling! See Metro White on this page! http://www.decpanels.com/consumer/products/aquatile
TappanTrailerTami says
Wow, whaddya know! That’s awesome, thanks for pointing it out Pam!
Diana of Mt. Lebanon says
I adore wood paneling. My entire office is covered in a warm honey paneling and it makes me happy every day to work in my office. I think it was installed in either the 60s or the 70s. But, it is great quality and still in great shape.
Tut says
Amen. Some of the best times of my life were spent growing up in a dark brown paneled half-below-ground family room in our split-level 1969-1970-build house. I paneled part of our basement a few years ago to make it better for band practice—used a medium slightly honey color so it didn’t darken the space too much.
GregM says
What a timely post! My partner and I just bought an Eichler and will close escrow on April 20th. The living room and dining room have mahogany paneling and we are debating whether to keep it natural or paint it. Normally, being purists, we would say keep it but the rooms are north facing and, on top of that, wall-to-wall bookshelves (ugly ones) were installed on one living room wall. Currently, we plan on taking the shelves down and see what kind of shape that wall is in. If we do decide to paint, it won’t be all of the walls, just one or two.
Sarah V says
I’m 99% sure that our living room has painted flat wood panelling – which look just like the drywalled walls… except the cracks that shows where each panel connects, just something to thing about if you go down that road.
Our basement had some of the vertical grooved panelling that was hiding some very sketchy/ dangerous wiring, all of which we got rid of, and don’t regret for a second.
TroySF says
Congrats on your Eichler GregM! I have an Eichler in SF which still has original paneling in the living/dining rooms – I love it. I hope your paneling is salvageable. I can tell you about how I refinished my paneling if you’re interested…
GregM says
Troy,
Thanks, we may just be neighbors! We’re hoping the wall with the bookcases is salvageable, too, because that’s the wall we would like to keep original if we end up painting the others. The kitchen walls are painted paneling and it honestly doesn’t look too bad. I’d love to hear how you restored yours. I’m new to this site so not sure what the rules are about posting email addresses. I see from previous posts of yours that you have a site called Troyland. I’ll send you an email with my email address there.
TroySF says
Hi Greg, Did you snatch up the Eichler on Amber? Yes you can find my email on my website.
Just another Pam says
Because I don’t trust my memory on this I’d still like to suggest you do research before you paint any mahogany panels. I think to use Zinsser white shellac primer to avoid any post painting surprises. I hate post painting surprises..
Open all the windows and use fans to help fumes leave the building, this is something I know for sure. The voice of experience.
Just another Pam says
….I think you need to use…..le sigh
GregM says
Just another Pam,
Thanks for the tips!
Greg