the.com/paneling
The 1970s basement's way of saying wood is optional, pretending is free.
means Thin sheets or strips of wood (or wood-look material) fixed to walls as a decorative or protective surface.
from From 'panel,' which traces back through French 'panel/panneau' to Latin 'pannus,' meaning a piece of cloth. The word originally described any distinct framed section — of cloth, then of wood in a door or wall — before 'paneling' came to mean the wallcovering itself, especially the cheap veneer sheets mass-produced in the 20th century to fake real wood on a budget.
- real material
- Usually pressed wood veneer, not actual lumber
- peak era
- Dominated American dens from 1965 to 1985
- hidden flaw
- Often hides water damage it should expose
- comeback status
- Now ironic chic in retro-styled renovations