Make a Statement with Wooden Cladding

Have you run out of colours for your walls? Don’t have enough pictures to fill the plain, empty space? Or are you moving into a new property, and want to get it right? If any of these sounds like you, then it might be time to consider decorating your interior with wood cladding.

Why choose wood cladding? Wood cladding comes in so many different shapes and styles that you will be able to find a way to fit it in with your decor. On top of this, it is an understated yet classy look that brings character to any home. If you don’t want to cover all of your walls in wood, then the cladding would still look good on one wall, or even just part of a wall. This allows you to vary your walls, so that the house doesn’t become monotonous. Another benefit of wood cladding is that it does not scuff or mark as easily as plaster and paint, meaning that the walls will require less maintenance. The engineered finish, which consists of multiple thinner wooden layers being covered by a layer of solid hardwood, provides a longer life than other wall types might have. The biggest downside of using an engineered finish for a hardwood floor is that it can only be refinished a finite number of times, but this is less of an issue when used as a wall cladding, as you will not be walking on the walls quite as much! Adding cladding to your home When it comes to putting cladding on your walls, there are a number of things to consider, to make sure that your new wall will look the best that it possibly can. Where? Before you install your new cladding, you need to decide where you are going to put it. Some things to consider at this stage; which walls do you want to put pictures on, do you have a hardwood floor, and of course where will it look best? If you already have a hardwood floor, then don’t dismiss wood cladding out of hand. The two can still look good together, as long as the styles and colours are complementary.

If you need some ideas, wood cladding can be used in the bedroom, as an extended headboard, or in the kitchen, along with some wooden furnishings. Of course, it is so versatile that you can use it anywhere, as long as you have a good balance.

What?

Now that you know where you want to use your wood wall cladding, You need to decide what style you want to use. At this stage of the process, you should also be deciding how much wood cladding you want. Do you want it to form the basis of most of your walls, or are you planning to use it to break up the room, and add a new feature?

This is really down to personal preference, but we have some suggestions if you all you know at this point is that you want some wood cladding in your house. You may want to use it to cover a whole wall, if you want a clear wall that is not as plain as a painted one. If you were to go down the more formal route, then you could use some would cladding in a study, between two bookshelves, as a smarter looking section of wall that lifts the whole room.

Another possibility is to use wood cladding on the back of kitchen counters. This lets you use the cladding as stylistic feature, without being overbearing.

Knowing what kind of wood cladding you want is only part of the planning, as you also need to decide what style you want to go for. Of course, being wood there are no pinks or yellows, but there are still a number of different variations to choose from. You will want a style that complements the rest of the room, but that doesn’t mean it has to be the plainest design - your walls can still add to the room.

You can also get wood cladding with differing designs. Those with thinner sections can look very smart, but too much can look overly ordered, whereas wider lines can look more natural, especially if you are planning to use a lot of cladding.

How?

Now that you have the planning out of the way, you can get down to the finer details, such as orientation. Much like hardwood flooring, wood cladding has many straight lines in it. While this does make details like orientation more important than if it were a blank canvas, it also means that the cladding can be integrated into your house seamlessly (in a manner of speaking).

When adding the cladding, you have two choices; you can either place it horizontally or vertically. If the cladding is being placed in a room with a wooden floor, then you may want to place the cladding so that it is a continuation of the floor, aligning the seams so that it is a smooth transition from one to the other.

If you are going to decorate multiple walls in the same room, then it might be an idea to alternate between horizontal and vertical, just to break things up a bit. Should your house have exterior wood cladding, then opting for an interior design that is similar to the exterior can create a nice flow. However you choose to do it, adding interior wall cladding to your house will give it a ‘wow’ factor. Friends and family alike will start wondering if they should follow your lead, as you transform your house from a living space, into a home. If you're keen to reinvigorate your living spaces with some warm and contemporary wood cladding, get in touch with the hardwood experts at Hardwood Floor Store, and find out which style and design would work best with your space. ASK US FOR ADVICE