Veneered Paneling

( Originally Published 1930's )

Wood wainscot was used for finishing the interior walls of the earliest houses in the American Colonies before the use of plaster became common. Although few of these houses remain today in their original condition, the manner in which this wainscot was used is preserved for us in many examples along the Atlantic Coast. In this early work the wainscot was never applied to ceilings but only to walls, and the earliest type consisted merely of matched boards running from floor to ceiling.

Later, during the middle of the 18th century, or Revolutionary period, plaster began to come in as a wall covering and the wainscot became a low dado around the room, finally being reduced to our present day use of a base board only. The use of paneling at the fireplace end of the room persisted as a decoration, however, even after the rest of the room was plastered.

In many old houses the wood paneling was left in its natural color and the mellow tones produced by age and constant rubbing with wax and oil are very beautiful.

In the preceding elevations we have shown how the beautiful effect of these early rooms can be obtained by the simplest modern means. In the Revolutionary period such a completely paneled room would probably have been constructed of rather heavy boarding laid off in decorative panels formed by stiles and rails. In those days, however, labor and material were cheap. The reproduction of such a room in a truly archeological manner would, today, involve a cost far beyond the means of the ordinary house owner. But fortunately, today, the use of machinery has put upon the market stock moldings and veneered panels which may 6e procured easily and cheaply at any mill. It is by the use of these materials that the room illustrated was produced.