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On Day 7 of her bathroom makeover, Kristi Linauer began installing a white faux wood plank treatment across the lower approximately 55 inches of the room. She used two 4-by-8-foot sheets of 3/8-inch hardboard, had them cut into 4-inch strips, set the gaps with 3/8-inch tile spacers, and combined paneling adhesive with 3/4-inch finishing nails. The installation was in place by the end of this installment, but sanding, painting, edge trim, and the top moulding were still unfinished or undecided.
The look Linauer was building
Linauer’s plan was a strong horizontal-and-vertical contrast: white faux planks on the lower portion of the bathroom wall and deep teal paint above. The plank treatment would rise roughly 55 inches from the floor. That height was a design target for this room, not a standard bathroom measurement or a universal rule for wainscoting.
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This was a progress report from a personal project. The post was published January 29, 2013, and displays an update date of December 24, 2015. It records the choices and work completed at that point rather than a long-term performance test, a comparison with other wall finishes, or a current installation standard.
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“I wanted spaces between the boards, so I had to find something to use that would give me the perfect spacing.”
Kristi Linauer
Materials, sizes, and reported cost
The following list separates what Linauer reported buying or using from items she described as future finishing plans. The price is preserved as a historical project detail from January 2013; it is not a current retail estimate.
| Material or tool | Reported detail | How it figured into the project |
|---|---|---|
| Hardboard (also called Eucaboard) | Two sheets, each 4 feet by 8 feet and 3/8 inch thick | Sheet stock for the faux planks |
| Cut strips | 4 inches wide | Each sheet was cut into plank-like boards |
| Historical sheet price | About $14 per sheet in Linauer’s January 2013 purchase | Her project cost at that time, not a market statistic |
| Tile spacers | 3/8 inch | Used to hold a consistent gap between boards |
| Paneling adhesive | Loctite paneling adhesive | Primary adhesive attachment reported by the author |
| Finishing nails | 3/4 inch, driven with a brad nailer | Mechanical fastening in addition to adhesive |
| Wood filler | Used after installation | Filled visible nail holes |
| Oil-based primer | Planned for the existing wallpaper | Preparation step the author intended to try; the result was not established |
| Polar Bear paint | White color selected by Linauer | Planned color for the plank surface |
| Quarter-round trim | Planned for corners and exposed edges | Future edge treatment |
| Top moulding | Not decided in this installment | Intended transition between the planks and teal wall |
Those quantities describe one project’s material choices. They do not establish that every bathroom needs the same sheet count, board width, fastener, adhesive, or primer. Wall length, openings, substrate condition, and local product availability would change a material takeoff.
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The installation sequence around the room
Linauer’s layout decisions were driven by the fixed objects in this bathroom. Her sequence is useful because it shows where she chose to preserve full-width boards and where she accepted more complicated fitting.
- Leave the wallpaper in place for this stage. She did not strip the room completely. Instead, she peeled away loose wallpaper edges. She planned to apply an oil-based primer, but this part of the account does not document whether that preparation was completed successfully or how the surface performed later.
- Establish the lower-wall height. The intended plank field reached approximately 55 inches. The area above it was reserved for deep teal paint, while the exact cap moulding remained unresolved.
- Begin behind the countertop. She started with the strip behind the countertop so she could avoid making lengthwise cuts around the vanity. The board could run behind the countertop lip, allowing straight 90-degree cuts in that section.
- Apply adhesive and set the first boards. The reported method used paneling adhesive on the back of the hardboard pieces. Tile spacers held the desired gap while each board was positioned.
- Add mechanical fastening. After placing the boards, she used 3/4-inch finishing nails from a brad nailer. The adhesive and nails were a combined attachment method, not two alternative systems tested against each other.
- Continue toward the toilet. She worked around the toilet rather than removing it again. That choice reduced another removal-and-reinstallation task but required fitting the boards around an obstruction already in the room.
- Finish the remaining wall areas. She completed a small wall by the door and then the other wall. The sequence followed the room’s existing fixtures instead of treating the bathroom as one uninterrupted rectangular field.
- Fill the nail holes. Once the boards were installed, she used wood filler over the nail holes. The post presents this filling step as completed before the later sanding and painting work.
