This particular project was done with beadboard paneling - this is a composite product that once sealed (painted) should have almost no movement, so you won't get gaps. If you use a good product (and there are cheap versions that you want to stay away from) it can look very nice, as it does here!

Using individual boards is more authentic, though, and some people don't mind the small amount of shrinkage.

Mahalo, it does look a lot better.

how do we know which to stay away from as far as beadboard? :) or maybe easier, what do we look for when purchasing at a lumber yard

Diyher, I seem to be following you around lol. Looking at beadboard back splashes this time.

:) forgot I posted this last year. Since then someone told me that planks were better. I put T&G bead boards on the one side of my kitchen island. The pieces left over are the perfect height for me to also use it as a backsplash for under one of my wall cabinets to our new cabinet cabinet that I will be painting. I plan to make them look like a hutch similar to above but probably with glass doors. I just don't know yet which corbels under the cabinets to use :)) I too at one point thought about beadboard as backsplash around all the cabinets, still leaving that option open, so ya never know :))