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~ PAGE 6 = APRIL 1971 HOME IMPROVEMENT SUPPLEMENT Cont'd from Pg, 5 solid. Nailheads that show in dry wall or baseboaras or chair rails are usually into studs. You'll need these studs, to hold furring and shims that we'll explain later. (Fig. 3). Preparing the room. Most walls are in pretty good shape. You'll want to remove moldings and so forth, but generally there's very little preparation needed. However, if there's loose plaster, tear it out and build out the wall with fur- ring or plywood. If wallboard isn't exactly flat and tight, nail it tight to the studs. Or rip it out, and build out with plywood to match the rest of the wall. Paneling will hide many minor wall defects. No need to be too fussy. Just be certain that the defect won't get worse, to spoil your paneling efforts sometime in the future. It's best to remove moldings around doors and windows Do it carefully to avoid splitting, with a wedge or car- penter's pry-bar. Or drive the nails clear through moldings with hammer and nailset. (Fig. 4). Should you discover a void in the wall, or if you've re- moved an electric outlet or are filling in a larger opening (such as to change a window into a smaller pass-through) build out with studding and/or shims to match the vertical plane of the rest of the wall. Build a simple box frame around pipes that you don't want to relocate. Paneling will decorate almost anything. If you're planning built-ins -- closets, wall shelving, cabi- nets - it's best to frame them out before you start to panel. Furring. Paneling can be readily installed against any dry, non-masonry wall, but furring is always recommended where wall is old or very uneven. Take the time to check your walls for flatness. Hold a flat length of 2 x 4 against various areas of the wall. Double- check yourself; use both sides of the 2 x 4 to be certain. YOUR NIPIGON FABRIC CENTER has surprises in store for your latest in FASHION FABRICS, custom made garments, also custom tailored DRAPERY to IMPROVE YOUR HOME. Come see our wide selection of FORTRELL KNITS now on sale April 29th to May 1 Solid colours only REGULAR $5.29 yd. SAVE 20% CHEZ COLETTE PHONE 887-3203 - 36 FRONT STREET NIPIGON, ONTARIO. fabrics! Assorted woolens Check walls vertically. A large carpenter's level is the best way. Or use a good plumb line (a small weight called a plumb-bob on a cord) if you. have one. / . Check corners vertically. They can fool you! If you turn up an unusual condition, mark the wall so you'll be sure to correct it when you're furring and shim- ming. Nail furring strips over the old wall and directly into the studs. Horizontal furring should be spaced every 16" (measure from centre of one strip to centre of the next) and vertical furring at least every 48" so that all panel edges will be held tight and solid. Apply additional fur- ring at doors, windows, etc. Don't skimp - use extra fur- ring when in doubt. (Fig. 6). Use standard 1 x 2 furring strips (a size your dealer stocks) or cut 17g" strips from plywood sheathing. Where necessary, shim out furring to establish even planes - horizontal as well as vertical. Pieces of shingle are ideal for this. (Fig. 7, 8). On an uneven wall take special pains to provide a firm, even base for the paneling. If the wall is extraordinarily rough, paneling could be installed over full sheets of %16" sheathing. How to install paneling. The more careful you are, the better your paneling will look. Start at a corner. Most corners are not perfectly true, or we could simply butt the panel into the corner and con- tinue paneling around the room. Usually, panels must be trimmed to fit into the corner. Here's how: (1) measure 50" out from the corner and mark the wall with perfectly vertical (plumb) line. (2) hold panel to fit against this line. (3) mark the panel edge, parallel to corner. If the walls are exceptionally rough, you might want to scribe as shown (an art compass makes the best tool for this). (4) cut, plane, sand, or file carefully to fit panel into corner. (Fig. 9). Note: it might not be necessary to scribe and fit to com- pensate for slight irregularities or for corners only slightly out of plumb . . . especially if you are paneling both walls of an inside corner, or if you're planning to use inside corner molding. If in doubt, scribe! Wood panels may expand or contract slightly under cer- tain moisture or dryness conditions. Leave a 14" clearance at top or bottom of panel. Run on 'the furring strip or wall surface a black felt pen mark (¥4" wide) along installed panel edge. In case of contraction, the black line mark will provide a background blending with the grooved edges of the panels. Next panels. Butt edges against previously installed panels. Be sure to maintain a true vertical line, for good alignment at next corner, doorway, etc. Paneling into corner. Cut off panel at edge going into the Cont'd on Pg, 11