We have discovered in our house (built in the 1930s) that the majority of the walls are covered with masonite. I understand it was common back then, so nothing unusual about it. But now we are considering what to do with the hallway/stairs and we also see - since a new patio door was installed just before we moved in - that there might be nice wooden walls underneath. By the patio door, the door frame is not yet attached, so you can see insulation and into the wall, so to speak.
Now to the question: are there pros and cons to keeping or removing the masonite? I believe it could result in poor wall quality in the long run, but also incredibly tedious to remove in an entire hallway plus a long stairway with old stair railings screwed into the wall. Is there an insulating purpose to it, meaning that the wooden walls behind might not suffice as actual walls? How should one think about this?
Now to the question: are there pros and cons to keeping or removing the masonite? I believe it could result in poor wall quality in the long run, but also incredibly tedious to remove in an entire hallway plus a long stairway with old stair railings screwed into the wall. Is there an insulating purpose to it, meaning that the wooden walls behind might not suffice as actual walls? How should one think about this?
Don't think there are any nice wooden walls underneath. But tear away a piece of masonite and take a look if you're curious. I think you should use renovation plasterboard or renovation wallpaper over the existing wall before you wallpaper or paint the wall.
Thanks for the input.
Anyone else with thoughts or experiences?
Anyone else with thoughts or experiences?
Can't see the pictures, from experience and as you describe it, I would guess that it's raw wood behind the masonite. It might be nice, could be scrap wood. It's a bit of a lottery, kind of like with old subfloors...
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That's how it looked in my home too. Under the masonite, there wasn't a nice wooden wall; instead, the masonite formed a nice, smooth wall surface that was painted. The tongue-and-groove wood was not entirely joined in some places, it was also spliced vertically, some nails were bent, crookedly driven, and the quality of the wood varied. So be prepared for your wall to be like that as well. I have replaced the masonite on these walls with plasterboard.
So I would advise spending extra time doing that job as well. It will be up for many years!
So I would advise spending extra time doing that job as well. It will be up for many years!
How does one best determine if it's good wood or scrap if I choose to remove the masonite?V Vedhuggarrn said:
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For me, scrap wood in this case is an ugly surface. It can be saw marks, knot holes, rough-sawn surfaces, missing small pieces, etc.
By junk, I mean that it might not be so beautiful, but it can look good if you like that style. Or as someone just commented, it might actually be beadboard underneath.C Caroline f said:
Got it! I was thinking more that it might be wood of poor quality, like some subflooring can be... Can you determine that with the naked eye?V Vedhuggarrn said:
How can you tell if it's beadboard or not? Is there something significant?G Gue said:
Not until you have removed the masonite, unfortunately..C Caroline f said:
We tore down the masonite on an extension from around the turn of the century and uncovered fine linseed oil-painted beadboard. If it was added later, you can usually peek into the gaps at the top and bottom edges of the wall where trim covers the joint with the floor/ceiling. That way, you can probably see if you have any paneling underneath without having to tear down the masonite if it turns out it might be better to keep it.
I can see the wood underneath but I'm having trouble determining if it's "fine wood" or "rough wood"tensiden said:
It's untreated in any case. How can I determine that?