Wood on Walls

Q: How can I create that dark, rich wood look? I’d like to install some wood on the walls of my office to create a sectioned panel them, like you find in old home libraries. I’ll eventually also build shelving. What can I do to figure out how to get the appearance I want? I’ve seen some nicely appointed rooms in magazines, but I’m stumped on how to actually do the work.

A: I like the dark, old-library-look too. The best way to start is with a base of 1/2-inch thick hardwood-veneered plywood fastened to the walls. Cherry is a wonderfully rich wood that's great for this application It darkens to a reddish brown colour with exposure to the light. Fasten this paneling with screws located in places you'll be covering later with the solid wood trim that will create the paneled appearance. The main thing is to prepare scale drawings before you begin. This is the only way you're going to home in on the results you want. It'll take time, but you'll be able to proceed with confidence once you’re done. An architect’s ruler has many different scale graduations on each side, making proportional drawings easier to create accurately. Think of the entire job like building furniture that’s attached to your walls. Polymerized tung oil or Minwax’s Wipe-On Poly both do a particularly good job on cherry.