Interior Use of Western Red Cedar Pickets

Wainscoting

• Red cedar pickets used as wainscoting are a rustic addition to a family room or bedroom. Use pickets of the same length with pointed tops, and don't install a chair rail. Staple, nail or glue the pickets to the wall around the room with the bottoms flush to the floor, creating the effect of a fence running around the room. For a whimsical touch, paint a skyscraper above the pickets, or purchase a mural depicting an outdoor scene and install it above the fence.

Toy Corral

• Encourage your children to keep their room tidy by building a toy corral in one corner of the room. Build a frame for the pickets with 2-by-4-inch lumber and add a hinged gate to make it easier to get the toys out. Paint or stain the pickets to match the room's decor. Throw a sheet over the top to create a tent, a pretend cabin or a fort. Use pickets with flat tops for the corral so the kids don't injure themselves.

In the Kitchen

• Create a country kitchen by using cedar pickets as a backsplash or as molding for cupboards. Cut the pickets to size for either project, and glue or nail them in place. Unfinished pickets will absorb grease and dirt, so sand them to remove splinters and finish with high-gloss white paint that's easy to clean. Use rustic drawer pulls, hinges and doorknobs to complete the look. Continue the country kitchen decor with a wrought iron pot rack, open shelves and bouquets of dried herbs and flowers.

Furnishings

• Build a simple cube and finish it with cedar pickets to make a coffee table or end table. Create a hall coat rack by nailing tall pickets to the wall by the entryway and adding coat hooks and a lower shelf for shoes. Use cedar pickets to build Adirondack-style chairs and planter boxes for a sun room. Sand pickets, add layers of stain and finish with polyurethane for a new floor in a casual room.