How do i install bead board in a small bathroom? Do I make a pattern of the walls?

Question

I want to install bead board over the nasty, plastic faux marble walls in my bathroom. I do not think any amount of priming and painting would be able to adhere to this material - I've never even seen it before. There are joints where it meets that would show through paint too, so I am going to install bead board over it. It seems like the simplest solution.

How do I do this? Do they sell it at Home Depot or Lowe's? Should I make a pattern to cut the boards out with or simply measure? Please Help, I can't stand the plastic walls anymore!!!

Answer 1

I put beadboard as a wainscoting in my bathroom. I simply measured the wall, where the outlets were, tore out and replaced the baseboard and capped it with a chair rail. Lowes does sell a kit that comes complete with the beadboard, chair rail and baseboard, but you have to check if the dimensions will fit in your application. If not, they sell all of the wood items you will need separately. If you buy the the large 4 x 8 sheets, bring your dimensions and they will cut it for you. While you are there, pick up some Locktite because you will need it to adhere the beadboard to your plastic walls (it has the fastest grab and will adhere to slick surfaces). Plus, it eliminates the need for nails on the baseboards and chair rails. If you are putting the beadboard over the entire wall, you will need a little molding to put along all of the edges, like 1/4 moulding for the sides and a crown molding for the ceiling to finish it off. I suggest priming & painting the raw wood prior to hanging because it is easier and you will only have touch up once its installed.

Answer 2

A beadboard (wainscoting) is one way to go. But, the size they sell in the kits is only about 3-1/2 feet high (you didn't say how far up the wall the faux marble goes).

First install the baseboard all the way around the room (or wherever you are installing the wainscoting). There is a notch at the bottom of the chair rail and top of the base board that the panels fit into. By installing the baseboard first, you ensure that the panels are the correct height to be covered properly by the base board (the panels just slip into the notch at the top of the base board when installing them). Don't forget about the 45-degree cuts (or whatever it comes out to) for the corners when you cut the baseboard to size. You can make the 45-degree cuts either with the Skil saw (adjust the blade to 45 degrees) or with a miter box and backsaw.

The panels are about 16 inches wide. They also have a tongue-and-groove joint between pieces. Start at one corner that is the most conspicuous and cut the groove off of one piece. I used a Skil saw with a 200-tooth blade, and used C-clamps and a 1X4 to fashion a guide for the saw to ensure a straight cut (very critical). If the walls are crooked, you might have to make a crooked cut to make the joint flush while keeping the top of the wainscoting level. If you experience chipping of the finished surface when cutting, put a strip of painter's tape along where the cut will be made (you'll make your cutting mark on the tape).

Attach the two beadboard pieces that make that first angle using Liquid Nails or some other paneling glue. Allow it to set a little bit, because these corner pieces are what the rest of the wainscoting is going to key on and you don't want them to move.

Now, just work your way around the bathroom, putting up a new panel and cutting to size as necessary. When all the panels are up, cut and place the top rail, gluing it into place. When it's all done, you might want to caulk all of the joints with a white latex caulk. This hides all of the imperfections in the joints, or between the top rail and the wall, and gives it a nice clean look.

BTW - If the marble stuff is plastic, I would think it should be fairly easy to cover. If you sand it with about 60-grit sandpaper (using an orbital sander), that should gouge the surface significantly enough for a primer to stick. For the gaps at the joints, you could use a spackling compound to fill them in and then sand with the sanding screens they make for sanding drywall (it doesn't get clogged up with drywall dust) to smooth them out before priming.

Then prime and paint whatever color you want.

Answer 3

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