Measuring and Cutting Your Paneling

• 1). Put on your gloves and your safety glasses before you start the job. Slide your putty knife between the baseboard and the wall. Slip a wood shim into the small gap that you have created. Remove your putty knife and pick up your pry bar. The wood shim will protect your wall as you use your pry bar to remove the existing baseboard.
  
  Gently put the pry bar between the wood shim and the baseboard and apply pressure to the pry bar; the baseboard will come away from the wall with little difficulty. Repeat this process until the entire baseboard is removed. Try to keep the baseboard solid; you can reuse this baseboard when you are finished with the paneling.
  
  
• 2). With your tape measure and pencil, measure up from the floor to chair height (36 inches). Use your 4-foot level to draw a solid, level line across the wall.
  
  
• 3). With your stud finder, locate the studs across the wall. Using your pencil, mark each stud found with a "x."
  
  
• 4). Place your bead board panels on a table or sawhorse and measure the desired length of 36 inches. Mark the back of the panel with a pencil. Use your 4 foot level to draw a line. Use your circular saw to cut the panel to the desired length.
  
  
• 5). Take out your decorative cap pieces and measure along the length of your paneling. Mark your cap pieces to coincide with the measurements of your paneling. Cut accordingly.
  
  

Installing Your Paneling

• 1). Start in the corner of the room. Lay your panel face down on the floor. Load your caulk gun with wood adhesive and put the adhesive on the back of the panel. Draw the caulk out in several lines to assure that there is adequate coverage on the back of the panel. Once the caulk is in place, pick up the panel and place it against the wall. Line up the panel with the drawn pencil lines on your wall. Press the board into place for 1 minute to ensure that it sticks to the wall.
  
  
• 2). Look for your "x" stud marks. This is the location where you you will be putting your finish nails. You will be using four nails on each stud. Using your hammer, nail them in approximately 8 inches apart in a vertical line along the stud mark. Repeat this process until your entire wall is paneled.
  
  
• 3). Install your old baseboard to the bottom of the paneling along the floor, to hide any gaps that may exist between the paneling and the floor. Use finishing nails to secure the baseboard to the paneling.
  
  
• 4). Place your decorative cap pieces so they overlap the bead board panel. Using your hammer and your finishing nails, nail the cap pieces in place.
  
  
• 5). Use your caulking gun to run a bead of caulk along the top of the decorative paneling. Smooth out the caulk with your finger.
  
  
• 6). Fill any nail holes with the spackling compound if you are painting the paneling. If you intend to stain the paneling, use the wood putty to fill any holes.