Everything You Need to Know about Wainscoting

If you want your house to look as good on the inside as it does on the outside, you simply can’t go wrong with adding architectural detail to your home with wainscoting. Wainscoting is one of the best things you can invest in to give your modern home a well-built and structured look.

Wainscoting, also known as wainscot, originated somewhere around the 14^th century in Holland. It wasn’t just invented for décor, it was made to protect the lower half of the walls and provide insulation to homes because, back then, there was no concept of central heating.

Over the course of history, wainscoting styles have undergone many variations, some of which we’ll discuss at length in this blog post. But first, let’s go over the purpose of wainscoting in detail and learn about what makes it different from a beadboard.

The Purpose of Wainscoting

As we’ve established, wainscot paneling serves a variety of purposes, including home décor and wall protection. In today’s world, it won’t be wrong to say that wainscot paneling is basically a design choice that can add much-needed richness and luxury to your home. How and where you choose to install it ultimately comes down to you and your design preferences.

You can use it to introduce subtle texture to your home, experiment with a bold color, or even go with an intricate design that complements your existing home décor. If your walls look dull and boring, you can take advantage of these wall coverings to transform your interior décor as well as provide functional protection to your walls.

Wainscoting is a combination of panels and decorative boards that typically extend halfway up a wall. In the 1300s, the Dutch used wainscoting to protect the bottom half of their plaster walls from scratches and marks left by chairs and riding boots, among many other things.

Nowadays, it’s used as a shield on our walls to protect them from nasty stains left by muddy shoes, dirty fingerpaints that can be a burden to clean, and other such scuffs that are inevitable in close spaces like stairways and hallways.

Wainscoting vs. Beadboard

Let’s take a look at some key differences between the wainscoting and the beadboard:

A wainscoting’s frame is usually made up of stiles and rails. It’s known for its two unique aspects; a panel and the frame of the panel that surrounds it. Moreover, most people usually talk about four kinds of wainscoting:

• Flat-panel wainscoting
• Board-and-batten
• Beadboard wainscoting
• Raised-panel wainscoting

Beadboard, on the other hand, doesn’t look much like a panel because it’s made of narrow slabs of wood that are lined vertically. Each of these wooden slabs is bordered by a bead, which forms a narrow ridge.

Types of Materials Used in Wainscoting

Modern wainscoting styles and designs are made with a variety of materials. Contractors may use medium-density fiberboard, also known as pressed wood, because it’s a cost-effective option. It is worth noting that the choice of material largely depends on the budget you have for your project.

Needless to say, you can transform your simple living space into a complete work of art with wainscoting. You can opt for recessed flat panels and bead board combined with different types of molding and rail to add style and a focal point to all the rooms of your house.

If you want to go for a rustic farmhouse look, you can consider beadboard wainscoting, which is constructed from a series of plywood planks. You can also opt for a shiplap look, which is basically a horizontal pattern made with interlocking boards. If you aren’t a fan of plain white shiplap, you can paint it to transform the look of a boring room and add a much-needed pop of color.

Popular variations of wainscoting are made from a variety of materials like PVC plastic, molded drywall, and metal, all of which can be used to introduce interesting textures and design elements to your beautiful modern home.

PVC panels are an amazing option because they are a lot more durable and require very little maintenance, as opposed to other materials. They don’t absorb liquids and can also resist color changes. Moreover, they are mold and insect resistant, as well as being surprisingly easy to install. You can find them in a variety of patterns and colors that match your home décor perfectly.

Is Wainscoting Right for Your Home?

Choosing the right style of wainscoting for your home can be a difficult process because there are so many different patterns and styles to choose from. The easiest way you can make a decision is by thinking about how you want different rooms in your house to function and the type of feeling you wish to create in each room.

If your house has large spaces, wainscoting can help you make them feel more intimate and scale them down. Another great idea is to keep the wainscoting simple and focus on the baseboard and crown molding. If your ceiling is quite high, you can choose to keep your baseboard wide as well. You may also opt for an egg and dart crown molding that’s decorated with beads, ropes, and other ornaments.

But before you can determine which type of wainscoting is right for your home, you need to take a look at some of its applications. It’s available in a huge variety of patterns that suit any kind of décor. It provides protection to walls that often take a lot of wear and tear, such as the ones in your foyer, kitchen, and bathrooms, and it does so stylishly.

Here are some wainscoting ideas for your home that will help you completely transform your interior wall décor:

Entryways

Entryways can take a lot of beating because these are where backpacks, boots, and umbrellas are kept. During rainy weather, wet and muddy boots and umbrellas can leave nasty dirt marks on the walls that can be quite unpleasant to look at. Paneled wainscoting is a great option for your entryways and foyers because they act as a shield for your walls and are quite easy to clean.

Dining Rooms

You should use tall wainscoting in dining rooms and top them with a grooved plate rail where you can display your finest china and beautiful decorative pieces. You can also install wainscoting to the ceiling with crown molding in order to achieve a more fomal look and give more depth and definition to the space.

Wainscoting in dining rooms is especially great because it protects the walls from scrapes and scuffs left by tables and chairs that are constantly being pushed around, especially during a large family dinner.

Bathrooms

Since bathrooms are more prone to moisture, the walls can easily get damaged from water. Wainscoting can help protect the drywall from damage and also create a warming effect during winter.

Stairways and Hallways

Hallways and stairways tend to be quite narrow, the walls around these close spaces can benefit a great deal from wainscoting. The horizontal rails can follow the pitch of the staircase while the stiles can be installed vertically, much like everywhere else.

Guidelines for Installation

Now, let’s go over some wainscoting dos and don’ts:

• Wainscoting can get wet, but how well it can handle moisture ultimately comes down to the type of material you’ve chosen. It’s advisable to consider hiring a professional service for installation, especially for wetter locations, as they’ll know the right material you need to use for your home, depending on the level of humidity in your area.
• The proper height for wainscoting is typically around 1/3^rd the way up the wall. For example, if your wall is around 9 feet long, you should opt for 3-foot wainscoting. If you’re going with taller wainscoting, specifically ones with a plate rail, you should cap it around 2/3^rd the way up the wall.
• You need to keep interior design rules about proportion and scale in mind when you’re choosing the size of crown molding and wainscoting. It goes without saying that trims and panels shouldn’t be too big or too small in proportion to the size of the room or it will look visually unappealing. Moreover, there should be some balance between the ceiling trim, the base, and the wainscot.

Final Words

Before you can invest in wainscoting, you should think about how you want your home to look and feel. Remember to take accurate measurements, so you won’t end up making any mistakes if you’re installing it yourself.

Feel free to use tape or large sheets of paper to depict the way the panels will look after they’re installed before you can make up your mind.

Are you ready to give the room in your house a makeover with wainscoting?

Get in touch with us because we’ve got your covered with a variety of designs, patterns, and materials to choose from. Visit us to browse through our collection and let us help you transform your home for the better.