Step-By-Step Guide to Installing Wainscoting

By: Joseph Truini (Page 1 of 5)

photos: John Nasta

photos: John Nasta

photos: John Nasta

photos: John Nasta

photos: John Nasta

photos: John Nasta

photos: John Nasta

wainscoting step 9: cut a stile to fit into the corner

photos: John Nasta

wainscoting step 1: lay out the panels and stiles

photos: John Nasta

1. Lay out the panels and stiles from the kit, starting at the room center, to establish the final sequence and determine if you have to move any electrical outlets.

wainscoting step 2: paint all parts, use a power sprayer to speed up the process

photos: John Nasta

2. Use a power sprayer to expedite the task of painting all the wainscoting parts. A makeshift sawhorse easel allows you to paint several panels at once.

wainscoting step 3: fasten the base rail

photos: John Nasta

3. Fasten the base rail with 2 1/2 -in. finishing nails driven into the wall studs. Be sure the rail is level.

wainscoting step 4: apply two dabs of construction adhesive to back of stiles and press into wall

photos: John Nasta

4. Apply two dabs of construction adhesive to the back of each stile, then press it to the wall.

wainscoting step 5: set the panel in the base rail

photos: John Nasta

5. Set the panel in the base rail, then mark the top and bottom of the electrical box onto the panel's edge.

wainscoting step 6: mark the sides of the electrical box

photos: John Nasta

6. Mark the sides of the electrical box on the end of the panel. Connect the four lines on the back of the panel and cut the outlet hole.

wainscoting step 7: slip a plastic extension ring over the outlet

photos: John Nasta

7. Slip a plastic extension ring over the outlet and attach it to the box in the wall. Adjust the ring flush, then screw the outlet to the ring.

wainscoting step 8: notch stile to fit sides of window

photos: John Nasta

8. Notch a stile to fit around the sides of the window. Use a hammer and scrap of wood to tap it into position. Fill any gaps with caulk.

wainscoting step 9: trim stile to proper width

photos: John Nasta

9. Trim down a stile to the proper width, then slide it into the corner. Fill any gaps with paintable caulk.

photos: John Nasta

12. Check your work. You've got wainscoting.

wainscoting step 10: press shoe molding down tight and fasten to base rail with finishing nails

photos: John Nasta

10. Press the shoe molding down tight to the floor, then fasten it to the base rail with 1 1/4-in. finishing nails spaced 12 to 16 in. apart.

wainscoting step 11: fasten decorative cap rail to top

photos: John Nasta

11. Fasten the decorative cap rail onto the top rail with 1 1/4-in. finishing nails. Cut miter joints at all inside and outside corners.

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High-quality DIY wainscoting can be had at an affordable price. Yes, you read that right.

It's time-consuming and expensive to fabricate and install frame-and-panel wood wainscoting from scratch. But we used a kit to skirt these obstacles without sacrificing quality. The Raised Panel System from New England Classic Interiors features a frame-and-panel design that captures the elegance of handcrafted wainscoting at half the cost.

The prefabricated wainscoting comes in 32- and 36-inch pieces. The frame components include base and top rails (horizontal pieces), stiles (vertical), shoe molding and cap rail. The raised-bevel panels are 23 1/2 inches tall and are available in 6-, 9-, 12-, 23- and 31-inch widths. All the parts are milled from medium-density fiberboard and covered with a veneer, so they're ready for paint or stain. Veneer choices include red oak ($11 per square foot), maple ($18), cherry ($22) and paint-grade poplar ($7).

For our job, we chose the 32-inch-high poplar and painted it a soft mossy green. To approximate the cost of this system for your room, add together the length of each wall, then multiply the sum by 2.66 (the number of square feet in each linear foot of wainscoting). Multiply the square-foot total by the cost of the material to get the total cost. For example, an 8510-foot room done in 32-inch poplar would require 96 square feet of material and cost about $672.

Now let's discuss another precious commodity: time. It took us two full weekends to install nearly 180 square feet of wainscoting. The first couple of days were spent painting the parts and moving electrical outlets so they would fall on the flat face of the panels, not on the raised bevels.

The installation of the wainscoting went surprisingly fast and only took one day. (Our pneumatic nail gun sped things up considerably.) The fourth day was needed for final trim installation and paint touch-up.