Wall panelling - timber

awec

Investigating doing something like this with a wall in the house:

I wasn't going to put sheets of MDF / ply on the wall, rather just have the flat parts as the existing plasterboard. Anyone see any issues with this?

Main question is, what sort of timber should I be using for the raised portions? It's obviously going to need to be perfectly straight. Is the only option here cut-down sheets of mdf?

standardg60

1.5x1.5 Pao battens would do the job, just get straight ones!

Screw them on rather than nail if fixing to plasterboard

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119902758#Comment_119902758

I was wondering about PAO, but how likely am I to find straight ones of this length? If it's easy enough this would definitely be easier than cutting down sheets.

My other worry is, will PAO warp over time, as it dries out or whatever?

What about knots etc?

standardg60

You'll always get straight ones if you're able to pick them out yourself, a slight bend is fine as you'll straighten them when fixing. They shouldn't warp if fixed along their length.

Assuming you're painting them knots will be covered.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119902808#Comment_119902808

The wall has metal studs, so I was considering just glueing them on, maybe just pin nailing to hold in place while it dries.

Do you think this would work with the PAO, particularly if any of them have a slight bend?

standardg60

Wouldn't know about gluing them on to be honest

The Continental Op

Have you looked at the trims they have in most builders merchants (think B&Q + Woodies also stock them). The trims are often ramin and hardwoods and normally include what I think is referred to as strip wood - just strips of wood with no special profile. In most cases they are dead straight and will hold their shape better than other planed four sides timber. They are however expensive.

A website with the same idea https://www.behr.com/colorfullybehr/decorate-your-statement-wall-with-trim-board-moulding/

Edit these are the sort of things that should be available https://richardburbidge.com/shop/mouldings/stripwoods

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119903185#Comment_119903185

Since the amount I’ll need is relatively little i wouldn’t mind paying a bit more for it.

If it saves me having to cut down sheets which would be pretty time consuming.

When it comes to painting, would it be ok to use wall Matte immulsion for all of it? Would that adhere to the wood ok and give a good finish?

The Continental Op

Prime it before you put it up? Although I think emulsion would be fine. Perhaps do an initial thinned down first coat as a primer. If any of the timber is hardwood then I'd be inclined to give it a primer coat of aluminum primer to seal it - thats just me a bit belt and braces :-)

Edit: Not sure aluminum primer is OK to top coat with emulsion so check that!

Bluefoam

What benefits do you see in sheeting out the wall... You could just plant on the battens and paint it all in, leaving the open spaces as existing plasterboard... Would be allot cheaper, cleaner... If you panel it out you'll have to coordinate your joints so that the sit behind a batten... Also the juxtopposed pattern you have selected will be difficult to achieve to a high standard without allot of careful preplanning...

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119909375#Comment_119909375

Yea I'm not going to sheet it out, I'll just batten onto the plasterboard.

I just wanted to make sure I wasn't overlooking some obvious gotcha doing it this way.

Lumen

Looks to me like a sharp square edge is an important part of the design.

Problem with a sharp edge is that it's vulnerable, so you may have difficulty with a softwood, but I'm guessing.

Interesting that in the first example the battens aren't all the same thickness, you can see the variations in shadow depth and steps at junctions.

Good luck!

awec

I think I've decided I'll just use these for handiness: Primed Stripwood 15Mmx44Mmx2400Mm Fsc | Woodie's (woodies.ie) or else Primed Stripwood 18Mmx36Mmx2400Mm Fsc | Woodie's (woodies.ie). Leaning toward the 18x36 as I prefer the narrower battens I think.

I won't need that many of them, so price isn't a massive issue.

I think what I'll do is make up a few jigs to ensure battens are perfectly parallel. In the top image, the gap between battens are not all uniform, in my case I think I'll have 3 or 4 different gap sizes rather than every single one being different, and just make a jig for each size to ensure that they're all completely square.

It also looks like they aren't fixed at a perfect 45degrees, which also makes it easier.

Lumen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119910649#Comment_119910649

It also looks like they aren't fixed at a perfect 45degrees, which also makes it easier.

45 degrees is the "ugly angle". Avoid!

The Continental Op

I can't find the protractor that should be on the shelf besides me but the angles look like 30 and 60 degrees (obviously with the wood joining at 90 degrees).

The Continental Op

I was just thinking about this and I wonder if there is any advantage to laying the whole thing out on the wall in masking tap? You'd obviously want to test it would come off easily without leaving a residue first but it might give you an idea of the best layout and quantities required before you start.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119914553#Comment_119914553

That's a great idea, cheers!

Klopp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119914624#Comment_119914624

If you're going to use tape, I would suggest using Frog Tape, it is low tack and won't pull the existing paint, unlike masking tape.

phormium

I just bought some of that Woodies primed stripwood last week, good straight nice stuff to work with, bought it for the strips in a radiator cabinet. Depending on your age or if you can bring someone with you there is 10% off for over 60s on Tuesday and Thursday, saved me a few bob!

chooseusername

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119911127#Comment_119911127

Battens are set at 30° to skirting by my calcs.

