Formerly found only in fancy cocktail lounges and boutique hotels, textured panels are slowly finding their way into the home as cool, unique, and jaw-droppingly amazing wall coverings for kitchens, living rooms, and bedrooms.
What Textured Wall Panels Are
Textured wall panels are three-dimensional (3D) panels made from lightweight materials that can be primed and painted. Less expensive wall panels are made of paper or of a sugarcane stalk material called bagasse. Costlier panels are made of gypsum or of medium-density fiberboard (MDF), a pressed board material that is nearly as strong as natural wood. Textured wall panels can be a quick, attractive cover-up for walls with surface issues, while providing a bit of soundproofing and thermal insulation. Some are as easy to install as peeling off a protective strip and applying with self-adhesive. Others require screws and glue.
Cutting the Panels
Depending on the type of materials, the panels can be cut with a utility knife or light electric saw, such as a cordless jigsaw or circular saw. Most standard woodworking tools can be used to cut or trim textured wall panels to size.
Installing the Panels
Textured wall panels are typically mounted directly to drywall or another substrate by screws. Glue is used to attach the panels from side to side. Drywall compound or another type of filler is used for large seams. After the seams are filled, they are sanded smooth. Then, the panels are primed and painted. Matte panel is preferable not just for aesthetics but because matte paint has a lighter body than glossier paints. Two coats of primer and two coats of paint are required.
Panels’ Durability
Due to the thin product material and hollow spaces created by protrusions, there may be concerns about the durability of the panels. Paper, coconut fiber, bagasse, and other lightweight textured panels puncture easily and are difficult to repair. Gypsum and MDF textured wall panels are as strong—or even stronger—as drywall wallboard. If gypsum or MDF panels become chipped with impact, they can be patched with drywall compound and sanded over. The pictured panels are created from MDF and they mimic beechwood. But why not just use real wood? Wood is an option. But it’s not without its faults, either. Even in interior applications, wood will eventually fade and require re-staining and re-sealing; Soelberg panels’ finishes will last indefinitely. Panels from WallArt are made of bagasse, a lightweight sugarcane stalk material. So these panels are as green as they get, and leaps and bounds greener than MDF. WallArt panels stick to your existing wall with construction adhesive. The Flows collection shown here from WallArt has lines that link from one panel to the next, creating a unified appearance. It doesn’t matter which panel you choose: it is guaranteed to match up with the previous panel (just make sure it maintains the same horizontal or vertical movement, though). Two differences between Wall Dimension (shown here) and WallArt (shown previously): Where these panels differ from other panels is in the composition. The cheaper panels are made of plastic or plant fiber and are hollow. Modular Arts’ InterlockingRock Panels are a cement-like, fibrous material that is dense, durable, and fire-resistant. Even so, it is relatively lightweight, tipping the scales at only 1.3 to 3 pounds per square foot. Starting in 2006, Textures 3D began selling a lower-cost panel at a time when competing 4-foot by 8-foot panels went for $1,200. They were also the first to standardize industry terms by using the words “texture” and “3D” and trademarking these terms. This image is so perfect because it demonstrates how the seams of these solid panels (MDF vs. hollow plastic or bagasse panels) can be filled to visually obliterate the seam altogether. It also shows how textured wall panels are best reserved for those one or two special walls often known as accent walls. Not only would it be too costly to panel every room in your house with this product, but stylistically it just wouldn’t work.
