Introduction to Wainscoting

Introduction to Elite Trimworks Wainscoting Kits, DIY or By Professionals!

The Wikipedia Definition of Wainscoting.

Are you curious about wainscoting? This elegant detail makes a classic contribution to high traffic areas in the modern home. What started out in the 16th century as a necessary cover-up for damp and chilly stone walls is taking its place in fashionable homes of our day. This classic addition to your living area will bring warmth and style to any room: family room, nursery or bathroom. Before you draw a line across your dining room wall, it helps to understand what is on the market to help with this task. There are also multiple wainscoting kit options as well, you will see panels, planks, rails, and stiles for sale as individual pieces, ready for you to saw, mitre, shape, and secure. Finishing the installation can be done with paint or varnish to create the effect you hope for.

Even commercial carpenters are fond of wainscoting kits. These packets include matching material of coordinating sizes and shapes to do a particular room. Wainscoting usually covers the bottom third of the wall and it has an uneven number of panels mounted along any given side of the room. Check out the placement of doors, windows, outlets, and other immovable pieces while you make your plans. Wainscoting must be tailored around the existing architecture of the room.

Wainscoting Kits that use Panels

When you decide to use a panel kit for your wainscoting, you work directly with the supplier to design and measure the area which you want to be covered by wainscoting. Panel kits are put together with all the needed pieces pre-cut and sometimes pre-finished for the project you are planning in your home. This is an affordable solution since a 15 by 15 room can be done under $500 if you are handy yourself. They come in varied styles: raised or recessed, classic or shaker, with several variations on these.

Your order will require careful planning and measuring so that when the pieces arrive at your home, they can be simply secured together with minimum adjustments and cuts. While the panel kit is being assembled and shipped there is time to prepare the area. Baseboards or tiles will need to be removed. Electrical switch plates and towel racks or grab bars will need to come down. Marking the studs in the room while you wait will save time once the kit arrives. Quick repairs to the wall surface and removal of door jams and window frames within the planned wainscoting simplify the process when the kit arrives. The pieces are secured to the wall with nails or glue. The decorative batten gets nailed at an angle. Caulk that will accept paint finishes off the project.

Wainscoting Kits with Beadboard

 If you love the cozy cottage feel of beadboard you might choose it for your wainscoting. Beadboard can be found in panel kits where it is often chosen for the rails and stiles. There are really two kinds of beadboard. The authentic beadboard comes in narrow strips which have a tongue-and-groove assembly system milled right into the lumber. This style of beadboard enables the skilled carpenter to work with individual pieces when doing the cut-outs for the wall's immovable fixtures and the angle cutting for making the corners of the room fit snugly.

Contemporary beadboard is more often sold like a sheet-like paneling where the beadboard design is etched on one side. Your project planning can consider each option with its unique qualities. You can ask for beadboard paneling in your wainscoting kit, check to see what finish it has, so it will match the framing you plan to use above and below the wainscoting. You might just want a beadboard design on the rails and stiles to make the framing attractive.

Sometimes beadboard is found on ceilings and walls of old churches and cottages. This construction has certainly reduced the maintenance costs over time for these structures. Reusing this recovered wood in wainscoting or the space between the sink and kitchen cabinets brings a warm feel to the room. Beadboard kits can be modified by finish paint to play on your style, whether you are looking for a country feel or contemporary style, throughout.

Raised Panel Wainscoting Kits

When you choose a raised panel wainscoting kit you are choosing a particular style of wainscoting. The design of wainscoting consists of a panel that appears framed all the way around. There are times when you or the professional installer realizes that the panel will not attach firmly to the wall. In this case, strips called lathing are placed behind the panel to keep it secure. This creates an edge where the inner panel approaches the stile. All Elite Trimworks stiles have a dado to allow each panel to fit into your kit securely and smoothly.

