Weldtex is a uniquely grooved wood pattern commonly applied to mid-century modern homes as decorative ceiling tiles, accent walls, exterior siding, and soffits.
Whether you’re looking to replace original panels or want to add a touch of mid-century modern flair to your home, Vintage Plywood’s Weldtex plywood panels and tiles and hardwood planks are near perfect replications of the original vintage design.
HISTORY OF WELDTEX
Created by designer Donald Deskey (who also designed the logos for Crest toothpaste and Tide laundry detergent), Weldtex was originally manufactured by U.S. Plywood and was widely used in homes built in the 1940s-1960s across the nation. As time progressed, this wonderfully creative product was utilized by notable architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Gregory Aims, and a host of others.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Throughout the years, Weldtex has also been called combed plywood, striated plywood, ribbed plywood, corrugated plywood, plywood with ridges, and grooved plywood, which has caused a bit of confusion. Full of peaks, valleys, flats and humps in some cases it resembles split cedar shakes or paneling back in the day called cleft boards.
However, upon closer examination the texture of Weldtex is much more refined than the more roughly split cedar shake material. The texture of Weldtex appears to have finely fluted, yet random patterns across the face. Call it what you want, we think it’s super cool and gives any house an authentically retro look!
