Wainscot

Wainscot is a wall treatment that was originally used, not for decoration, but to impede moisture entering through poorly sealed outside walls. Today, it is used for a decorative purpose. Today wainscot panels are widely sold as a DIY project with particle board or foam panels that can be glued to the wall. But they hardly achieve the look and feel of proper wainscot installed by a finish carpenter. Wainscot is a wall feature that can be as simple as a Picture Frame (picture frame moulding used to make “picture frames” on the wall), Paneled (panels made with styles and rails like a “paneled door”) and Paneled/Picture Frame (a combination of both picture frame and paneled wainscot). In Paneled or Paneled/Picture Frame wainscot, the back panel can be either bead board or smooth cabinet grade plywood. Wainscot height is generally determined by the height of the ceiling within the project room. The “rule of thumb” dictates wainscot height at 1/3 of the ceiling height. However, in some applications, the wainscot can be as high as 50″ or more for a dramatic effect in wide hallways, entryways and kitchens. Wainscot can be topped off with a cap, plate rail or picture rail as the client’s design requires.