Residential contractor Ron Berryessa shows Edye Ellis, host of HGTV's Today at Home, how to panel a wall beautifully with oak plywood and stock molding. Cherry and mahogany plywood are options too. Stock molding gives this paneled wall dimension. Lengths of solid-oak lumber are used for the baseboard, the chair rail, the crown-molding assembly and vertical framing. Decorative cap molding is added to the top of the chair rail, crown molding tops the crown-mold assembly, and cove molding frames the interior of the top and bottom of the paneled wall. Materials:
1/4" oak plywood panels (available in 4' widths)
Tape measure
Construction adhesive
Pneumatic air gun
Finish nails
Two pieces 1" x 6" solid-oak lumber for the baseboard and the crown-molding assembly
One piece crown molding
Five pieces 1" x 4" solid oak lumber for the chair rail and vertical framing
One piece cap molding for the top of the chair rail
Eight pieces cove molding to frame the interior of the paneled wall
Miter saw
Orbital sander
Stain and appropriate tools
- To install plywood on the wall, apply construction adhesive in a series of zigzags to the back of the paneling. Press in place against the existing dry wall, and use finish nails around the perimeter to hold the paneling in place while the adhesive dries.
- After the plywood is in place, determine the general layout of the wall, including the height of the chair rail (32" to 42" from the floor), and cut the lumber and molding to length with a miter saw. The baseboard is 1" by 6" oak lumber; the chair rail is 1" by 4" oak lumber topped by decorative cap molding; the crown-molding assembly is made from 1" by 6" oak lumber topped with crown molding; side framing pieces are 1" by 4" oak lumber. Cove molding frames the inside edges of the top and bottom of the paneled wall.
- Install the baseboard with construction adhesive and hold it in place with finish nails driven with a pneumatic air gun (figure A).
- Use construction adhesive and finish nails to install the chair rail and decorative cap.
- Install the crown-molding assembly: 1" x 6" oak topped with crown molding (figure B).
- Install the vertical pieces at the sides of the wall, and finish by framing the interior of each square with cove molding (figure C).
- When the wall is assembled, sand all surfaces with an orbital sander (figure D). Stain and finish as desired.
| 
)
)
)
)
)
