High quality veneer natural oak. High quality, black, thick felt backing. Veneer stains any color easily. I used 2 coats of stain and 1 coat of matte poly. Apply stain/poly after install—so easy. Arrived in perfect condition.
This 62-year-old lady had no trouble handling the lightweight sections and cutting and installing alone. Used jig saw for straight cuts and multi-tool saw for outlets. Cuts like butter. Used Ryobi brad nailer and secured through the FELT only to drywall. No need to build a background grid structure or glue for a lightweight product like this. I only nailed into WOOD slats at the top- into marked studs where possible- (covered by black trim) and the bottom (not noticeable). Used wood filler for the few wood holes. Felt nails are invisible, so use all you want. I kept the existing baseboards and painted them black.
TIPS: Use large level carefully. Push each 12" panel as close as possible to the previous one, your eye will see any inaccuracy. Use painters tape to protect the veneer while cutting. This 12' wall cost me around $1,000 on sale.