How to Add Beadboard to an Existing Chair Rail

Beadboard helps create a textured appearance.

Beadboard is a type of paneling that gives an appearance of a vertical plank and bead. It is sold in traditional individual planks that are tongue-and-grooved for easy fitting and it is also available as sheet paneling for even easier installation. This paneling often mounts below a chair railing on a wall and it is cut around existing vents or outlets. Corners are trimmed with trim molding and the bottom of the paneling is covered with baseboard. This creates a textured appearance that fits well with country, beach and Victorian styles, in particular. The paneling is also suitable for more casual-style traditional homes.

Things You'll Need

• Utility knife
• Putty knife
• Hammer
• Pry bar
• Screwdriver
• Stud finder
• Pencil
• Tape measure
• Shoe molding
• Miter box
• Coping saw
• Caulk
• Wall panel adhesive
• Finish nail gun
• Wood fill

Instructions

1. Cut along the top of the existing baseboard with a utility knife to break the seal between the wall and the trim. Slide a putty knife between the wood and the wall and insert a pry bar against the putty knife. Use the pry bar to pull the wood away from the wall. The putty knife is used to protect the wall from dents made by the pry bar.

2. Turn off the electricity to the room where you will be installing the beadboard. Remove the outlet covers with a screwdriver. Remove the outlets from the electrical boxes and tape over the connections.

3. Slide a stud finder along the wall. Mark the stud location with a vertical pencil arrow. Use a tape measure with the stud finder. Your studs should be 16 inches on center. Mark each stud location.

4. Install your baseboard molding so that it is level. If you are reusing the moldings you removed earlier, your ends will already be cut to fit. If you trimmed down a clamshell-style molding, elevate the molding to match the fit of older moldings. Use a larger shoe molding to cover any discrepancy along the floor edge. With new moldings, cut the corners at a 45-degree angle to fit the shape of the corners. Use a miter box and coping saw to make the cuts.

5. Measure your wall from the bottom of the chair railing to the top of the baseboard. Cut your beadboard with a table saw. Apply a bead of paintable caulk to the top of the baseboard molding and to the bottom of the chair rail molding. Apply wall panel adhesive to the back of the bead board and place the piece in position. Use a level to make sure it is level. Nail finish nails over your stud marks to solidly connect the beadboard to the wall.

6. Measure the location of any outlets or vents. Drill a hole in the center of the marked box location on the beadboard and cut out the hole with a jigsaw. Install each panel the same way, checking your measurements because walls can be uneven. Your paneling should end against doorway trim or corners.

7. Install your outlets so that they are even with the paneling. Screw on your covers. Use wood fill and caulk to fill nail holes and to fill in any seams or gaps between the paneling and the other moldings.

Tips & Warnings

• Select a baseboard that has a profile with at least a1/4-inch flat surface on the top edge. The beadboard sits on top of the baseboard rather than under it. If you are using a clamshell-type baseboard throughout the house and are trying to match the look, simply trim 1/4 inch off the top of the clamshell to create the flat surface you need. A clamshell baseboard has a profile that has a shallow, continuous curve that comes to a point at the top edge.

• Dry-fit your first beadboard panel to make sure it is level as this will establish the levelness of all the remaining panels. Sometimes it is necessary to scribe along doorway trim that isn't level. Try to make such adjustments less obvious by making your cut away from the bead design on the paneling.

References

• Bob Vila: How to Install Beadboard Wainscoting