Panelling is kind of like flooring, in that if you want it to remain stable and look good for years to come, you’re going to have to install it over a stable substrate.

In most cases, the best substrate choice for panelling is regular drywall. Now, you may question, why go through the hassle of installing drywall, when its future is to simply be covered up? Essentially, a person could just save a step and the expense of panelling, and just paint the drywall.

Perhaps, but you presumably chose to go with panelling for a reason, with this reason most likely being that you were fed up with the look of drywall, at least for this application.

So, with drywall not being an option for finishing, it’s still a really good option for a substrate.

The key selling points to drywall as a panelling substrate are that it has a smooth finish, it’s easy to cut, easy to install, and at half the price of plywood, is a pretty good value. Although you will be required to prime the drywall in order to create the best surface for glue adhesion, mudding and the taping of the drywall joints, arguably the most onerous task in working with drywall, won’t be necessary.

Why do we need to glue panelling? Because panelling, whether constructed of Masonite, hardboard, MDF, or real wood, is like my grandson and his buddies at daycare— lots of movement with no real consistency in regards to direction or strategy. Upon reflection, the same inconsistency of direction and strategy found at my Tuesday old-timer hockey night.

So, I guess one could say, without glue to hold something in place, the unpredictability of movement, whether it be a three-year-old, 65-year-old, or sheet of Masonite panelling, is going to be a naturally occurring phenomena.

Although atmospheric conditions related to humidity can affect panelling in various manners, 4×8 sheets of panelling usually tend to expand, which is most noticeable by panelling that warps or buckles. On the other hand, real wood plank-style panelling tends to shrink, leaving those unattractive gaps in between the joints.

So, because 4×8 sheet panelling tends to expand, we never install the sheets tightly, and always provide a eighth-inch expansion gap where one sheet butts up against another, and a half-inch space where the sheets meet the floor and wall. The gap provided between the sheets can be bridged by a bead of caulking, while the space at the floor and ceiling areas can be hidden under your chosen trim board.

Because real wood panelling tends to shrink on its width, and because the tongue ‘n’ groove strategy is machined in a manner that allows for a snug fit, we always install them tightly together. Although wood plank panelling usually shrinks, and becomes narrower, it can expand lengthwise. So, we generally leave a bit of expansion space at the end of each plank, just in case.

Again, these expansion joints can be hidden by a decorative or finishing molding.

Besides glue, and of course nails, the best thing you can do for your plank or sheet panelling is provide it with a stable environment.

First, and following the same strategy of flooring, be sure to acclimatize your plank or 4×8 sheet panelling by letting it sit in the room where it’s to be installed for at least three days. Install your drywall substrate over 2×4 walls that are framed at every 16 inches on centre. Forget mudding and taping the joints, but don’t skip the primer. The primer seals the drywall paper, and will provide a great surface for your wood adhesive to stick to.

Using a wood glue dispensable by caulking tube, draw a line around the perimeter of your 4×8 sheet of panelling, then add several S- shaped beads of glue down the centre portion of the sheet.

Set the sheet onto the drywall (use a spacer on the floor to rest the sheet on), then nail into position.

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