Brief History Of Wainscoting
Wainscoting dates back centuries originating in Europe. Originally it was used to hide the dampness from outside moisture soaking through the lower part of the walls. The design feature has continued, well past the days of people hiding intruding moisture with wall paneling LOL. Traditional wainscoting was installed on the lower one third of the interior wall, allowing for adding a contrasting design feature above the wainscoting. Nowadays people install wainscoting panels sometimes referred to as wall panels from floor to ceiling in some instances. Ideally you want the wainscoting to enhance the room it is installed in. You don’t want to be installing wainscoting that will be overbearing and take over the room. Today wainscoting is primarily used to bring unique texture or visual interest to the desired room.
Importance Of Professional Wainscoting Installation
Wainscoting is considered timeless if done correctly. And by correctly, we mean done professionally, by professionals like Houston Carpenters. There are many DIY tutorials out there demonstrating to adventurous homeowners how to handle this project. But there is more than meets the eye with this project. This is a project that can quickly spiral out of control without the proper tools and experience. We’ve come across plenty of half baked wainscoting ideas which quickly turn into rescue projects where wainscoting is applied to a dining room wall crooked, or the wall was a bit crooked to begin with and the wainscoting did not line up correctly, nails not being flush with the boards, hammer indentations in the bathroom wainscoting where the nails were hammered with the wrong type of hammer, the list goes on and on. All we are trying to say is Wainscoting can be absolutely beautiful and bring so much elegance to a room when done correctly.
Houston Carpenters Wainscoting Ideas
There are plenty of wainscoting ideas floating around the internet and social media. Here is a breakdown of the most popular wainscoting ideas.
Board & Batten
Traditionally wide vertical boards spaced out evenly with a much thinner board (batten) in between covering each vertical board seam.
Raised Panel Wainscoting
The most popular and oldest style of wainscoting. Raised Panel are beveled panels installed in a way that brings depth and texture to the wall.
Flat Panel
Sometimes called recessed panel, or shaker style wainscoting is generally the reverse of Raised Panel except the wall panel does not have beveled edges. Flat Panel wainscoting looks amazing on select interior walls.
Overlay
A combination of Raised Panel and Flat Panel Wainscoting. Combining these wood panels has an amazing effect.
Bead Board
A bit busier visually with medium vertical boards sandwiched between much smaller vertical boards. Beard Board has a bit of wood paneling characteristics.
Choosing the details of your wainscoting will be the most important decision you will make. For example, how tall do you want your wainscoting to be? How intricate of a design are you looking for? What can your room handle visually? What do you plan to do with the space above the wainscot? Our carpenters will be able to assist you with these difficult decisions. If you want to add even more dimension to a room you may want to research crown molding, or you can take a look at our crown molding page. Another thing to consider will be painting. A good painter will be able to blend all the board joints together and make the entire wood panel project appear seamless like it has been there since your home was built. We can point you in the direction of a qualified painter if needed.