I am going to be installing wainscoting in a dining room and have a few questions about the proper way to do this. I’m not going to be using traditional wainscoting but am going to use Nantucket Beadboard. It is a primed MDF 4X8 sheet product that has really good definition in the lines simulating individual boards. The material is 1/4 inch.
One of the reasons for using the 1/4″ sheet is that the door casing is typical pre-hung door casing. It doesn’t project from the wall that far. The first thing I’ll do is install a level, 3/4″ x 6″ baseboard. Then, install the beadboard on top of the 3/4″ baseboard rather than behind it so that the base and beadboard don’t project too far beyond the casing. I will still have to bevel the edge of the base that is next to the door casing to adjust for the ~1/4″ difference in thickness. Does this sound like an acceptable method, or should I really remove all the casing and replace it with 3/4″material to match the baseboard? If I did that, would it look odd since that one room would have different casing than the rest of the house? I haven’t considered using a thinner baseboard because I want to install a molding at the beadboard/baseboard joint and a thinner baseboard wouldn’t leave enough room for the molding.
What do the pros do with something like this?
George
Replies
Sounds good. Pretty typical of how 1/4" paneling has been handled for years.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Why not use the sheets of 3/4" beadboard? The lines are much deeper...more like the real thing. I used it in my mudroom recently.
You can remove the sheetrock where the WS is to go and nail right to the studs to make up for any projecting from the trim.
Edited 5/11/2006 8:54 am ET by andybuildz
I was looking at using the 3/4" because I suspected the grooves would be deeper, but after talking to the manufacturer and comparing the 1/4" sheet and the 3/4" sheets, turns out that the grooves are the same depth. This is actually pretty nice (and pricey) material. Once it is painted, I don't think it is distinguishable from traditional wood beadboard. .
I may end up removing the wallboard anyway. One of the things I need to do is to check the flatness of the walls. If they are off then I'd remove the wall board and install furring strips. If I have to do that, then I'll probably change to using regular beadboard since I'd now have the nailing surface. One of the advantages of the panels is that I don't need a nailing surface for individual slats. Of course, if I need to use furring strips then that just puts me back into the same situation with the baseboard meeting the casing.
How far can the walls be out of flat before I need to be concerned with it?
some killer tile work!
some killer tile work!>>Thanks bc...yeh, even a little room with a small amt of tile work can turn into a whole ordeal. Thats one of the good things non the less about doing work for yourself other than just for customers.I was able to change my plans mid stream from "just" laying down the
12 x12 slate tiles to decieding to cut a bunch of them up to do what I did. Hey, that only added another two days to what was supposed to be a one day job....lol. And the funny thing is its in the front mud room. People walk through and don't even notice it......but I do : )~
Be well
andy...
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George, this is not directly related to your question, but it might suggest possibilities to you or others.
In my 1838 house, the dining room wainscoting is framed proud of the door trim. The frame overlaps the door surround. The "field" of the wainscot is simply two horizontal planks, with a bead at the joint. The cap is a bullnose with fillet. The wainscot frame is made up of flat-planed boards, with the base a full 12 inches in height.
FYI, also pictured is the original Norfolk door latch. And a c.1840 Empire chair.
View Image
-Allen
I think your idea will work just fine. when its finished and painted nobody will know if its 1/4" from anything else.
George,
I'm assuming that your existing casings are only 1/2" wide at the outer perimeter. In my opinion, having baseboards that are proud of the casing will not look right.
I don't know exactly what style the existing casings are, but it would be possible to add a backband to add depth around the perimeter. A second option would be to add a plinth block detail; this would take care of the transition from baseboard/baseshoe to casing, but the top of the wainscot would still need to be addressed one way or another (typically, returning the cap detail into the face of the casing looks good).
You expressed a concern about having a different style trim in your dining room than in the rest of the house. I wouldn't worry about this, since the dining room was often the most ornate room in the house. In other words, it was typical to have different trim schedules in different rooms. You wouldn't be doing anything that didn't already have a historical precedent.
Finally, my only concern about the 1/4" panel product is that they are often flimsy, and "bubbles" can show if they are not securely fastened to the walls. However, I think as long as you used adhesive and really got the panel tight to the wall, it will look good when you're finished.
