We see beadboard wall paneling everywhere in new and old homes, anywhere a wall needs some punch, or as a design interest instead of ordinary flat wallboard. Years ago, beadboard was milled wood used as a coverup to add a surface to a porch ceiling or to surround a room with wainscoting. Today, it adds warmth and appeal to a room as well as protect the wall surface. The paneling has long, continuous vertical grooves and raised beads spaced every inch or so.
You’ll find beadboard sold in lumber yards and home centers, usually made of medium density fiberboard called MDF. It’s a combination of wood fiber and resin melded under pressure. The panels are ready-to-paint panels in two sizes: 4 feet high and 8 feet wide and for wainscoting, and 4 feet wide by 8 feet high to cover a wall.