Why the spacing and starting point mattered
A deliberate open joint
Without a gap, strips of sheet material can read as a flat panel with scored lines rather than as separate boards. Linauer wanted visible spaces and selected 3/8-inch tile spacers to repeat the same joint as she moved across the wall. The spacer was a simple way to make the visual rhythm consistent without relying on a hand-held measurement for every board.
The gap also affects the amount of wall or dark backing visible between the white pieces. In this project, the spacing was part of the appearance she was pursuing; it was not presented as a waterproofing detail or a movement joint validated for bathroom conditions.
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Keeping the vanity area simple
Starting behind the countertop put the most concealed work at the beginning. Running a board behind the countertop lip meant the visible edge did not have to be notched lengthwise around the vanity. Straight 90-degree cuts were sufficient in that area, which simplified the first section and kept the seam hidden by the countertop.
Accepting fixture work at the toilet
The toilet was handled differently. Linauer did not remove it again, so the planks had to be continued around the fixture in place. That is a project-management decision rather than proof that working around a toilet is always faster or produces a cleaner result. The account gives no measurements for the cutouts and no claim about how the finished joints looked after painting.
What was installed and what was still pending
By the end of this installment, the hardboard strips were attached around the described wall areas and the nail holes had been filled. Several visually important steps were still ahead:
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- Sanding: The filled holes were to be sanded smooth. The source does not report the final smoothness.
- Painting: The white Polar Bear finish was planned, but the post does not establish that the planks were painted in this part.
- Corner and edge treatment: Quarter-round was planned for corners and exposed edges. Installation was not documented here.
- Top transition: The moulding at the boundary with the teal wall had not been chosen.
- Wallpaper preparation: Loose edges were peeled, and oil-based primer was planned. The result of that preparation is not reported.
Keeping these stages separate matters when reading the account. A photograph or description of boards in place should not be treated as evidence that the finished paint system, trim, or wall preparation had already been completed.
Using this project as a planning reference
Someone considering a similar treatment can use Linauer’s decisions to organize a room survey before buying material, while still verifying whether the chosen products are appropriate for their own walls and moisture exposure.
Record the geometry first
- Measure the length of every wall receiving planks.
- Mark the intended top height and note where the teal or other upper-wall color will begin.
- Identify the countertop lip, toilet, door casing, corners, and any other feature that changes a board’s path.
- Decide which edges can be hidden under trim or a countertop and which will remain visible.
Decide how the joints will read
- Choose a board width that suits the room’s scale; Linauer’s strips were 4 inches wide.
- Select a repeatable spacer if you want a uniform open joint; her project used 3/8-inch tile spacers.
- Plan where seams will land so narrow slivers do not become the most noticeable pieces beside a fixture or doorway.
Separate attachment from finishing
Linauer’s account makes a clear distinction between putting the boards on the wall and making them look finished. Adhesive and nails handled attachment. Wood filler addressed nail holes. Sanding, paint, quarter-round, and the top moulding handled appearance. Treating those as separate decisions helps expose unresolved work before the room is considered complete.
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Check the existing wall before copying the method
This bathroom retained wallpaper, with loose edges peeled back and an oil-based primer planned. A different room may have firmly bonded wallpaper, painted drywall, plaster, or another substrate. The source does not establish a universal preparation method, moisture rating, code requirement, or durability expectation for hardboard in bathrooms. Confirm the substrate condition and the adhesive, primer, paint, and fastener manufacturers’ instructions for the conditions in your room before adapting the sequence.
What this installment can—and cannot—tell you
It clearly documents one homeowner’s visual strategy: a white, evenly spaced plank field below a teal wall, built from inexpensive sheet goods and installed around existing fixtures. It also shows how a concealed countertop edge can simplify the first cuts and how a spacer can turn a desired design gap into a repeatable layout tool.
It does not compare hardboard with plywood, solid wood, tile, or other wall finishes. It does not report a laboratory test, a moisture-exposure period, a failure rate, or a completed-room evaluation. The approximately $14-per-sheet figure belongs to Linauer’s January 2013 purchase and should not be used as a current budget. Nor does the installment establish that the planned primer, paint, trim, or moulding was ultimately applied or that the assembly remained sound over time.
Read as a project snapshot, Day 7 is most valuable for its sequence and visual decisions. The boards, spacers, adhesive, nails, filler, and planned finishing work show how the design moved from a rough concept to an installed surface, while the unfinished details mark the point at which this particular account ends.
Quick Recap
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