Get into the groove

This week: how to prepare to fix tongue and groove wall panelling.

Tongue and groove panelling isn't to everyone's taste, but it's great for a seaside/New England look and for covering up less-than-perfect plaster without having to go to the trouble and expense of replastering or getting a plasterer in.

Tongue and groove is best confined to one feature wall or all the walls, but only up to dado-rail height, otherwise the room can look like a sauna, and it must be waterproofed properly in bathrooms and kitchens. It looks better if you remove the skirting board before fitting the panelling, but, of course, you'll have to replace it if you ever change your mind about the tongue and groove.

Your tongue and groove boards (and the timber you'll need for the battens) must be allowed to acclimatise for at least two weeks in the room in which you plan to use them. Ensure that all the wood's unwrapped first.

You can fix tongue and groove in a number of different ways - diagonally, horizontally, vertically, zigzag - so it's best to arrange the boards in these patterns on the floor before you start to see which you prefer. Rather than fixing them directly to the wall, you attach them to a series of battens fixed to the wall.

Before starting to cut and fix the tongue and groove, rub down the chamfers and external surfaces with fine sandpaper, then dust off or vacuum, and wipe clean with a cloth dampened in white spirit, as water raises the grain of the wood. Once dry, apply a couple of coats of wood primer/undercoat or varnish, depending on the finish you've chosen - paint gives a more contemporary look. Above all, avoid coating the back of the tongue and the inside of the groove. The final coats of paint or varnish should be applied once the boards have been fixed in place. Next week: fixing the tongue and groove.