Wondering, “what is wainscoting?” Wainscoting refers to boards that cover the lower half of your home’s walls to add extra texture and decor to a room. There are plenty of board styles to choose from – some are even similar to shiplap – and the good news is that installing wainscoting is something you can do yourself. In this guide, we’re teaching you how to install wainscoting like a professional in ten steps for a flawless room makeover.

What You Will Need

• Tape measurer
• Pry bar
• Screwdriver
• Pencil
• Leveler
• Stud finder
• Jigsaw
• Hammer
• Nails
• Construction adhesive
• #6 or #8 finishing nails
• Plastic outlet extenders
• Caulk
• Wainscoting boards

Step 1: Measure & Select Wainscoting Boards

Before you go shopping, determine the location you’ll be installing wainscoting and measure the walls to know how much material you’ll need. Using a tape measure, measure out the length and height of the walls. Wainscoting boards are typically 1/3 the height of the wall.

When browsing for wainscoting boards, keep your measurements in mind and reach the specifications on each selection to determine how many boxes you’ll need to fill the space.

Then it's time to go shopping! Browse the selection of wainscoting styles to find the one that suits your style. Most wainscoting boards come prefinished and in specific colors, but there are paintable options available if you don’t see your preferred shade.

Step 2: Remove Baseboards & Outlet Covers

After you’ve purchased your new wainscoting boards, you need to remove the baseboards along your selected wall with a pry bar. You can reuse your baseboards at the end of installation or install new ones. If you are reusing your baseboards, carefully remove them with the pry bar so they aren’t damaged.

Once all baseboards are removed, take a screwdriver and remove outlet covers or switches and set them aside.

Tip!

Planning to paint or install wallpaper above your wainscoting? Now is the time to do it before installing the boards.

Step 3: Mark Your Wall & Locate Studs

Though wainscoting boards come with predetermined widths and heights, you will likely need to cut some of the boards to fit your wall. Use your measurements collected from step 1 to determine where the 1/3 point is in height along your wall.

Once you find the 1/3 point, take a pencil and leveler to go down the wall horizontally to draw a straight line. This will indicate where the top part of your wainscoting boards will be installed.

As you draw a line down your wall, you will also need to use a stud finder to locate any studs along your installation area. Installing wainscoting over studs is possible, but will have to be done with a nail versus wood glue, so you will need to know where the studs are in future steps.

Mark along the floor and above the level line with your pencil when you find studs to determine where they are in later steps.

Step 4: Cut Wainscoting Board

Now it’s finally time to start installing your wainscoting pieces. Before you glue them to the wall, you will need to cut the boards to fit your height and the pieces that run along switches or plates in the wall.

Take the boards out of the packaging and place them against the wall. Mark on the board where the line you drew on the last step falls before taking the boards outside to cut them using a jigsaw.

For boards that run along plates and outlets, use your tape measure and pencil to draw markings where you will need to cut spaces so the switch can fit. Use your jigsaw to cut the markings for this as well.

Step 5: Test Your Cut Pieces

Once each piece has been cut to fit the wall and around outlets, prop the boards along your wall to double check that each board looks good to go.

Bring your leveler back out to sit on top of the boards to ensure they are straight and everything is level. If the leveler is off, you may need to trim the boards more or reposition them to get everything level.

Also make sure the cut outs for your outlets and switches are properly trimmed with no large gaps or too-small openings. Large gaps may require you to use leftover boards to recut the area for a more precise fit while too-small openings may need to be cut slightly more.

Do not worry if there are any gaps at the bottom of the floor as your baseboards will be reinstalled to cover these at the end of the project.

Step 6: Prime & Paint (Optional)

If you selected unfinished or paintable wainscoting boards, now is the time to prime and paint your boards before you install them.

Step 7: Glue or Nail Wainscoting to the Wall

Once you know your boards fit it’s time to begin the actual installation. To start the installation, take a grooved end of a board and butt it into the corner of a wall using a hammer or a nail.

Next, run a wavy line of construction adhesive glue down the back of your next board. Use a generous amount of adhesive before turning the board around and pressing it on the wall right next to the first installed board.

For boards that are being installed over a stud, take a hammer and a nail and nail it in place at the top and bottom of the board.

Continue this process one board at a time until you’ve covered the entire surface. Once you’re done, allow the boards to dry overnight before moving on to the next step.

Tip!

If possible, try to hide the nails for stud boards by installing them in the groove of the board.

Step 8: Attach Your Molding

The next step is covering the top of your wainscoting with trim or molding. Most wainscoting selections come with pieces called a chair rail, top cap, and top rail which serve as molding that will go on top of your boards. However, if you prefer to add a custom molding strip, you can do so. Either will be installed the same way, just ensure you select the chair rail type of molding so it fits to the boards and walls.

To install, start with the chair rail. Nail it in place with your hammer and #6 or #8 finishing nails at the top of your boards before adding the top cap and top rail with your construction adhesive if you’re using prepackaged pieces included in your wainscoting set.

Tip!

Molding will need to be cut at a 45° angle with your jigsaw to fit at the corners.

Step 9: Reinstall Switches & Baseboards

Now you can begin reinstalling your switch plates and baseboards, but you will need to push out the electrical boxes since the wainscoting added extra thickness to the walls. Do so safely by first turning off power from your breaker.

With the help of plastic outlet extenders, bump your outlets to be flush with the wall placing one extender behind the bolts of your outlets. Once you’ve done this and your outlets are flush with the wall, take your screws and screwdrivers to begin reinstalling the outlet covers.

Reinstall your baseboards with a combination of construction adhesive and nails. Spread a generous amount of adhesive along the back of your baseboards before pressing them firmly on the bottom of your wainscoting at the floor. Next, take several #8 finishing nails to nail the baseboards in place along the bottom.

Step 10: Caulk Seams

The final step in installing wainscoting is to caulk any gaps. If you painted your boards, use a paintable caulk you can paint to match the shade of the boards once the caulk dries.

After you finish caulking, you’ll have the beautiful new look of wainscoting in your room!

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Now that you know how to install wainscoting like a pro, it’s time to renovate your home!