Friends:
In as much as I have a large quantity 12-to 15 inch 4/4 white oak cut on my parents property and now milled and dry, I am planning to panel my entry hall with raised panels. The boards are all about 10 ft long so I can make the panels as tall as I might wish. However, I don’t know anything about the proportions for panels or for the styles.
As the next room has wainscoting up to chair-rail level, I have been thinking about having these panels come off a base board and top out with a chair rail — and from the chair rail, either run to the crown moulding, or have a third set of smallish panels just below the crown.
The question is, though, how wide the styles and what poportions for the panels?
Any rules of thumb or guidance to be offered?
Joe
Replies
Joe
What I would recommend to you is what I have done with folks who just don't know how they want to do the stiles and rails without knowing how big they want the raised panels:
Go to the big box and get some 1/2 mdf and a sheet of 3/4mdf. You can cut rails and stiles, put a quartr round on the frame members, cut the panel to your liking and fit a few out.
When I do stair cases, I like to show the customer the look of the angled design going up the staircase. Seeing the dimensions really helps. It doesn't take long and you can see exactly what you like at a very low cost.
good luck
dan
Interesting idea. Thanks.Joe
The advice so far I second, nothing works better for me than a full scale model..
joe if you are still undecided as you think of the angle of the panel and how much revel you want, maybe looking at some cutters will give you an idea?
You can check Amana and CMT. They have raised panel cutters for the router and shaper. I had to get one for a Lonnie Bird bookcase I was building. It cut a nice profile.
dan
Joe,
You ought to be able to find some books at your library that show interiors of 18th century homes. Many of these had rooms with raised panelled walls.
I have a book called The Golden Treasury of Early American Homes, by Richard Pratt, which has several pictures of pannelled interiors, I'm sure you can find others, that will give you some idea of the scale and proportions involved.
Wallace Nutting's Furniture Treasury has a few room interiors pictured, esp in the corner cupboard section.
Ray
Aha -- good idea. I have Nutting here in my library. I have looked through other books, but the pictures of paneling so far have nee inadequate -- pix of something else with the paneling at an eye-fooling angle and so forth. I think earlier poster's idea about a model is good, but I'd like some dimensional ideas to start with. It would make life easier.I may also post this over at FHB and see what they say.Joe
Joe,
The Sept/Oct issue of FWW, #66 has an article on Wall Paneling by Graham Blackburn - General application and design principles. There is also some information in the book Finish Carpentry from the editors of Fine Homebuilding that cover wainscotting.
Regards, Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob,
That article does not appear to be on the web site in either the paid or free areas and the back issue is not available. Do you know of any other source? I have been thinking of paneling my office.
Chris
Let me see if I can help you with the article.
In the meantime you might be able to find a Taunton book entitled Finish Carpentry from Fine Homebuilding. It has become an invaluable reference for me over the years as it covers a lot of ground. There is an excellent section on Paneling in it as well as a host of other interesting topics. I'm certain I've seen it in the library.
Might also want to have a look over on the Fine Homebuilding WEBsite also. Breaktime may be a good source of info. too.
Edit: I almost forgot to add that the article I mentioned is on the Archive Collection DVD too.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 7/21/2009 8:15 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
Thanks Bob. I have that Finish Carpentry book (although I think someone borrowed it) and it is indeed an excellent reference. One of the best books on trimming out rooms I have found, both for design ideas and for construction techniques. But there is always more to learn...
Chris
Joe, since did call all of us your "Friends" and since my mom taught me that friends share. I will be over my Pick Me UP Truck and help you with this wood situation you have....
I did a quick Google search and here are some sites that come up some Piktures of paneled rooms etc.
http://www.columbusmillwork.com/paneling-systems.php
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,216493,00.html
http://wainscoting.elitecrownmoldings.com/
Plus I am sure there is a ton of info over at Fine Homebuilding... Don't spend much time there, but I would definately do some searching.
AZMO
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Thanks to all for the suggestions, and also for the offer of help in disposing of my wood. I must gratefully decline the latter...I subscribe to FHB, too, and have searched over there. They have a fair amount about wainscoting, but very little about full paneling -- especially with solid wood.Joe
Joe,
I think if you look in this months FHB, in the projects section, there is a remodel where a pine paneled room was removed in order to provide a MDF panel wainscoating and then venitian plaster above. I mention this, and I sent you some links to some photos of other settings, so you might think about the ultimate look...
The only places I have really enjoyed full wood on the walls is in the home office. In those cases there are lots of books on the walls, that add color and depth to the room. A living room, done in natural wood can be overpowering, and other fine pieces of furniture get lost. No contrast. If you think about how to frame a picture, the matting is more often a compliment and not the main attraction.
So before you go out and panel an 8 ft wall with natural oak, do some visualization of the space....
If you do the panels, they will need a surrounding mullion. The panels can be glued to the wall with liquid nails and a few brads in the center. Apply the mullions around them with a rabbit to overlap. Apply addtional trim over the top for a profile you like.
Morgan <!----><!----><!---->
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Joe,
Try using the terms "quarter paneled room" or "coffered ceiling" in your searches. Both should give you some examples of relative proportions. One of the classic proportions is 1/3 room height for the base panels with balance equally devisable into the original panel size, but in all cases keeping the total number of panels from floor to ceiling in an odd number. It sounds worse than it is. This is for a main room. An example would be the smoking/billiards room at Biltmore estate(shows the panel segregation, although they are not raised panels). A transition room, such as a hallway passage would normally scale at equal panels from foot to crown or a 2/3rd height panel with plaster to crown for balance.Can't point you to a source - just the rules I learned when I did that some of it way back when.
The billiard room photo: It's small but behind the 4 small similar sized photos near the center was the secret door.
Joe,
"Construction of American Furniture Treasures", Lester Margon, A.I.D., Dover Press, 1975, has a measured dwg. of a paneled room (including ceiling).
Construction methods are also discussed.
Pete
These are the proportions I try very hard to stick very close to when doing this type of work. I have had good results, and happy customers.
I almost always use 5" width for rails and stiles, or close enough.
Panel height is 1.6 X width. (think golden triangle). Keeping these proportions close will always result in very good, eye appealing results.
Some quick math using the width of the room as your guide should quickly allow you to hone in on the proper dimensions for the raised panels, and you can adjust the width of the stiles by 1/8" to 1/4" to get things properly adjusted.
Hope this helps.
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