The history of the wall coating technique of wainscoting is long ? more than a hundred years, to be exact. At its most basic level, wainscoting is lower wall paneling, but it can be performed using a number of different materials to create a world of different looks. Some popular wainscot materials include plastic, metal, wood, marble, and combinations of these materials. To qualify as traditional wainscoting, the paneling must fall between the top of the baseboard and the top of the chair rail around your walls.

Though many materials can be used to wainscot, the most frequent wainscoting is made of wood, such as paneled wood boards with tongue in groove. The reason for the popularity of wood wainscoting is very simple ? when wainscoting became popular as a design technique, covered wagons were the main mode of transportation. Wood from old wagons was recovered to use in home, and thus wood wainscoting was born.

Traditional Wainscot Design

In modern time, there have been many twists on the traditional wainscot, and so you can experiment a little bit to find what fits your home. If you do want to keep things traditional, however, your wainscoting should extend up directly from your floor boards and should cover your wall up to around forty-five inches. Again, shorter or higher wainscoting is fine, but the forty-five inch mark will give you the most traditional appearance.

Why Wainscot?

Traditionally speaking, wainscoting was a popular technique to cover up imperfections in walls that had been constructed out of lumber. The wainscoting was attractive and it covered variations and knots in the wood around the room. However, in this age of drywall, few walls have . In modern times, wainscoting is used both as a design technique and as a way increased the durability of your walls. The areas of the walls that are covered by wainscoting are also the parts of the walls that get the most abuse. They are bumped by furniture, people, and pets, and they show wear and tear fast. With wainscoting in place, you can simply wipe away the imperfections and make your walls look nice and new longer. If you live in a damp area, wainscoting also protects your walls from the creep of moisture, which can be extremely damaging to your home.

Installing Wainscoting

If you want to use wainscoting in your home, it is best to apply it directly to your drywall. It should be attached to your drywall or plaster with nails and/or adhesive. Because the boards much be lined up exactly and not show any of the wall underneath, unless you are very handy, it may be best to farm the job out to a professional.