Waratah Dado Pressed Metal Wall Panel | Wunderlite Pressed Metal Panels | Metal, Feature, Dado, Pattern, Which

A dado feature is a decoration of the lower part of a wall. Typically, it is some sort of panelling or an embossed or painted decoration which starts at the top of a skirting board and goes 3' (900mm) up the wall. Dado features are then capped with a chair rail which is typically a timber strip protecting the walls from furniture or rubbing by pedestrian traffic.

As part of the restoration of several public buildings in the Rocks area of Sydney Harbour in the late 1980's, we were commisioned to restore the pressed metal features in the Australia Hotel which comprised a very ornate ceiling and a metal dado feature installed between the skirting board and a shelf around the public bar area. The Waratah pattern (a stylised impression of a native bush flower) was shown in old photographs of the bar but there were no examples of the metal available to copy from, there having been fires and several modernisation efforts which had stripped all the original metal from the walls. Fortunately, during the renovations, a single perfect sample of the original metal was found behind a built-in freezer, and we were able to duplicate this incredible decorative feature to complete the restoration of the bar.

The dado feature is deliberately designed to be very robust and proof against denting and damage from clients sitting on stools or otherwise kicking the walls. The pattern is embossed into 0.5mm Aluminum sheets and the dimpled pattern along each edge simply overlaps the neighbouring panel making them exceptionally simple to install. The well defined relief makes highlighting in several colours a real option.

Our Dado Panel is truly iconic and has applications in entrance and hallways in all historic homes and buildings as a dramatic feature. It is just as comfortable in a contemporary or modern building, where it can provide a significant decorative statement and recently interior designers are applying this pattern to the widest possible range of applications in commercial buildings from Coffee Shops to the Entrance Foyers of high rise apartment towers.

Dimensions

300mm x 900mm (Nominal 1` x 3`) pressed in 0.5mm aluminium.