• Wood paneling comes in a variety of colors and grain patterns.panel image by Dave from Fotolia.com
  
  Wood paneling can add elegance to a room as well as a warm feeling. You can use wood paneling to highlight certain parts of your room, hide imperfections and camouflage wiring. Some of the more popular areas to enhance with wood paneling are living rooms, foyers, dining rooms and stairways. Wood paneling is popular not only for its looks, but also because it is simple to maintain.
  
  

Mix and Match Your Woods

• Wood paneling comes in different shapes and types of wood. Consider using paneling made of jute, bamboo or a hardwood. You can try different types of wood paneling in different rooms of your home, or use two or three different types within one room for color contrast. Some of the more expensive wood panels have a veneer that consists of beautifully grained hardwood.
  
  

Print Patterns

• Look for stylized wood paneling to add character and depth to a room. You might want a raised wooden paneling for a formal area. If you have a more casual area, such as a room with a country or cottage feel, you might want to look into beadboard paneling. Wood paneling also comes in a variety of contemporary options.
  
  

Thickness and Height

• When you decorate using wood paneling, you want to consider how thick the veneer of your wood paneling is. The veneer is a layer of superior wood that is glued to a base consisting of inferior wood. The thicker your veneer, the more likely the paneling is to last. Before you decorate using your wood paneling, you also want to consider the layout of your room. You might want the wood paneling to cover the walls from floor to ceiling, or you might choose to have the paneling cover the bottom half of a wall, topped by a chair rail.
  
  

Painting

• Add a fresh feel to your home by decorating your wood paneling with paint. Older homes frequently used dark wood paneling. Paint over the paneling with a primer before covering it with paint. It can brighten up a room. You might want to keep the grooves from the paneling for a nice, textured look.