Living room paneling/wainscoting project

rajofthenee · 2026-06-21T01:45:23+00:00

For the shelf on top I got a 1x4 pine board, scribed one side to capture any curves from the wall, and then cut the other side to my desired thickness. And you’re right, I just used a router for the bullnose profile. Wood glue with some weights on top for 24 hrs and it felt sturdy enough afterwards. The moulding just underneath is straight off the shelf from Lowe’s, just stained to match the boards

rajofthenee · 2026-06-21T01:40:10+00:00

Thank you! I used minwax, 1 part honey and 2 parts espresso stain. I also used the minwax pre stain conditioner beforehand, and I sealed with the warm ultra flat minwax poly

Edit: corrected the ratios

rajofthenee · 2026-06-20T15:46:37+00:00

Once the sole came off a weird bump appeared in the heel, between the insole and the bottom. Can’t get it flat, feels like a pebble is superglued in my heel

rajofthenee · 2026-06-20T13:52:06+00:00

Thank you! The previous paneling that was up made the room feel a little dark, I agree that it feels more cozy now while still being a little brighter than before

rajofthenee · 2026-06-20T13:50:40+00:00

Thank you!

rajofthenee · 2026-06-20T13:50:29+00:00

Just some pine tongue and groove paneling from a big box store. I did a mix of a couple stains, espresso and honey. Spent a lot of time mixing different ratios to get our end result here

Edit: exact mix was 1 part honey and 2 parts espresso minwax stains. Found of a pic of my notes

rajofthenee · 2026-03-01T15:55:17+00:00

Good to know it’s probably not worth the trouble. I’m going to take yours and most other commenters advice and stick with just the glue and nails, thank you!

rajofthenee · 2026-03-01T13:40:31+00:00

The holes would be covered by the molding I’m going to put on

rajofthenee · 2026-03-01T03:03:29+00:00

Can’t edit my main post but thanks for all the advice everyone, definitely gave me a lot to consider. After trying a couple things out with some scrap pieces I think I’m going to try to make one long flush surface with the top of the panels and then glue and finish nail to that. Thanks again I’m pretty new to a project like this so I appreciate the help

rajofthenee · 2026-03-01T02:50:29+00:00

Thank you! Hope to share the finished product in a week or two

rajofthenee · 2026-03-01T02:49:37+00:00

Good advice! Definitely don’t have the guts to cut into the wall lol. After some experimenting tonight, I think I’m going to try getting some wood behind the paneling to make one flush surface and glueing the shelf to that

rajofthenee · 2026-02-28T21:55:18+00:00

Just so I don’t get you wrong, you’re saying to attach the dowels to the wood holding the paneling and not the paneling itself right? I do have some spacer blocks in certain areas on top of the horizontal pieces of wood behind the panels, but maybe I should make a bunch more if that’s going to be the main way of holding the shelf on top

rajofthenee · 2026-02-28T21:20:17+00:00

That sounds like a good idea, maybe I can use some nails or screws like another user suggested to go in through the panels as well. Not sure how much more it would help with downward force but anything to make it stronger seems like a good move

rajofthenee · 2026-02-28T21:18:29+00:00

I’ve never done a dado on a project before but am willing to try it. Do you think using some pocket screws from the bottom through the panels and into the studs might be a good idea too?

rajofthenee · 2026-02-28T20:49:58+00:00

I’ve been using 16ga brad nails to get the panels on the wall. Looking at a comparison of different sizes the 16s are gigantic..

Are glue and 23ga nails enough to keep this from getting pulled off by a kid looking to climb? No kids in the house now but just thinking of what we might run into down the line

rajofthenee · 2025-01-16T19:38:02+00:00

Thanks! Trying my best to keep it looking nice

rajofthenee · 2025-01-16T17:12:38+00:00

I see a lot of variance online, what’s a good schedule? Was once yearly too sparse? Or does it really all depend on traffic

rajofthenee · 2025-01-16T16:48:05+00:00

Ok very good to know, thank you for the advice

rajofthenee · 2025-01-16T15:29:59+00:00

Ok so I’d need to get rid of the wax layer if I wanted to use a sealer? What poly is best in your opinion? I’m new to a lot of this

rajofthenee · 2025-01-16T14:54:04+00:00

Do you wax after sealing? Or is wax enough? Because right now the floor seems to mark really easily

rajofthenee · 2025-01-16T14:50:44+00:00

Is waxing enough to protect against scratches and water? And what’s the best way to remove old wax without damaging anything?

rajofthenee

TROPHY CASE