How to Install Wainscoting

Make a level line around the entire room, set at the height of your wainscoting minus the height of the chair-rail cap. Use a circular saw to cut ¼-inch plywood, grain oriented vertically, to fit between the old baseboard and the level line. It's okay to have a little wiggle room. Rip the panels so that the seams will be covered by the stiles, keeping in mind that the hash marks locate the edge of a stile—not the center. Apply panel adhesive to the back of each piece with a caulk gun and press it in place.