See post: Decorchick!|Fake Wainscoting Tutorial
What is wainscoting? It’s defined by a chair rail that divides the wall horizontally. The area below the rail is covered with paneling, plaster, or wooden strips in a decorative pattern. Traditionally, it’s achieved by adding full wooden panels to the wall. However, you can fake it by simply nailing moulding strips to a sheetrocked wall and then painting over them to create the illusion that it’s been created with wood panels. Whether you gravitate toward classic square panels or vertical board and batten embellishments, we’ve got you covered. We’ve rounded up some truly awesome ways to install wainscoting in your home, no matter your style, and as either a beginner or seasoned do-it-yourselfer looking to upgrade your interior walls, you’re sure to find some inspiration and the steps you’ll need to get it done.
How to Install Wainscoting with Moulding Strips
How you decide to add wainscoting to your own home will depend largely on your decor style, your DIY skills, and how much time and money you want to spend on materials and installation. Of course, the simplest way to install it is by adding wooden moulding strips to a finished wall.
Installing a Chair Rail
The first step in the process is to decide how far up the wall your wainscoting will go. Traditionally, the chair rail sits about one-third of the way to the ceiling off the floor, or about 32” in a standard room. Of course, you can decide on a design that will raise the rail or lower it according to your taste. Generally, you want to be under windowsills, but high enough to protect the walls from damage that may occur from moving chairs or doors.
Once you have a set height, cut the chair rail to the proper length, wearing eye protection. You can either use a power miter saw for angled cuts, or a hand saw with a miter box if you only have a few cuts to make. Use finishing nails to affix the moulding to the wall. A level will ensure that it is straight.
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