Hi, yes, it's put right over the drywall. It is a tongue and groove birch board. It was glued and nailed to the wall. There are different ways to get the whitewash effect but this one was done by adding 5 parts water to 1 part paint and using a brush, not a foam roller. This is how the graining can show through. Hope that's helpful!

That's very helpful. Thanks.

Can't wait to do this for our home office! Maybe if I like it so much we'll do it for our master bedroom too.