Installing Wainscoting in a Dining Room

Wainscoting covers the bottom of your dining room walls with wood paneling.

Adding wainscoting is a good way to give your dining room an entirely new look without spending a lot of money. Installing the wainscoting is a straightforward task, but it is best done by two people working together, one to hold the wainscoting panels in place while the other adjusts and nails the panels. Wainscoting comes in several styles (V-groove, bead plank, recessed plank) and various materials; panels are generally 32 inches high and 3 1/2 feet long.

Things You'll Need

• Dust cloths
• Pry bar
• Screwdriver
• Tape measure
• Pencil
• Level
• Straight edge
• Jigsaw
• Construction adhesive
• Caulking gun
• Paneling nails
• Hammer
• Circular saw (optional)
• Cap rails
• Miter box and miter saw
• Ogee molding
• Shoe molding
• Paintable silicone caulk

Instructions

1. Take out of the room as much furniture as you can and move the remainder to the center of the room and cover it with dust cloths. Cover the floor with dust cloths as well. Remove baseboards and chair rails from the walls using a pry bar; remove outlet covers from the bottom 32 inches of the walls with a screwdriver. Save the outlet covers. You probably will not reuse the baseboards or chair rails.

2. Measure 32-1/2 inches up from the floor. Mark and, using a level and a straightedge, draw a line around the room. This is the line where you will place the top edge of the wainscoting panels. Using a stud locate, find and mark the wall studs.

3. Cut a hole for any electrical outlet the first panel will cover. Measure down from the line you marked to indicate the top of the panel to the top and bottom of the outlet. Draw horizontal lines on the back of the panel at these marks using a straightedge. Measure from the corner of the wall to the left and right sides of the outlet. Subtract 1/16-inch from these measurements and mark them on the back of the panel. Draw vertical lines through the marks. You now have a rectangle the same size as the outlet (which is a little smaller than the outlet cover). Cut out the hole with a jig saw.

4. Apply beads of construction adhesive in a swirly pattern to the back of the panel with a caulking gun. Place the panel in place so that it meets the 32-1/2 inch level line and is 1/16-inch from the corner. The 1/16-inch space is needed to accommodate the expansion of the panel when it is hot. Hold the panel in place and secure it to the wall with paneling nails into the wall studs 6 inches apart going down the wall.

5. Measure 1/16-inch from the right side of the panel you just installed and install the second panel 1/16-inch from the first panel and even with the level line. Cut holes for outlets if necessary. Install the panel as described above.

6. Finish installing panels on that wall by cutting a panel to fit in the last space. Measure from the top of the last panel to the wall and subtract 1/8-inch. Make a mark. Measure from the bottom of the last panel to the wall and subtract 1/8-inch. Make a mark. Using a straightedge and a pencil, connect the two marks with a line. Cut the panel with a jig saw or a circular saw. Install this panel as you did the others, leaving a 1/16-inch expansion gap between this panel and the last and between this panel and the wall. Continue installing the wainscoting around all four walls. Fill in the expansion gaps with paintable or clear caulk using a caulking gun. Replace the outlet covers.

7. Measure and cut the cap rails to fit each wall and miter the corners (cut the ends of the cap rail at 45-degree angles to make a neat joint) using a miter box and miter saw.. Nail the cap rails to the top of the wainscoting. Following the same steps, install ogee molding under the cap rail and the shoe molding at the floor.

References

• This Old House: How to Install Beadboard Wainscoting
• Lowes: Install Wainscoting