Wood Paneling in a Garage Can be Visually Stunning

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Can You Put Wood Paneling in a Garage?

Drywall is, by far, the most popular sheathing option, for both attached and detached garages. Other options such as plywood, OSB and fiber cement boards (FCB) are also worth considering. But what about wood paneling? Can you put wood paneling in a garage?

Wood paneling on all the walls of the garage will become overwhelming and claustrophobic. However, wood panels can be delightful in a garage, when used with restraint. Wood panels can make your garage visually appealing with a natural warm ambiance. 

In this post I look at the benefits & disadvantages of wood paneling, in general, and share with you two great ways to incorporate wood panels in your garage.

What Are the Benefits of Wood Paneling? 

There are 5 benefits of using wood paneling. They apply to any room of your house, including the garage. The benefits are:

Visual Appeal

Wood is a natural building material. Each piece is unique, unlike factory made building materials like concrete, steel or glass. Wood paneling brings a “one of a kind” look to any space. Wood paneling can recreate the ambience of an old rustic barn or an aristocratic colonial style home, with equal aplomb.

Wood paneling comes in a range of natural colors. You can also get wood paneling with different textures and 3-D effects. Use your creativity to create the desired look!

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Strong & Durable

Strength & durability are not easily associated with wood. But do not forget that before the industrial revolution, entire cities were made from stone & wood.

Wood does have a few natural enemies like water & pests. However, with proper treatment & maintenance, wood can be extremely strong & durable. No wonder, it is still used for constructing walls, floors and furniture.

Wood paneling is strong enough to hang things from. In fact, using wood slatwall panels can be a great advantage in a garage. You can hang and store a lot of yours tools & other stuff on it.

Easy to Install

Wood panels come with tongue and groove edges so that it is quite easy to assemble them. Wood paneling section of your garage wall is a simple DIY project. There is little chance of you  messing it up!

Insulation

Wood is a good insulator, certainly better than concrete, steel or glass which are often used in modern construction. Wood paneling can keep your garage cool in the summer and warm in the winter. 

If you live in a zone that has a moderate climate, you may not even need additional insulation.

Acoustics

The cellular structure of wood allows it to absorb sound. Using wood paneling in a room will improve the acoustics noticeably.

What Are the Disadvantages of Wood Paneling? 

Of course everything is not great about wood paneling. It has a few disadvantages too.

Rotting & Warping

Natural wood is known to rot & warp when wet. However, wood panels sold commercially are chemically & pressure treated to prevent rotting & warping. They can withstand high humidity and water spills. They are not designed for continuous immersion in water for an extended period of time though.

Pest Fodder

Wood is basically cellulose which is food for all kinds of pests such as termites, beetles, carpenter ants and carpenter bees. Some wood species are hard and have natural pest resistance but they are quite expensive.

Wood paneling, sold commercially, is chemically treated to be pest resistant, initially. To keep wood panels safe from pests you need to apply pest resistant sprays or polish on a regular basis.

Loss of Sheen

The shine of wood comes from natural oils & resins within it. With time the wood panels will lose some of the natural oils and may start looking dull. To maintain the shine, wood paneling requires regular application of wood oil or wood polish.

Overwhelming

Beautiful as wood panels are, their overuse can become overwhelming in small spaces. The best way to use wood paneling is to use restraint.

Restrict the use of wood paneling to very large spaces such as living rooms or dining halls. Use it minimally on accent walls in smaller spaces such as bedrooms and garages

Outdated Look 

Wood paneling is associated with the “good old days” and may seem out of place with modern architecture & design. Metal cars, furniture & shelves do not go well with a wood paneled garage.

This is another important reason to not use wood panels on all the walls of your garage. Use it on a section of a sidewall as an accent or as a slatwall for hanging stuff.

Code Compliance

Table R302.6. of Section R302.6 of The 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) requires that not less than ½-inch gypsum board or equivalent be applied to the garage side adjacent to a dwelling unit (ADU).

Wood panels are not going to meet the above code requirement and cannot be used on the wall between the garage and the house.

Cost

Wood panels can use different species of wood which differ on physical properties, sustainability and cost. Quite often high-quality wood, which is hard and pest resistant, is pretty expensive.

However, you can get an affordable wood panel slatwall for your garage from several sources including Amazon.

Use 3-D Wood Panels as Accent

Do you intend to use a part of your garage for home office, gym or other living space. If so, you might want to use 3-D wood panels on a section of a garage sidewall. The space will feel warm,  cozy and livable.

Installation of 3-D wood panels is an easy DIY project and can be done even over existing drywall. You can purchase the panels of real, reclaimed wood.

Each box covers a little over 9 ft.² area. You can cover the entire wall or just choose to panel a section. The panels are designed to fit seamlessly with each other and can be mounted on the wall using industrial grade adhesives and nails. 

Ensure that the surface on which the panels will be installed, clean and dry. The adhesive will perform better. Nail the panels to the garage wall studs to completely secure them.

Use an MDF Slatwall

OK, MDF is not real wood. MDF is in fact engineered wood. However, an MDF slatwall looks like wood; a much better look than that of a PVC slatwall. So you may decide to use a few MDF slatwall panels in your garage.

The “Horizontal Maple Slatwall Easy Organizer Panels” from SSW Basics is designed for retail stores, but is perfect for garage walls too.

The dimensions are 4’ X 2’, which makes them perfect for screwing on to garage wall studs. They are modular, so you can arrange them on your garage wall in any configuration that suits you. 

The grooves accept all standard slotted attachments. You can easily hang hooks, shelves or baskets on them.

Bottom Line

So can you put wood paneling in a garage? The answer is yes, but you must use it with restraint. A garage is a confined space and if all the walls are wood panels then the effect may be somewhat claustrophobic.

Overusing wood paneling in the garage may also make it look outdated and mismatched with your car, equipment and metal furniture & shelving.

For a delightful and unique look, use wood paneling on a section of one of the garage walls as an accent. Alternatively, use an MDF slatwall for both utility and beauty.

Thank you very much for reading the post. I do hope you found it informative and useful.