Installing Paneling
Find the studs. Studs are usually spaced 16 inches from center to center, so measure over from the corner to find the first one. Pinpoint its location with a stud finder or by driving a nail through the wall until you hit the solid stud, and mark the spot. Measure over to find the next stud, pinpoint and mark it also. When you have found all the studs, snap vertical chalk lines along the center of each.
Put the first panel against the wall in the corner. Have a helper check with a level and help you hold the panel plumb. If any gaps more that 1/4 inch occur between the wall and panel, you will have to cut the contour of the wall into the panel by scribing. Paneling on the adjacent wall will cover any smaller gaps.
To scribe a panel, set a compass to a distance equal to the largest gap. Trace along the wall with the pointed end of the compass while drawing a line on the panel with the compass pencil.
Cut along the line with a saber saw. Most saber saw blades cut on the upstroke, which can splinter the panel, so use a blade designed for plastic laminates that cuts on the downstroke. Put the panel back on the wall to see how it fits. Use a fine-tooth file to make any minor adjustments.
After you have cut eh scribed line, check the fit. If the unscribed edge is not centered over a stud to allow for nailing, cut it to fit. Measure and mark the cut on the back of the pane to minimize splintering. Make the cut with a circular saw equipped with a fine tooth panel-cutting blade and a straightedge. Leave a 1/4 inch gap for expansion at both the ceiling and floor. You may have to cut the panel to allow for the gap.
Panels expand and contract with changes in humidity. To cover gaps that may appear, paint the wall behind the seam between panels with a strip of color that matches the grooves in the panel. To allow for expansion, use quarters on edge as spacers between panels when putting them up.
Panels must be held in place by nails and construction adhesive. Run adhesive in a zigzag pattern between the studs and around the perimeter on the back of the panels also.
Put the panel on the wall and double check to make sure it is plumb. Nail it to the wall with 1 1/2 inch paneling nails colored to match the paneling. Space the nails 6 inches apart along the panes edges. Space them 12 inches apart on the studs in between. hang the remaining panels the same way, using quarters as spacers to create a gap between them.
When you come to an outlet, hold the panel next to it, and mark the panel at the outlet box's upper and lower edge. Snap a line at each mark across the face of the board. Then measure the distance between the outlet and the last panel you installed. Measure this distance along each chalk line, and put a mark. Repeat for the other side of the outlet. Connect the marks to outline the outlet.
To cut out for the outlet drill a 1/2 inch diameter hole at each corner of the outline. Slip a plastic laminate blade mounted on a saber saw through one of the holes. Cut along the lines to remove excess.
Turn off the power and unscrew the outlet from it's box only, not form the wires. Feed the outlet through the opening in the panel, and glue and nail the panel to the wall. Reattach the outlet. Before you tighten the screws, slip an extension ring over the outlet. This keep the outlet flush with paneling, it's required by fire code.
At doors and windows trim the panel so the seam is midway over the opening. Then lay out the window cut the same way you laid out the outlet cuts. Make the cuts that begin at the edge of the panel first. Clamp the cutoff jig along the interior cut when you are finished.
Set the blade to cut about 3/8 inch deep. Put the nose of the saw on the panel, hold the heel up so the blade clears the wood. Keep the side of the saw on the jig. Pull the guard back, start the saw, and gently lower the back onto the panel. Stop the cut 1/2 inch short of your earlier cut and finish with hand.
