Nantucket Beadboard

[georgepag]

I am adding beadboard as wainscoting to a room and am considering using Nantucket Beadboard, which is MDF. The walls are now skim coated drywall. Their instructions say to use adhesive to attach the board to the wall but I do not want to do that. If, at some point in the future, another remodel is done, I don't want to have to destroy the wall to get it off. I'd prefer, since it is getting painted anyway, to face nail the panel into the studs with finish nails. The walls are pretty flat and plumb so I don't think nailing strips will be necessary. Does nailing and no adhesive sound like it would be ok to do?

Second, is it better to use one thickness of panel over another? They have 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2". I'm thinking of going with the 1/4" to minimize shrinkage.

Which brings up my last question, what is the best way to handle the face and corner joints to avoid gaps?

Thanks,

George

[woodarama]

i'm not sure what you mean about srinkage,because mdf will not srink.i used the 1/4" in my bathroom with no problem.it came in strips about 4" wide,a double beadbord if you will.as for the corners and face joints,the best way to handle those are to scribe them and if there are any irregularities then use caulk.

[Jim Artherholt]

I used 1/4" MDF beadboard in our kitchen. Good scribing and a bit of caulk work just fine for the corners since it is painted. I cut the beadboard at the grooves and butted it together so the joints do not show. I also cut it so that the grooves/beads were aligned with studs and used a finish nail gun to hold it in place. Both the chair rail and baseboard fly over the beadboard and I have had no bulges at the seams or anywhere else. By the way, you can nail it all along the sill plate under the baseboard.

Jim