31.7° is the 'handsome angle'

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119918897#Comment_119918897

Think I'd stick with 30° as its easier to mark out. I'd probably cut out a big 30 60 90 degree triangle template to mark out and check the angles or buy a large school geometry version  https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07N678K61 although that might not be the ideal tool for setting out it can be used anywhere on the wall with a spirit level and will always give the correct angles. Cutting the angles where the battens hit the edges of the wall is also easier with 30°

Not sure how I'd mark this up on the wall? Probably a good idea to do the main part of the work before the battens go up so you have a flat area to work on. I'd consider marking in pencil the bottom edge of all the battens that will have others butted up against them. In awec's opening picture that would be the 60° batten behind the bed and the 30° one that the top battens go off at the top of the wall. Once that is done accurately then all the other joints are just butt joints at 90° and checked by measuring to check the are parallel to the others at the same angle.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119919121#Comment_119919121

I think there will be 1 batten that spans from the skirting to the ceiling, and my plan would be to do that one first. Once that's at the correct angle, I can work everything else off it.

I might build a triangle like you suggest out of a piece of mdf.

I don't have a mitre saw, and most mitre boxes only do 45 and 22.5 degrees, so I might pick up this: https://www.screwfix.ie/p/stanley-wood-metal-saw-block-22-560mm/118hj . Though I wonder, if I'm going to spend 80 quid on that would I be better spending the extra 20 and buying this mitre saw from Woodies? https://www.woodies.ie/evolution-f210cms-multi-purpose-compound-mitre-saw-210-mm-230v-1113659?objectId=45635&queryId=5072232c0053c6fa26a3c70d43a74086&indexName=prod_default_products

Other than that I think the key will be to go slow, as it'll be trickier than it looks given the need for it all to be parallel.

The Continental Op

For your job the hand one is massively better but much slower. The reason is "break out" the evolution will leave a mass of broken wood fibers sticking out of every cut, so will most power miter saws unless you put some scrap timber to cut through under each cut. The evolution has a slow cutting speed so it can handle some metal in the cut that with the low tooth count will exacerbate break out (aka tear out).

This might explain what I mean

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PsbGo3i20M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSSnNOuDc74

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119919456#Comment_119919456

I think I'd still get the power mitre, wouldn't mind putting scrap under every cut. Think I'd get more long term use out of it.

With this job, I think I can do it so all of my cuts are at the edges. Anywhere a batten meets another batten is always at 90degrees and I should be able to use the factory edge for this (provided it's good), and the cuts I make can all go where battens meet the ceiling, wall or skirting.

The Continental Op

That trim strip normally has good clean square edges. I think they use a guillotine on the ends of some of it rather than a saw.

awec

@The Continental Op would this be better than the Woodies one? https://www.screwfix.ie/p/titan-ttb794msw-210mm-electric-single-bevel-sliding-sliding-mitre-saw-240v/881kp . That one slides too, but it only seems to lock at 15/30/45.

Or even this which seems quite cheap:

https://www.screwfix.ie/p/titan-ttb795msw-210mm-electric-single-bevel-compound-mitre-saw-240v/149kp

I looked at hiring one, would cost me just as much to hire one for a day or 2 as it would to buy it!

chooseusername

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119920535#Comment_119920535

You can set it to any angle, just tighten the yellow hand screw at whatever angle you need, the scale is usually marked in 1mm angles. The most common angles 0°, 15°, 30°, 45° are quick-set.

I can't advise on either the Woodies or the Screwfix ones, but the quality of your blade is the important thing.

Also you'll need to calibrate it accurately before use

The Continental Op

I buy expensive tools at the drop of a hat so I'm not a good person to advise.

I think either of the Titans would be OK but as above you need to calibrate before use. Some of the cheaper ones can be out on the 90 degree stop which is a pain if you don't spot it. Not sure there is much you can do about it except allow for it when you chose the angle and fudge it a bit. Most have an adjustment but I've not found any on the cheaper ones I've had. But there is another problem I'm hypercritical and what some wouldn't notice would drive me up the wall.

If your square ends are only a fraction of a degree out and you make the butt joint flush a 2meter length is going to be a good few cm out at the far end in the 90 angle isn't cut right. For that reason don't even use that as a way of setting out. Instead check the angle up the wall is correct and that the piece is parallel to the next piece that runs in the same direction and check with a set square on the join. If you have small gaps on one side of a butt joint you won't see it once its painted.

I use a small one identical to the smaller titan daily and its OK but I know its imperfections. Mostly I use it for cutting firewood (today I'm cutting up and old piano). I personally would go for the more expensive bigger titan. A blade with more teeth would be nice but the cost is prohibitive, probably more than the cost of the saw. With a timber backing to prevent tear out either will be OK if you can calibrate them for 90 degrees. Just cut the biggest piece of wood you can find at 90 degrees then check with a square. If you lucky it will be bang on otherwise you have a start to work out how to adjust it.

bamayang

Not the same as what your doing, but might be worth watching.

https://youtu.be/ae5Or7pXrPI