Wainscoting - need guidance

[Monty]

I think a wainscoting project is coming up on the ol' to-do list soon. I'm thinking about spiffing up the dining room a bit... we'll be adding some color and furniture (as soon as I make some! ).

I have never done wainscoting, so I'm looking for ideas and guidance. I have done interior trim work before, and can raise panels and fit molding. I would prefer the look of either flat or raised panels rather than beadboard. I like the look of this, but I'm open to other ideas.


My dining room already has a chair railing that looks like this:

I hate to take the existing molding down, but I will if I have to. I don't know if I can just add some panels and molding below this rail, or if I will have to scrap the existing chair rail and make a real cap rail instead.

 

[Travis Porter]

Two options (maybe three) as I see it. You can buy some molding and just put it up in rectangles underneath to make it look like wainscoting. Attach it with liquid nails and brad nail it at an angle.

Second, buy some MDF, get the raised panel bit out along with the cope and stick and make full scale stuff or you could use flat panels.

I have done it both ways for friends and it depends on personal preference. The first way, you can leave your existing chair rail up. This is actually the way it is done in my dining room.

The second way, you will need to take the chair rail down, and make a "cap" molding as well. MDF works well for this, but it is messy in the shop. Have your dust collector, air filter, mask and all ready. Putting it in isn't too bad. I did an entire dining room (12 x 15) for a friend in two evenings of shop work and one day installation. I measured and laid out everything in advance before I cut the first board though.

 

[walnutjerry]

I can't see the baseboard in your pictures. Do you have any or just shoemold where wall meets floor?

Only way I can think of to do a raised panel wainscote without taking the existing chair rail down is to make raised panels from fiberboard with no frame, size and space as needed, fasten to the wall and paint----If you want painted wainscote. Call it applied panels.

Might be a first-----------never seen wainscote done that way.:lol:

Jerry

 

[NCPete]

I have recently seen an imitation wainscoting done just like Travis suggested in #1. That would be my prefered method, as well. Much less demo work, much less work on the install, too.

 

[dtomasch]

Just an Idea...a messy one at that. What about removing the sheetrock below your chair rail and attaching 1/2" MDF panels directly to the stud framing. That would remedy removing/damaging the chair rail. The 1/2'' panels will be close enough to the thickness at the bottom of the existing chait rail that a caulk joint and good paint job and seamless. Good luck;-)

 

[sawman]

Travis has given you the best and least exspensive option by using a molding attached with glue and brads. The molding I have used for this option is a base cap. It has some nice detail to it and use the flat side as the outside. Now adding to this, you and the LOYL can add a contrasting color to the interior of the panel and the molding painted with the trim color in the room really makes it stand out.

Albert, Al or whatever:saw:

 

[Monty]

Thanks, all. This confirms what I thought - if I want "real" frame-and-panel construction I will have to lose the existing chair rail (and redo the baseboard, too). I had heard of the "faux" wainscoting effect using molding (example). I figured this would be the most cost- and time-efficient way to accomplish the "look" that I was after. In fact I would probably be the only one who knows that it's not "raised panel". Using base cap molding sounds like a good profile to use for this.

Jerry - I do have a baseboard (about 4") and shoemold along the bottom, too. David - I think that if I were going to do some serious demo work I would probably prefer just to scrap the molding instead of the drywall. Thanks again for all the pointers.

 

[Travis Porter]

Yep, your example is what I have. If you go that route, be sure to put your nails in at an angle to help hold it in place as I am sure that your walls are not solid wood and probably sheetrock or plaster.

 

[Mark Anderson]

take a look at wall paper, they got a huge selection these days.

 

[PurpleThumb]

I've used the applied mouldings a number of times and if you'll paint the Chair rail on down with Gloss Enamel it reads just like wood wainscoat with much less problems ($$$$)-more to buy tools with.