• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header left navigation
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • Start Here
  • Money Pit Podcast
The Money Pit house logo

The Money Pit

Home Improvement Tips, Ideas & Podcasts

  • Media Kit
  • Posts
  • Spaces
    • Kitchens
    • Bathrooms
    • Home Exteriors
    • Garages & Sheds
    • Outdoor Living
    • Basements & Crawlspaces
  • Reno/Repair
    • Heating
    • Floors
    • Windows
    • Roofs & Gutters
    • Lighting & Wiring
  • Popular Topics
    • Storage & Organization
    • Painting & Decorating
    • Cleaning
    • Pests & Wildlife
    • Buying or Selling a Home
  • Features
    • DIY
    • Pet Friendly
    • Green Home
    • Quick Tips
  • Podcasts
    • Subscribe
    • The Money Pit Podcast
    • Your Calls, Our Answers Podcast
    • Money Pit Minute Podcast
    • Top Products Podcast
wainscoting

How to Install Wainscoting | Video

Home » How to Install Wainscoting | Video

How to Install Wainscoting | Video

VideosDIY
Facebook0Tweet0Pin0LinkedIn0Email0
by The Hosts Leave a Comment

Wainscoting is a classic way to add elegance to any room. In this project, which should take you about two hours for every fourteen feet of wall, we’ll show you how to build and install wainscoting, capped with a chair rail and a decorative profile on the inside edges.

Here’s what you’ll need for this intermediate level project:

TOOLS

  • Tape Measure
  • Miter Saw
  • Table Saw
  • Putty Knife
  • Stud Finder
  • Sanding Block
  • Power Nailer or
  • Hammer and Nail Set

MATERIALS

  • Nominal 1” x 4” Clear Pine
  • Nominal 1” x 8” Clear Pine
  • Shoe Molding
  • 3/4” by 1 ¼” Hardwood Molding
  • Construction Adhesive
  • Wood Putty
  • Wood Glue
  • 16 and 18 Gauge Nails or
  • 4D Finishing Nails

When taking on this DIY task, be sure to equip yourself with the proper safety gear. Throughout the video, we’ll alert you regarding when you should and should not use the safety gear.

STEP ONE

Make a layout. There’s no standard height for wainscoting. So, do what’s best for the room where you’ll be installing it. Chair rails are typically placed about three feet from the floor. Our chair rail is 2 ¾” wide. So, the top of our frames will be at the 33 ¼” mark. Stile spacing of about twenty-four inches works well with the height we chose. But, be sure to measure and space them evenly for your specific wall and room layout. One style will overlap the other at inside corners, making one wall 3/4 of an inch shorter. If you have any outside corners, the styles will meet at a miter, which will make both walls 3/4 of an inch longer.

STEP TWO

Rip inside-corner stiles. All of the rails and most of the stiles will be made of standard width pine. However, one of the boards at each overlapping inside corner will need to be trimmed down to 4 ¼” wide so both corner stiles will reveal the same width. Set a table saw blade or rip fence on a circular saw to 4 ¼” ripping enough one by six stock for the corner styles. If you have outside corners, set your table saw blade to forty-five degrees, setting the fence to cut the angle without reducing the overall width of the stiles. Once you’ve set your fence, miter two for each outside corner.

STEP THREE

Cut stiles. All the stiles in our design will be twenty-two inches long, and all but the corner stiles will be cut from one by fours. Cut as many stiles as you need to length with the miter saw. For the corner stiles, use the pieces you ripped in the last step.

STEP FOUR

Find studs. Use an electronic stud finder to locate and mark the center of each stud about six inches above the floor. This will help you easily locate the stud when you nail the bottom rail in place.

STEP FIVE

Install bottom rails. Measure and cut each bottom rail to fit. Place it in place, propping up with shims, if needed. Use a level to make sure the levels are perfectly straight. Any slight gaps will be covered by shoe molding. If you need to use more than one piece of bottom rail to span a wall, cut a forty-five-degree bevel on the first piece, planning the cut to fall over a stud. Nail the first piece in place. A sixteen-gauge power finish nailer will make the job easier. But, you could also use a hammer with AD finish nails. Put the second piece in place and mark where it overlaps. Then, count with the opposing bevel angle or miter. Apply wood glue on the joint and nail the second piece in place. You can putty or sand any gaps or nail holes as you go, or wait until the end and do it all at once.

