Installing bead board wainscoting on your walls is a great way to hide a multitude of problems such as cracked plaster, damaged drywall or just plain old drab walls. It will not only cover the ugly imperfections in the wall, but it will also give them a neat new look. Bead board is lightweight and easy to work with, too.
Materials
bead board paneling
paintbrush
primer
paint
broom
caulking gun with construction adhesive and latex caulk
wood glue
measuring tape
pencil
scraper
finishing nails
hammer
nail set
level
straight edge
circular saw
scrap block
chair rail
L-shaped corner trim
quarter-round molding
miter box and hand saw or miter saw
safety glasses
- Prep your walls by scraping off any rough edges of paint, plaster, construction adhesive or loose or peeling wallpaper. Recess any nails all the way into the wall, and brush away any debris. Be sure to wear safety glasses while scraping the walls.
- The height of your bead board you use is up to you; 32" or 48" is about average and will prevent waste when cutting individual pieces from the boards. Most boards come in 4'x8' panels; one panel will provide three 32" or two 48" pieces, each 4' wide. Remember that most but not all bead board panels have vertical beads; consider this when you are making your measurements. After you decide how high you want your board to reach, measure the perimeter of the room. These figures will determine how much board you need to buy.
- Prime the boards before you begin.
- Transfer your measurements onto the board and make your cuts. Remember to wear safety glasses. If you cut your bead board with a handsaw, cut with the front facing up. If you use a circular saw, place the board face-down. This will prevent splintering, which can damage the face of the boards. Note that one edge of the board has a bead and one side does not. Keep this in mind when cutting smaller pieces to fit your walls so your pieces will fit together consistently.
- Dry-fit the pieces in place and check that they are level. The first piece you install should be in an inconspicuous corner.
- Apply several beads of construction adhesive to the back of the first board ( figure A).
- Press the board onto the wall. Tap the board in place using a hammer and a tapping block (figure B).
- Pull the board away from the wall, and hold it for about 30 seconds (figure C). Then press the board back into place and secure it with the tapping block. This method will ensure the adhesive holds well.
- Secure the board further with finishing nails. Recess the nail heads with a nail set.
- Continue this process around the room until all the pieces are installed. Carefully butt the edges of the boards together for a snug fit.
- Pre-paint the chair rail and miter the corners using a hand saw and miter box or a miter saw. Remember to wear safety glasses while sawing.
- Install the chair rail along the top edge of the bead board using construction adhesive. Use wood glue on the corner joints for a tighter fit. Then further secure the chair rail with finishing nails and recess the heads with a nail set.
- To finish the corners in your room, install L-shaped trim pieces on the outside corners and quarter-round trim on the inside corners (figure D). Pre-paint these pieces and install them with construction adhesive and finishing nails.
- Mask off the walls with painter's tape and caulk all the gaps and joints.
- Allow the caulk to dry and apply a final coat of paint to the chair rail, corner pieces and bead board.
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