Interesting question. I would assume on just the back wall.

On a slightly different note . . . I will have real tongue and groove beardboard on the walls of my pantry. I am wondering if I should ask Cabico to make the upper hutch cabinets without a back so that you can see the beadboard on the walls. Or would this take away from the structural integrity?

I have it in my uppers only on the back. The sides are maple . Here is a pic...

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I can't remember who it is here but someone is the Queen of Beadboard-looking paintable wallpaper. She put it on her ceiling and it looked FANTASTIC!

I think that would be a super easy, lightweight and inexpensive way to back a glass-fronted cabinet.

Hmmm... I may just do that myself! ;o)

One of our glass cabinets will have beadboard and I believe it is only on the back, not sides.

I have stained cypress tongue and groove beadboard in the back of a glass front butler's pantry.
Also in the back of open shelves.
Neither have it on the sides.

You can certainly put it wherever you like, but it is usually put only on the backs. It's not a rule though -- please yourself.

It's funny: It often gets reused as a building material in surprising spots. You see doors made with it, cabinet doors, trap doors, little cabinets. Part of a ceiling in my house is beadboard. Sometimes you see things made with the flat side out, and only when you open it up you see it's beadboard.

So there's precedent to do just about anything you like with it.

Thanks everyone. I'll just use it on the backs; it's much easier that way!

Judy, the back of the cabinet is structural -- it keeps it square, gives it strength, and is the part that attaches the cabinet to the wall. You COULD have it made without one, but it wouldn't be very strong, as far as I'm aware. So I think you should have the beadboard attached to the plywood back of the cabinet. I don't know how professionals do it, I'm always reinventing the wheel when I do things. But what I'm going to do is attach it to the back of the cabinet. I'm going to use T&G, but a cabinet shop would probably prefer to use the textured plywood stuff.

Not sure you can see it very well but my beadboard is only on the back of the cabinets - Beware putting it on the sides, as it will narrow the cabinet. Also make sure your cabinet maker adjusts for the beadboard back - I have seen people with new cabinets not able to put their dinner plates in the cabinets because they were too narrow with the additional beadboard back.

Here is a link that might be useful: Willow Decor's Kitchen