Wainscoting

Wainscoting is a paneling style applied to the bottom half of a wall. Originally wainscoting was used on the lower half of walls to help in the damage of rising dampness, today it is used as a design element. Traditionally wainscot styles were made from tongue-and-groove boards, bead board or decorative panels. Beginning from the center of the room down to the baseboards with a chair rail dividing the wainscoting from the remaining wall décor. If unsure about how to design with wainscoting, wainscoting ideas can be found in magazines and online, with pictures and ideas for nearly every style and finish.

Installing bathroom wainscoting is popular and a good idea, as it is specifically made to resist moisture, making it ideal for not only bathrooms but Kitchens as well, since these two rooms are used most that cause most of the steam, moisture and water in the home.

As with most design elements, wainscoting comes in a variety of finishes. Cypress wainscoting has a rough, natural look and as expected is resistant to water damage. Pine wood wainscoting is often used in a dining room to break up the visual of a large section of drywall, but can also refer to a living room as these two rooms have most of their focus on the walls and are most used for entertaining and gatherings.

An inexpensive version of wainscot is to create the look by simply cutting wall paneling. Simply cut the panels to the required size and finish off with a chair rail at the top. For a more traditional look, as most will desire, the use of either solid wood or wainscot panels are needed.

After the decision is made for installing wainscot, it can be done by either a professional, or independently and is quite simple to do. To start the project, remove the existing baseboards, as well as any outlet covers. Using a level mark a line where the wainscoting will be placed. For added stability, find the wall studs before beginning to install the boards to make sure the nails are being hammered into them and not the drywall, a minimum of two nails per stud is ideal. Once installation is complete, add the chair rail and new baseboards to finish off the look.

So, no matter the style, be it modern or classic installing wainscoting can be used to achieve the look desired. In addition, for lighter boards they can be stained or painted to match what the upper wall will be finished with.