Timber Panels for Walls: A Comprehensive Guide
The Australian market has a wide range of timber panels for walls.
Each timber species has its own distinct natural beauty and characteristics.
This article explores various timbers commonly used for wall panels in Australia.
Western Red Cedar
Western Red Cedar stands out as a top pick for wood wall panels. This unique softwood is perfect for creating cosy, inviting areas that mix natural charm with practicality.
Characteristics and Benefits
Western Red Cedar has many great features, making it a top choice for building projects.
– Long-lasting – This wood contains thujaplicin compounds, which work as natural protectors. These allow the wood to resist decay, rot and bug damage, helping it stay strong even in harsh conditions.
– Easy to work with – The wood’s straight grain and even texture make it simple to use. This lets designers create detailed profiles and bring your ideas to life.
– Excellent insulation – Western Red Cedar offers excellent thermal and acoustic insulation. It can keep the heat in, and the softwood absorbs sound to reduce volume and echoing in internal spaces.
Applications in Wall Panelling
Western Red Cedar is widely used in wall panelling for homes and businesses. Its versatility, warm hues and unique grain patterns make it a popular choice for internal design.
The timber will also develop a natural silver patina over time. The original colour can be rejuvenated with sanding and oiling, or you can turn the silvered panels into a design centrepiece.
Hemlock
Hemlock is another popular species for internal wall panelling. Its contemporary blonde tones are fantastic for designing a bright and modern space.
Characteristics and Benefits
A key standout feature of Hemlock is its smooth, fine-lined grain and even texture. These characteristics make it easy to stain and coat, so you can enhance its natural colour and protect against everyday wear and tear.
Here are some of the other benefits of Hemlock for interior timber panelling:
– Durability – While Hemlock is a softwood, it’s very dense and gets harder as it ages, allowing it to resist natural wear and tear. Screws and nails also cause minimal warping or twisting.
– Coating and treatment – Once dry, Hemlock’s straight grain and level surface create a perfect finish. It’s very popular for projects where attention to detail and the consistency of finishes are important.
Applications in Wall Panelling
Hemlock timber panels offer a smooth surface and even colour, making them a go-to choice for creating modern interiors. Pairing hemlock wall panels with matching trims and mouldings creates a smooth and polished look.
This wood has many uses, including feature walls, ceilings, joinery, stairs, mouldings, screening and store fit-outs. Hemlock typically costs less than other high-end timbers, making it a good pick for large projects that need an injection of style.
Spotted Gum
Spotted Gum is a tree native to Australia. It’s known for its durability and characteristic colour variation between each board.
Characteristics and Benefits
One key characteristic is its toughness. Its Class 1 durability rating protects against decay, rot, and bugs, making it ideal for interior resilience.
– High density – At 990 kg/m3, Spotted Gum is one of the toughest hardwoods in Australia. This makes it perfect for high-traffic areas and commercial projects where wall panelling is prone to wear and tear.
– Colour range – The wood shows off a wide range of rich colours, from deep reds to chocolate browns. You might also spot some grey and yellow sapwood here and there. This mix of natural hues makes for an eye-catching and classy appearance.
Applications in Wall Panelling
Spotted gum is widely used in wall panelling for homes and businesses. Its durability also makes it a popular choice for damp areas like bathrooms and kitchens. With an appropriate coating, Spotted Gum can withstand these environments for decades.
When used for feature walls, Spotted Gum wood panels can become the centre of attention, catching the eye and giving depth to the space. The wood’s unique grain patterns and colours create a sense of movement and visual appeal, adding a layer of detail to your design and highlighting the use of natural materials.
Blackbutt
Blackbutt is another Australian native commonly used in interior design. The timbers produced by Blackbutt trees range from blonde to golden honey, making them popular for contemporary designs that need additional warmth.
Characteristics and Benefits
Blackbutt is perfect for creating beautiful indoor spaces. Its warm tones set it apart from other blonde woods, bridging the gap between contemporary and traditional aesthetics.
It also offers several other major benefits when used as interior wall panelling:
– Resistant to wear – With a Janka hardness rating of 9.1 kN, Blackbutt is incredibly resistant to wear, dents and scratches. This makes it ideal for areas with high foot traffic.
– Low maintenance – The durability of Blackbutt makes it very easy to maintain. When installed indoors, Blackbutt panels only need to be sanded and refinished every few years.
-Modern appeal – Blackbutt is available in shades from pale yellow to light brown, sometimes featuring gentle pink tones. Its straight grain and subtle texture create a clean, modern look.
Applications in Wall Panelling
Like many timber species featured in this article, Blackbutt is popular in homes and businesses for wall panelling. It’s been used to create feature walls, accent walls, or even entire rooms. Blackbutt has also been used to bring a classy and timeless feel to restaurants and hotels, which goes hand in hand with its durability to resist wear and tear in commercial settings.
Ironbark
Ironbark is a dense timber species that’s prized for its rich colouration. Each board features a straight, dense grain and brown-red tones that fade to silver over time. It’s also one of the world’s toughest hardwood timber species, so it’s perfect for commercial projects that need durability.
Characteristics and Benefits
The interlocking grain pattern of Ironbark makes it very stable and resistant to warping or twisting over time. This means your wall panels will stay flat and true through every season, reducing your maintenance requirements.
Ironbark wall panelling also provides other benefits, including:
– Durability – The hardness and density of Ironbark makes it highly resistant to scratches, dents, pests, decay and normal wear. It’s also resistant to termites, so it’s a good choice for projects in areas that are prone to pests.
– Diverse colours – One striking feature of Ironbark is its diverse colour range, which spans deep reds to chocolate browns, sometimes showing touches of pale grey and light brown.
Applications in Wall Panelling
The most significant advantage of Ironbark for wall panelling is its colour range. It can create a sense of warmth and is a fantastic way to introduce natural materials into your design.
Explore Timber Wall Panelling Options With Modinex!
Installing timber wall panels is a simple way to elevate your interior design.
Modinex supplies timber wall panelling in a wide variety of timber species.
Whatever you have in mind, we can source timber panelling that matches your architectural vision.
Article By Charlton Cooper
| 18 July 2024
Charlton Cooper
Head of Projects
Charlton is a seasoned advisor in construction and design, collaborating with builders, developers, and architects to deliver exceptional projects. With extensive experience as a head of projects, Charlton combines deep knowledge of natural timber, aluminium, and concrete to provide innovative and inspiring design solutions.
