Dress up your plain walls with stylish trim that also protects against scratches and scuffs and
gives room unique personality. For a few centuries, wainscot’s been used to line the lower half of walls preventing dampness and minor flooding. Nowadays this wall framing technique’s been experiencing a renaissance after losing its favor in the 1950s. The panels that cover the lower three or four feet of an interior wall is typically made of solid wood (solid pine, hardwood veneer) or molded plastic and pressed board. The two main elements of it are the panel and the frame. This frame comprises four pieces: the top and bottom rails and the two side pieces.
The chief advantage of this trim carpentry work is the ability to re-create retro-style in modern homes halving a room and making a unique wall accent. Additionally, it gives you the chance to use two different colours in your room. The functional advantages of it include better wall insulation; disguise of holes, scratches and other imperfections; prevention of possible damage, especially in rooms with heavy usage: children’s or mud rooms. In addition, this relatively durable trim is incredibly easy to install. It can be used as an inexpensive alternative to tile, can be painted in different colours and installed at any height.
The variety of styles of wainscotting includes:
– Raised panel;
– Flat panel;
– Overlay panel;
– Board and batten;
– Beadboard.
If you are planning natural wood finish, you can install its cheaper alternatives – pressed fiberboard or plywood wainscot. These days most modern panels come in long, monolithic sheets, imitating the look of traditional wainscots. They can be easily installed with glue and nails, as DIY project that gives the illusion of fine carpentry work.
Talking about panels’ colour, wainscot tends to be painted only in white. It certainly looks terrific, clean and fresh. Try also adding new tints to white or experiment with the colour of your panels.
Although wainscot typically implies natural wood of some type, upset the norm and try something a bit different and unconventional. Like ceramic tile, embossed metal, drywall or MDF. Four-inch ceramic tile is often used for bathrooms, combining a classic look with durability and water-resistance of tile. Completely different embossed metal, stamped tin, is often used on ceilings can also be installed on walls. To make it less susceptible to dents, butter the back with plaster or joint compound before mounting the tile on a 3/8-inch plywood substrate.
