Diagonal Grain Wall Panels

A one foot square panel faced with a single leaf of veneer, laid at 45 degrees. Nothing is milled or cut into the face. The only thing that changes from one tile to the next is which way the grain runs, and that turns out to be enough.

The pattern is in the turn

Lay every tile the same way and the wall reads as one continuous diagonal field. Mirror them column by column and it becomes a chevron. Mirror them in a checkerboard and diamonds open where four corners meet. Alternate by row instead and the wall bands horizontally.

Four walls, one tile, one order. Nothing has to be specified by pattern, and there is no wrong way round to fit a piece.

Why one foot

Eight, ten and twelve foot kits cover the common ceiling heights, and the top course lands whole against the ceiling. A nine foot wall takes the ten foot kit with one course left over. Cutting the top row is where a panelled wall usually goes wrong for someone fitting it themselves, so we sized the tile to avoid it.

A one foot tile also weighs about two pounds. It holds itself against the adhesive while you set the next one, and it is light enough to place on a ladder without a second pair of hands.

Materials

White Oak, natural, or American Walnut, natural. Sliced veneer over an MDF core, veneered on the back as well as the face so the panel stays flat. Finished in clear satin polyurethane, the same finish we put on our commissioned work.

Ready to install

Tile: 12 in x 12 in, 1/2 in thick, 1 sq ft of wall each.
Kit: sized to a wall height, 2 or 4 tiles wide. The tile count is on every option.
Core: MDF, veneered both faces.
Edge: square, laid tight to the next tile.
Finish: protective clear satin polyurethane, or unfinished if you would rather stain or paint it yourself.
Lead time: 3 to 5 weeks, made and delivered.
Where we ship: the continental United States, freight included.

Going up

The tiles fix to a flat, dry, painted wall with construction adhesive. Snap a level line for the first course, work up from it, and press each tile tight to its neighbour. The joint is a butt joint, so the wall behind it wants to be flat: run a straightedge over it first and fill anything more than an eighth of an inch out. Cut with any fine tooth blade, face up.

How much to order

One tile covers one square foot. A kit four tiles wide covers a four foot run, so a wider wall takes more than one: two of them make an eight foot run at the same height. For a wall that needs its own dimensions, a species that is not on the list, or lighting running through it, we build it to measure.

Made in Los Angeles.