From Regency-era mansions and prewar brownstones to your home.
Every item on this page was hand-picked by a House Beautiful editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. exhibition hall wall panel
There are a number of ways to add architectural detail to your home: putting in arched doorways, limewashing the brick, and installing intricate molding, just to name a few. But for a relatively easy, quick, and cost-effective character boost, you should consider wainscoting. Whether you cover a quarter, half, or full wall, wainscoting can give your home a more formal, historic vibe instantly, no gut renovation required. But what is wainscoting, exactly? Merriam-Webster defines it as "a usually paneled wooden lining of an interior wall, a lining of an interior wall irrespective of material, and the lower three or four feet of an interior wall when finished differently from the remainder of the wall."
Seattle-based interior designer Heidi Caillier appreciates wainscoting for the budget-friendly statement it makes. "I love to use it in bathrooms on the main walls," Caillier says. "Tiling a full bathroom can be quite expensive, and wainscot is a way to make a room that is almost entirely hard finishes feel a bit softer." She also suggests using the accent in new homes to help them feel more established.
Because of its wide appeal (from Bridgerton-inspired Regency-era homes to Park Slope brownstones), you don't need to worry about wainscoting ever looking outdated or going out of style. For interior designer Erin Conway of Kismet House, wainscoting is timeless because it was never a trend to begin with. "The difference is a design style that is trending is simply a timeless option that's been around forever and is having another big moment," Conway says. "It never goes out—it's just not always 'in.'" Trends, however, are short-lived blips on the design radar that have not proven to stand the test of time.
Read on to learn everything you need to know about classic wainscoting panels, from how much installation costs to different wainscoting styles and the best places to use them.
A common decorative element in traditional and classical design styles, wainscoting is beloved for its ability to break up a room visually and give the appearance of higher ceilings. The wood paneling's original purpose, however, was protective: According to the Moulding Company, it was conceived of as a thin barrier to help protect walls from scuffs and stains. Plus, it served as an extra layer of insulation from traditionally damp and cold stone or wooden walls. More intricate wainscoting designs were used in Victorian homes as a sign of opulence and wealth and are commonly seen in prewar apartments and homes.
These days, you may be more familiar with the types of wainscoting that are used for shiplap and beadboard paneling. These still give your walls added resiliency, which is why they're great choices for high-traffic areas like mudrooms and bathrooms as well as dining rooms. They can deliver big on texture, color, and personality too.
Wainscoting is incredibly DIY friendly since it's affordable and requires very few supplies: just wood panels or strips, a nail gun, and wood glue (the latter is optional, but we recommend using it for maximum staying power).
Wainscoting is not the same as elaborate paneling or crown molding. As opposed to individual strips of wood, wainscoting comes as large sheets or thin strips that are ready to be applied directly to drywall or plaster.
The golden rule for installing wainscoting, according to Angi, is that the height should be one-third of the way up your walls. This applies to chair rail molding or half-wall wainscoting only. Picture frame molding and raised-panel wainscoting can be installed at varying heights depending on the room's proportions.
You can use wainscoting to make a big impact without blowing your budget. According to Home Advisor, you should expect to spend between $1,050 and $1,600 on wainscoting, depending on size of the room, the style, and installation costs. However, the materials can be found for much less if you opt for plywood or MDF (as little as $1 per square foot) as opposed to solid wood (up to $40 per square foot). You can also save money by installing wainscoting yourself. If you choose to hire professionals, expect to spend an additional $2 to $4 per square foot on labor.
Depending on what wainscoting you use, it can look sharp and angular, soft and rounded, or practically anything in between, so you can use it to complement various design styles. We asked designers to share how they use different types of wainscoting to best effect and sourced ready-to-use panels to jump-start your DIY project.
The most traditional type, raised panel wainscoting is the only one that requires a professional to create the beveled edges of each individual panel. Wood trim is then placed on top for a decorative finish. Picture classic Victorian interiors for raised-panel inspiration.
The easiest kind of wainscoting to DIY because of its pre-cut construction and lightweight maneuverability, wall panel consists of thin strips of wood or molding that are attached directly to the drywall or plaster (i.e., your bare wall). This creates the look of rectangular frames that are raised against the flat wall.
As the name suggests, flat panel or Shaker panel wainscoting consists of thin boards of plywood or MDF that are attached to the walls. You can then decorate the boards with molding or strips of wood to create the signature framing. The benefit of flat panel wainscoting is that the frames are not attached directly to your interior walls.
Caillier recommends avoiding flat panel wainscoting with hard angles if you're looking to add softness rather than structure to a room. "Doing something like a straight Shaker edge or a shiplap instead of a V-groove can completely change the look and feel," she says. "We prefer details that have a softer edge or a V-groove or bead."
Often called beadboard, this type is a long sheet of already connected wood paneling with vertical grooves. Designer Chloe Warner of Redmond Aldrich Design prefers beadboard for its formality. "My favorite way to use it is as paneling in a dining room," Warner says. "It allows whatever is happening above it to feel extra special and to break up a full wall."
Working on a design project? Let us help!
Follow House Beautiful on Instagram and TikTok.
Kate McGregor is House Beautiful's SEO Editor, writing in-depth home renovation cost guides, design inspiration stories while overseeing gardening content through routine plant care guides. With over five years in the shelter industry creating content for brands like Domino, Real Simple, and Architectural Digest’s Clever, Kate has developed a passion for uncovering the personal stories that often lie behind the inspiration for people’s spaces. She previously worked as the assistant market editor at ELLE Decor, where she identified top products and brands in the industry as well as interviewed emerging designers about their thoughts on the latest interior design trends. Kate holds a bachelor’s degree from Belmont University. When not researching the specificities of begonia plant care, you can find Kate scouring vintage markets for the ideal wrought-iron chair, knitting yet another cardigan, or reading historical nonfiction.
Jenn Todryk Says to Never Splurge in These Rooms
The Essential Guide to Brutalist Design
Slow Decorating Is the New Impulse Purchasing
The Essential Guide to Bauhaus Design
The Art of Designing for a Sensory Sensitivity
How to Place a Rug in Every Room of Your House
How to Style Your Bookcase Like a Designer
How to Pick the Right Paint Finish for Every Room
Is a Foyer Different From an Entryway?
70 Genius Decorating Tips From Interior Designers
How to Feng Shui Your Home
How to Choose the Right Curtain Length
A Part of Hearst Digital Media
We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back.
wall panels interior ©2024 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.