Do-It-Yourself Wainscoting

Presented by KUTV.Com.

Looking to add some flair to ordinary walls? Kristen Calderwood from Home Depot shows us how affordable and simple it is to make your rooms look more elegant and it will only look like you spent a fortune in materials and labor.

Wainscoting provides an intimate, traditional feeling in dens, bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as a somewhat formal look for dining rooms.

Kristen says wainscoting kits can be purchased from your home improvement store to make the process easier. They are pre-cut with and include a baseboard and chair rail and available several different finishes.

“This one is primed so you can paint it if you want. We also have it in a knotty cedar or knotty pine if you want a more natural look.”

Installation is typically 32 to 36 inches off the floor, or roughly one-third of the room height. You can also create real drama in a dining room, by reversing that proportion. Whichever proportion you choose, adjust the top edge to avoid running directly into windowsills or other trim in the room. Select wainscoting that is thinner than door and window casings to avoid building up the thickness of existing door and window trim.

The most common version is tongue-and-groove beaded board. The edges between boards have a ridge or bead. Wainscoting can also be built from a horizontal series of panels set in frames, similar to a row of traditional cabinet doors. There also may be a bead running down the center of each board so that a single board looks like a pair. Plywood wainscoting sheeting is a modern, easy-to-install alternative.

For step-by-step instructions visit HomeDepot.com

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