When you choose a raised panel wainscoting kit you have a variety of woods and a variety of finishes. You can also get unfinished wood that you can finish yourself. Working with our company to design your project gives you options beyond installing just wainscoting as we display examples of walls installed all the way to the ceiling or even on the ceiling itself. As we always recommend, due diligence is required. Make sure references are available to determine that your investment is secure as possible.

Picture Frame Wainscoting

By now you can see that wainscoting kits give you, the homeowner or contractor, a much richer array of options when adding this feature to any home or facility and office. You are no longer limited to the stark simplicity of the shaker design where the flat square-cornered panel meets the flat square corner of the rails and stiles. Trim work often called an appliqué is available in different patterns. Some attach this trim work right on flat walls to make a rectangle that breaks up the area of the wall in a large room. This trim work can also be used in the design of your wainscoting.

Along with the right shoe trim and casing, your applique trim can be custom designed to suit any style room. There are unlimited possibilities with this trim. Whether you are looking for a formal feel or contemporary this application delivers your every need. Each piece, depending on our applique trim choice, will be at a longer length, than you require for each side. Depending on your design and style preference we work with you to determine how large or small each applique finished piece will be.

MDF Wainscoting

Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) is a reasonable choice for your wainscoting kit. This manufactured wood is a sound investment for any indoor home project. While it comes from gluing and pressing the individual fibers of softwood you will find it much stronger and smoother than particleboard. The way it is constructed creates a finish that takes paint well. Another advantage of using MDF wainscoting kits is that this product is not as likely to warp like real wood might. It can be a great choice for the budget-conscious.

MDF wainscoting kits have allowed the average wainscoting kit prices to decrease immensely while being environmentally conscious. All MDF trims and panels come to your fully primed and ready to accept your paint color of choice. Because of the availability and common features of wood, MDF is easily worked with and customized on-site, to suit every application.

PVC or Vinyl Wainscoting

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) a somewhat inexpensive plastic is often found in kitchens and bathrooms plumbing, you will not be surprised to find that PVC is also available in wainscoting kits. This synthetic resin of polymerized vinyl chloride makes maintenance-free wainscoting. This sturdy vinyl wainscoting product was originally finished in a familiar white color. Instructions are available about how to paint it with acrylic latex exterior paint. Now you can also find this product pre-finished in wood tones that bring warmth into your home.

When working with PVC wainscoting kits on an interior application your color options are endless; however, when painting PVC on any exterior application you will have to keep in mind the dark colors are not suitable and the light factors are always taken into consideration. PVC allows endless options on your application restrictions that, although once an obstacle, now is an achievable cost-effective option.

Vinyl wainscoting kits have many advantages over other kinds of wainscoting materials. Supply and demand have priced these nearly indestructible products higher than the wood kits because they are still quite scarce. Using a product that cannot rot or attract pests is making an investment that will increase the resale value of your property when you need to move on. When you locate these materials you will find different designs and shades to decorate your home.

Surprisingly over the past years, Vinyl wainscoting has been produced for demand. As a supplier, we have invested in this product to keep costs low for you the homeowner, supplier, and contractor. Making this an available option to use throughout any project without overbearing you with the costs you may have expected for such a durable product with outstanding longevity.

DIY Wainscoting Kits

Though you may think that installing wainscoting yourself is impossible you will be pleasantly surprised at how manageable it can be. With our guidance and tools, online and over the telephone support, we are here for your every step of the way. Of course, there will be basic tools required for any project. With installing wainscoting kits yourself you want to make sure that you have a compound mitre saw, compressor, and nail gun, along with your nails. With these items, you are well on your way to becoming your very own wainscoting installer!

Having a contractor may be the easiest and most stress-free option for you, especially if you are not comfortable handling and using tools. Should this be the case, we always recommend using a contractor for your project. If using tools is natural to you and you're on a tight budget, doing wainscoting yourself is not a far-fetched goal. We here at Elite offer you all the guidance and tips you need for your project success. With multiple how-to guides and videos available there is no question that will go unanswered. The most important thing when establishing your project is to determine the style of wainscoting you will need. From this point, moving to each new step in the do it yourself project will be seamless.