Hey, anything besides sheet paneling is overkill for a basement in my
book, but it's all in the eye of the beholder.

Scarf joints are used in baseboards, to make a neat joint that allows
for expansion and contraction without showing a gap. Don't forget to
finish the mitered end of the board before installing, so that if/when
in contracts and a little band of the cut area shows, it will match the
surface wood and thus be inconspicuous.

Come to think of it, getting an accurate miter on 8-inch-wide stock
might be a little tricky, will it fit in your miter saw? -- H


wrote:
Thanks for your feedback. The basement is dry.


Don't you mean scarf joint rather than shiplap joint?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiplap

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarf_joint

Any suggestions as to the wall plank thickness? A lot of the stuff
I'm seeing is pretty thick...seems like over-kill but some of this
think stuff I've seen looks cheap & crappy...


Thanks,
Kevin


Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
" wrote in message
Any advice relative to my installation? How far off the floor should I
start?


Is the basement dry? Allow at least an inch on the bottom, more if you've
ever had water.

How to you handle the joints at the ends of the planks? I
assume you don't just butt them together.

YOu can, but look up "shiplap joints" for better appearance.

Should the end joints of
the boards be staggered? If so, what's the best way to do that?

Start at one end of the wall and work to the other. The last board will
have to be cut to fit. Use that board to start the next row. To keep it
random, cut a board for the third row. If the first piece was say 16", cut
off the next as 48" to give a better stagger. Or use them on an adjacent
wall to stagger that. IMO, random look better than a symmetrical joint.