STEP SIX

Install top rail. Measure and cut top rails to fit as you did with the bottom rails, using overlapping miter joints if you need more than one piece on a wall. Measure and mark twenty-two inches up from the bottom rail at each corner. Snap a chalk line. Then, using a level, transfer the stud locations from the bottom rail and nail the top rail in place with your nailer.

STEP SEVEN

Install stiles. Apply a thin even coat of construction adhesive to attach the stiles, using a square to ensure each is perpendicular to the bottom rail. Remember to use four and a half inch stiles on both ends of the first wall. For outside corners, use the pieces you cut with a forty-five-degree angle in step two. Test fit. Make any necessary adjustments. Then, apply adhesive to the stiles and set it in place. If you’d like, begin filling nail holes with wood putty. Once dry, sand with a sanding block.

STEP EIGHT

Install inner molding. Measure and cut your hardwood base shoe molding at forty-five degree angles. Test the fit. Then, use your nailer to secure it in place. You can putty nail holes and sand as you go or wait until all your molding is installed.

STEP NINE

Install shoe molding. Measure and cut pieces of shoe molding to fit between your walls, mitering the ends at forty-five degrees. When making your cuts, make sure that the side that will rest alongside the bottom rail is against the soft ends. Use a nailer to secure the shoe molding in place.

STEP TEN

Install chair rail. Use a sixteen gauge nailer to install your chair rail. Check out our “How to Install Chair Rail” tutorial for detailed instructions on how to install chair rail.

STEP ELEVEN

Finishing touches. Apply wood putty in all remaining nail holes and seams. Let the putty dry per manufacturing instructions. Then, sand until smooth. Prime and paint as needed, using painter’s tape along edges as needed. For a sleek finish, caulk along the top of the chair rail once your paint is dry.

Your installation is complete. Step back and admire your new wainscoting.

Looking for great tools to help get your project done?  Shop Stanley, Black & Decker and DeWALT for everything you need!

VideosDIY
Facebook0Tweet0Pin0LinkedIn0Email0

Related Posts

hammer, tools, carpenterHow to Install a Chair Rail | VideoPaintingDecorating a Kids Room: 10 IdeasFrustrated DIY'rDIY Projects You’ll Regret TacklingHow to Install a Chandelierhow to build a window seat, windowsHow to Build a Window Seat | VideoHow To Build Outdoor Bike Storage |Video

Related Podcasts

The Money Pit Your Calls Our Answers Podcast LogoInstall Faux Stone Over Painted BrickThe Money Pit Top Products PodcastFiberFloor from Tarkett is Durable, Versatile and Easy to InstallThe Money Pit Top Products PodcastSolatube Lights the Way 24/7 with Smart LED Technologywinter storm preparednessInstall a Heated Driveway to Melt Snowinstall koi pondHow to Install Koi Pondinstall shutters without drillingHow to Install Shutters Without Drilling Into Siding

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Sidebar

About The Hosts

Tom Kraeutler & Leslie Segrete are seasoned home improvement experts and entertaining media personalities with decades of experience helping consumers create their best-ever home!

Tom & Leslie inform, educate and inspire listeners with countless expert tips & ideas to help you repair, improve and decorate your space.

Got your own DIY dilemma? Reach out to to the show anytime by posting your question here.

Favorite Posts

Installing a security camera

A Simple Guide To Security Camera Positioning Around Your House

HART Tools in workshop

Expecting a Tax Refund? Here’s 3 Projects You Can Totally Get Done for Less!

greenhouse

Grow Fresh Veggies Year-Round with a Backyard Greenhouse

Yaheetech 32in Outdoor Metal Wood Burning Firepit Square Table Lifestyle

12 Best Outdoor Fire Pits Under $100

Popular Podcasts

Lawn mower cutting grass

Episode #2090: Save Time Cutting Grass | Tips for Paint & Primer | Home Office Renos | Your Q & A

Realtor showing a home to a couple

Episode #2089: Buying a Rental Home | Tips for Terrazzo Floors | Garage Door Do-Overs | Your Q & A

Deer in the backyard

Episode #2088: Keeping Wildlife Out of Your Garden | Big Ideas for Small Baths | Stopping Closet Clutter | Your Q & A

Remodeled garage with floor and cabinets

Episode #2087: Easy Clean Garage Floors | Fun Closet Cleaning Hacks | Trends in Kitchen Design | Reupholstering Furniture

Newsletter

Get weekly updates with the latest tips and tricks to save money in your home.



  • Media Kit
  • Partners
  • Endorsement Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy and Cookie Solution
  • About
  • Affiliates
  • Cookie Policy (US)

Copyright © 2021 · The Money Pit · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Mai Theme

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!