Wood Panels and Wood By-products as Wall Covering

Of course, it should come as no surprise that wood is a popular flooring material. Hardwood is classic beneath our feet and used alongside an abundance of home decor styles.

Since wood is such a timeless option, have you ever considered it for other surfaces around the home? We ask because we’ve noticed both wood and its by-products are on-trend, but instead of on floors they’re used as wall coverings.

If you’re looking to create a room that is warm and cozy, consider including wood as one of the central materials. Wood adds plenty of charm to a home and is very flexible in terms of textures, colours and designs. This article will offer information about the different wood products as well as their pros and cons when used on walls.

Wallcovering inspirations: wood & its by-products!

A long history of wood on walls

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Wood has long been used as a material for the structure of a home, both on interior and exterior. In early colonial times, wood was used as an interior surface. Boards were often nailed vertically, with decorative beads along the edges.  In rustic homes, wood was used as flat-backed cladding similar to that on the outside of a house. During the Victorian era, factory millwork became accessible and thus, beaded boards were often found in kitchens and bathrooms.

As we mentioned, wood on walls in back in style. We’re going to cover a few of the popular options on the market as well as if they’re right for your household.

Wood panels: a beautiful way to give that rustic charm to your walls

As with flooring, wood panelling allows you to choose the essence of the wood as well as the finish: varnished or not, lacquered and so forth. Depending on the finish you choose, it’s also possible to paint the material as suited to your tastes. In other instances, you will have access to different design options through fibre-based by-products.

Many types of wall coverings are made of wood. Not to mention, they are made using different types of wood, among these include hardwood or engineered wood. On top of this, all wooden materials used for flooring can also be employed on walls.

Shiplap

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These are slats or wood panels that are arguably the most popular type of wood wall covering, as they offer the famous “shiplap” look. This style of wall panel is excellent because there are so many options to choose from on the style front. Shiplap panels can be super minimal or decorative, depending on your taste and decor. Drop siding is a common type of shiplap, one that has moved its way from exterior to interior. Shiplap that is both refined and modern, and are fairly easy to install even for the novice renovator!

Beadboard

Beadboard is a classic and sophisticated look. This style is a wide strip of wood with a beaded edge. Although they traditionally snapped together to give the illusion of a continuous wall covering, this style wall covering is now sold in wide sheets to save on installation time.

V-Groove

This style plank was a common cladding in colonial-era homes. However, the look of natural wood was often masked and finished with matte-style paint. When installed, they form a V-shape where their joints come together, hence the name. This style of wall covering is still cherished today for its elegant simplicity.

Rustic planking

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This style is inherent in the name and can be anything from common lumber, pallet wood or salvaged materials. When installing a non-traditional material on the interior walls of your home, we would suggest painting a dark colour. This will help hide imperfections, as the boards themselves may not slide in together perfectly.

Wood by-products

If you like the look of wood but can’t seem to find anything in your price range or you’ve thought about water damage, we’d suggest wood by-products.

Fibre products

Wood fibre panels mimic the look of wood but can be glued to a hard surface, usually plywood. This material is excellent because there are a wide variety of textures, colours and shapes available on the market. Thus, most homeowners will be able to find something that suits them and their décor types.

Cork

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Cork is a green-friendly product that is starting to be used more widely in home decor. It’s soft and beautiful, taken from the cork oak tree. This sustainable material is either sold in the form of a roll, panels or slabs. As it’s not as widely used as some of the other materials on the list, it’s still quite original. As a bonus, it has good soundproofing and thermal insulation properties. We’d say a downfall of this material is that it’s more complicated to install.

Installation

As a wall covering, wood and its by-products are resistant and easy to maintain. When it comes to installing wall panelling, we’re either talking about slabs, panels or wall planks. In most cases, the instructions will be rather similar to that of a floor. However, certain other materials such as wall panels with mouldings, cork and certain wood fibre products, the process will be more or less complicated, depending on the chosen material including but not limited to: type, shape, thickness, etc.

However, in some cases, the installation process can be quite complicated. On top of this, certain wood products are not resistant against humidity, thus they can expand as a result of the temperature. Moreover, even though wood and its by-products are quite affordable, prices vary a lot depending on the type of material that you’ve chosen. This will come down to essence, colour, shape, etc. As mentioned, a product made of wood fibre or recycled will be much less expensive than new hardwood cladding.

However, we hope this article has shown there is an available style on the market to suit the tastes and budget of just about everyone!