I’m refinishing a room in a 90-year old house, and wondering about the type of paneling the builders used. The style seems to be common in buildings from the early 20th century, especially in public buildings - Court houses, schools, old wooden churches, grange halls and the like. It seems to be in 16 or 24- inch sheets, but is milled to look like narrow (about 1-1/2 inch) strips, always laid vertically. Picshere
Does anyone recognize this particular style of millwork, and does it have a name? It is so ubiquitous in old buildings that it must have been as common as sheetrock at one time, but I have never seen it used in recent construction.
I can see why it is no longer in common use… those odd little rounds in some of the grooves make it the very devil to strip and refinish.
SS
That looks like “Bead-Board”.
Usually 3 1/2 wide with a bead milled down the center.
I’m not sure what makes you think it’s 16 - 24 wide, unless pieces are stuck together with finish or paint.
You can still buy it. Plywood and paneling is also available that is milled to look like bead board.
Yeahup…that’s it. Many thanks. I suppose the “bead” is that annoying little round in the grooves that is making me cross-eyed trying to get all the old paint off. And the stuff is very soft, which makes scraping a very delicate process. And the room is cold, which makes the chemical stripper less effective. A steel brush gouges the wood, and a sander won’t reach into the grooves…[sigh]
Anyone had experience refinishing the stuff, or know any handy dandy tricks?
SS
I’m trying to clean and finish it in situ so haven’t pulled any of it down to see what it’s really like. I could discern some small gaps between some of the pieces which lead me to believe it might be milled sheets made to fit 16 or 24 inch stud spacing, but I think you’re right…it probably is individual pieces with the old paint hiding most of the seams.
Is it paint or varnish? I don’t know about the US, but caustic soda is very effective at removing the varnish typically used over here in the Victorian/Edwardian times.
Yes. We’re trying to retain as much of the original construction as possible. The intent is to remove the (very) old paint and refinish the natural wood. Replacement in kind may be the final answer, but would prefer to keep what’s there, if possible.
Try using a wire brush made with brass bristles instead of steel, or a really stiff nylon brush. Think oversized tooth brush. Look in the dollar store for scrub brushes in the section with cleaning supplies. Cheaper than a hardware store, get several, they die fast.
Your fingers will hate it but abrasive pads are another idea for stubborn spots.
One thing about chemical strippers I’ve found is let them soak in. And several applications.
Lots of time and inch by inch it will look great when you’re done.
Last ditch and not for the feint of heart is a torch to soften the finish and a stiff brush. I did a 150 year old door like this, the details in the moulding and carvings are jaw dropping. Again inch by inch. Stinks like hell, could take years off your life if it’s lead paint and the obvious danger of replacing it anyways after you burned the house to the ground.
