How to install wainscoting like a professional
Learning how to install wainscoting is simple. Our guide walks you through the process and the materials you need. Add a bit of timeless beauty to any room of your house!
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How to install wainscoting like a professional
Learning how to install wainscoting is simple. Our guide walks you through the process and the materials you need. Add a bit of timeless beauty to any room of your house!
Wainscoting was invented in the early days before homes had insulation. It originally served as a way to keep moisture out of the walls. In today’s homes, wainscoting is purely decorative. While it doesn’t serve a practical purpose, it’s a beautiful upgrade to any room.
Traditionally, wainscoting is white, but it comes in a variety of colors and materials. The most important thing when choosing a color, is to make sure it matches the trim in the room.
Historically wainscoting should not extend over 1/3 of the room height, stopping at the chair rail. In recent years, designers are breaking rules and installing wainscoting panels that extend the length of the wall. When choosing your favorite style of wainscoting, keep in mind that light colors and shorter wainscoting will make a room look bigger. While darker colors and longer wainscoting will make a standard size room look smaller.
After you’ve decided on the style of wainscoting, measured your space, and purchased materials, you’re ready to begin. Here’s how to do wainscoting:
Before you put up wainscoting, it’s a good idea to paint or stain it. This will allow you to reach all the edges and corners easily and leave you with less mess.
Wainscoting can be created with a variety of materials like tile, wood, plastics, particle board, and more. For an adhesive that fits a multitude of surfaces, reach for Loctite PL 505 Paneling and Trim Adhesive. Because it is a waterbased adhesive, one of the surfaces needs to be porous, e.g. wood or drywall panels. Its gap filling properties make it a good match for uneven walls and you can also use it to install wainscoting over drywall. It has a 25-minute repositioning time allowing for precise alignment when building your wainscoting.