I have another question on this beadboard installation that will get done next week. The picture is not very good but it shows part of the room where it is getting installed. My question is about the window. The current chair rail is in line with the sill. the new chair rail will be higher to match what is needed by the dining room chairs ; probably to just under the outlet, allowing for the new chair rail. I may go higher than the outlet depending on how things look. I plan to butt the panel against the window casing but I'm going to remove the window sill so I can re-install it over the beadboard. Since the casing sits on top of the sill, I'm assuming that I'm going to have to remove the window casing in order to get the sill off or is there some trick to getting the sill out without having to remove all the trim?
George
George,
It's difficult to see precisely what's going on in that picture! I'm assuming you're talking about the stool, which is the horizontal interior trim element on top of the sill. But anyway, if it's an original stool, it's not going to be all that easy to remove.
Without seeing what you're actually working with, I can only make assumptions. But you're most likely going to have to remove the side casings just to get started. After that, just work *very* carefully and slowly so you don't crack the stool.
Typically, the stool is trapped by the casings and the apron. Many times, the sill is cross-nailed into the apron. Also, the stool often has a beveled rabbet to mate with the sill, which creates a weak axis when you're prying it up to remove it.
Alternatively, you might be able to either (1) scribe your panel to fit the window trim, or (2) use a handsaw to cut away the back edge of the stool where it adjoins the wall; this would create a narrow gap into which you could slide the panel.
You're right. I'm talking about the stool which is original and about 30 years old. I'll save my sill question for when I have to replace the cracked one that I found last weekend.
George
You need to install the stool OVER the beadboard? Because it doesn't project far enough to be proud of the wainscot once it's installed? Since it's painted, I'd be tempted to cut off whatever profile there is along the face of the stool, and epoxy a new (deeper) piece onto it. Will you be reinstalling the apron (I think that's the term for the trim piece under the stool)?
Here's a sketch of some beadboard that extends above the outlet. I think that works OK (photo attached below).
Allen
Right, I'm thinking that I want the stool over the beadboard and yes, I'm removing the apron. What the picture doesn't show is that the right side of the window is about 8" or 10" away from the adjacent wall. If I was using individual lengths of real beadboard the installation would probably be a lot easier in this area.
General question: when installing wainscoting, what is the standard procedure? Scribe the wainscoting around the stool, put it behind the stool, or remove the stool and re-install it on top of the wainscoting?
I think I have two ways of handling this. I may cut the back of the stool, cut a panel for the right side that just fits between the wall and the casing, slide it in from the top and cut the left hand panel to slide in behind the stool and meet the right panel. Or I can disassemble the trim, install a full sheet and re-install the trim. Scribing is not an option, I could do it on the left side but not on the right where the wall is so close. Actually (thinking out loud) if I used a narrow piece to scribe a template I could use that to then cut the pattern on the actual piece that has to fit.
Another question. No matter what method I use I'll remove the apron so the panel is behind it. So, if I scribe the panel to fit the stool or cut the back of the stool and slide the panel behind, when I re-in stall the apron it will end up being a 1/4" closer to the front edge of the stool. Is this a problem visually, i.e. will it look like crap? I'm assuming that my installation will look great. :-)
I've rarely used sheet goods, so I don't know the "standard" procedure. The back side of the stool abuts the lower sash, doesn't it? Not sure how the beadboard would go behind it unless it was dadoed.
I'd be concerned about the apron being proud of the vertical window trim. But if you scribe around it, it might be "swallowed up," and not look good. Much depends on the existing dimensions and edge treatments.
I'm not clear how the 8" wall dimension complicates things. Accurate measurements and/or a template should ease installation.
Allen
consider a plinth block at the botttom of the casing to butt the baseboard into. Th ecasing can be trimmed shorter in place
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I thought of using plinth blocks but then I didn't know how to handle this area where there are two casings next to each other with a molding filling the gap between the two.
Thanks everyone for answering all my, I'm sure, very basic and boring to a pro questions.
George
George
Do the plinths in that corner just like you would any other place.
First the difficult part, cut your caseing out to accomidate the plinth, saw, chisel and utility knife.
Then take your two pieces of plinth and miter them, actually you could butt them, I wouldnt but I doubt it would show all that much on paint grade.
I've seen several old houses that had plinths in the corner and all were handled this way.
Doug
Another dumb question. Is it ok to use plinth blocks at the bottom of the casing without using corner blocks at the top, or are the two always used together?
George
Absolutly!
Of course you can take that either way!
But yes, plinth blocks are often used without rosette blocks at the top. There really is no hard and fast rule to that, whatever you like! :)
I've seen it done so many ways and they all look good if done well/right.
Doug