Beaded matchboarding is boarding with a groove worked along one edge, so that a half-round profile — the bead — appears along the joint. The boards are jointed with tongue and groove; on the face it looks as though a fine round moulding separates each board from the next. In Dutch this material is called kraalschroot.
What it is used for
- Dado panelling — the classic use: boarding up to roughly 90 to 120 cm high, closed off with a dado rail.
- Wall and ceiling lining — whole walls or a sloping ceiling, often in a rural or period English interior.
- Doors and furniture — as the filling of a door panel or the back of a cupboard.
- Outside — on a shed, dormer or shutter, in durable or well-painted timber.
Why the bead is there
The bead is not merely decorative. Every joint between two boards produces a thin, uneven shadow line — all the more so once the timber moves and the joint opens slightly. The half-round bead turns that unavoidable line into a deliberate, even shadow. That is exactly why beaded boarding still looks calm after years, where flat boards butted tight start to look untidy.
Fixing: practical tips
- Let the timber acclimatise first. At least a few days in the room where it will hang. Indoors, timber usually settles at a moisture content of around 8 to 12 per cent; fix it too wet and the joints open up later.
- Fix to battens. Run battens at right angles to the boards, at roughly 40 to 60 cm centres, and keep a ventilated cavity behind the boarding on an external wall.
- Secret-fix. Nail or staple at an angle through the tongue; the next board covers the fixing. That keeps the face clean and lets each board move.
- Do not fix it tight. On a long wall, leave a gap at the ends and cover it with a moulding.
- Paint or stain before fixing — tongues and grooves included. Then no unpainted stripe appears when the boards shrink.
Related terms
- Bead
- Roll moulding
- Panelling
- Tongue and groove
- Battens
- Moisture content of timber
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