Horizontal paneling?

[eclecticcottage]

I'm pondering installing the paneling in the dining room horizontally instead of vertically. I didn't plan on going all the way up, just about 4' or so (like wainscotting). I can't seem to find many pics of it done that way though (99% of them go floor to ceiling) and I can't decide if it would look good! ARG! I'd really love to get some old barn siding to use, but that's like gold anymore it seems. We do pass one that's already down, maybe I can ask them for a few pieces. The dining room isn't all that big, maybe 10' x 10' and one side is completely open to the kitchen so I'd only need to do three walls with it.

I want to do a color "wash" like what we did in the living room (which is a white wash) so it looks like worn paint:



I guess of course if I did it white, I could just paint the walls whatever color I wanted instead of doing a darker color on the paneling and a lighter color on the walls...hmm...OR just leave it natural, especially if I can score some weathered siding...

[housecrazy sarah]

It's a neat idea and I've seen it before - on full walls, not just a half wall.
Keep in mind that the horizontal lines will provide a very linear appearance for the room - how tall are your ceilings?
Let us know what you decide!
~Sarah

[eclecticcottage]

Ceilings are 8'. I did find a photo of what I'm thinking of, just not with this color scheme (wallpaper):



the dining room is open on one wall to the kitchen.

I need a better dining room pic, but for now, this is what I have-dining room:



and kitchen



this is the front door which is between the two (kitchen on the left, dining room on the right)



I plan to build a wall like what you see on the left side of the kitchen photo next to the fridge (left side of the door photo) only takller, to "hide" the fridge and provde a coat rack so there will be more "naked" pine there. I also want to get a fridge that matchs my "new" stove (a 1950's Floyd Wells Bengal).

[melissakd]

Here's a historic example:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andykraush ... 040967509/

and a bit larger view:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/andykraush ... 040967509/

I don't know when the picture was taken, but I would guess the 1890s.

MelissaKD

[lupinfarm]

Great post...I have also been looking around for a historical image showing horizontal paneling. Now I know it would be
okay to do my living room like this.

[James]

Pull up the pictures of my place. The living room and dining room as well as one bedroom wall all have board walls running horizontally. Wide boards with one beaded edge. There is a whole thread on it under the hangout forum posted several years ago but should be able to pull them up still. The paneling goes all the way up tho, no wainscot.

[kec01]

A PO put horizontal paneling in one of our bedroom closets. The edges of the boards are THE WORLD's WORST dust trap ledges. Getting rid of this paneling has finally made it to the top of our "get rid of it" list. Work starts in a few weeks.

[Don M]

Our Cider Mill had wide board horizontal paneling which is very typical of historic New England houses. The boards usually ran to the window sills & were capped with a chair rail. Very good looking in my opinion.

[mfglickman]

I have it in the library (old keeping room) of the old part of our house. Someone painted it BM Revere Pewter (ugh) but it's still pretty cool. And some PO added a chair rail which is just way too plumb and perfect to be believed on top of these old wide hand planed boards.

Sorry for the bad pics - my phone is not great as a camera.