Paneling at the Winchester House.
Wall paneling is a way to instantly dress up a room and add character. Wall paneling varies from wainscoting to detailed panels in expensive woods. The style selected can reflect the period, the location, and the preferences of the homeowner. Paneling adds value and offers opportunities to bring additional color and texture into the room.
Instructions
1. Measure the wall where the paneling will be installed. Draw the wall dimensions on the graph paper at a scale of ½-inch equals one foot. Note the location of any outlets, sconces, vents, doors, windows or other interruptions of the wall. Often entire rooms are paneled at the same time, and these adjoining walls visually relate to each other. Draw each wall on its own sheet of graph paper.
2. Determine the function of the wall paneling. Some paneling is used in areas vulnerable to being scuffed or dented such as a mudroom, staircase or below the chair rail in the dining room. This type of paneling should be of a durable material that will hold up well (such as wainscoting). Some paneling is used in combination with built-in bookcases. This type of paneling should provide a consistent appearance with the built-in.
3. Match existing styles (such as with built-in bookcases). While paneling does not need to be the same exact width of cabinet panels it should feel consistent in height and shape. This is accomplished by using the same finishes and staying in the same pattern. Panels look good when they are symmetrically positioned with even spacing between the trim elements.
4. Design a room's paneled walls by considering the location of interruptions that won't be moved. Often, vents, doors, niches or fireplaces establish parameters for the paneling. With vents (that you want to hide) design the paneling to include the vent. Try to keep such vents away from the trim areas of the paneling. Base your design on the limitations of the space first and then determine a regular panel shape that will balance the remainder of the room. Your panel may run slightly higher in the room to integrate a vent or you may have a narrow panel to one side of a door while the other side of the door has much wider panels at the same height as the narrow panel.
5. Calculate the finished width and gap between panels by finding the width that will work the best in the majority of the space. With completely blank walls try to fit the panels from the center out so that the wall of panels is balanced to itself. Slight variations in spacing from one wall to the next can look fine if the variation is less than an inch and if the finished design doesn't create panel orphans. (A panel orphan is an oddly narrow panel near the corner.) Draw the panel designs out on the graph paper for each wall to check the finished appearance.
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