I am thinking of panelling my living/dining area. I live in a townhouse. I am going more for a sleek Art Deco look than a rustic pine panelling look & have tried to attach a photo to this post of the general panelling look that I like.
1) Anyone know if there is a traditional (satin or gloss) finish for this type of Art Deco panelling look?
2) With respect to a cured finish’s flammability & toxicity, are there any panelling finishes that should be avoided? Any that are obvious better choices than others? Do building codes generally regulate this? (Obviously building codes vary by region.) Is an oil finish more of a fire accelerant than a polyurethane once cured? What type of substrates should be used or avoided? Presume 1/4″ MDF wouldn’t present a fire/toxicity problem?
Basically, I want to avoid lining my living/dining area with a death trap that could quickly go up in flames & spew toxic fumes that kill me before I can escape. Hopefully there is a way to do the panelling without increasing the hazard over (and decreasing the fire rating of) what you get with drywall.
THANKS IN ADVANCE TO ALL!
Replies
Homer,
Man that paneling is beautiful! Architects have access to materials that mere mortals just dream about.
I don't think you need to worry about the flammability of cured finishes. Once an evaporative finish has dried, or a reactive finish has hardened, they're not a fire hazard.
But the substrate on which you mount them may be. And if you're going to use MDF, you may have formaldehyde fumes to worry about. I'd use plywood. The paneling's finish in the picture looks like semigloss, but it's hard to tell.
Making paneling is quite a project! Do you have the facilities to veneer the expanse of surface area that you're contemplating? Why not get it already made (like the architect who designed that elevator lobby did)?
Rich
Edited 7/6/2002 9:45:05 PM ET by Rich Rose
Yes, I think I have adequate (but not huge) studio space for the panelling project. I would probably do the veneering myself just because I love woodworking & love the challenge & learning experience (and hours of frustration no doubt) that this project would bring. I am just a hobbiest so I can take as long as I need. I would imagine it would bring a massive amount of self-satisfaction.
It isn't a project I'm going to do immediately. I have to sort of warm up to projects & get them all sorted out in my head (ie: what finish, substrate, etc) before I even start to put designs down on paper.
I know panelling is a pretty minor thing in the scheme of things, but if anybody knows of any current books, articles, web sites, etc on the subject, I would love to know about them.
Thanks for your info Rich!
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