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How to install Wainscoting Wall Panelling

Wainscoting lifts any room and gives it greater architectural beauty. If you are wanting to achieve this look, we have created easy-to-follow videos showing how to install it yourself. You may be surprised at how simple and inexpensive it is to apply wainscoting in your home!

How to install Wainscoting Wall Panelling

Wainscoting lifts any room and gives it greater architectural beauty. If you are wanting to achieve this look, we have created easy-to-follow videos showing how to install it yourself. You may be surprised at how simple and inexpensive it is to apply wainscoting in your home!

 

Raised panel wainscoting

Installing wainscoting has never been easier with this simple step-by-step guide and how-to install video.

Raised panel wainscoting (also known as glue-on wainscoting wall panelling) is where the inlay mould is fixed directly to the wall to create a multi ‘picture frame’ across the wall look. This is a relatively simple, cost-effective method that is excellent for homes where you are looking to add some more subtle detailing without a heavy, traditional Hamptons or American style influence.

If you are interested in Recessed panel wainscoting (also known as judges panelling), it involves a few more steps in the process than its raised panel counterpart. Recessed panelling is the traditional way to install wainscoting and gives a more formal look. There are quite a few more steps involved in the process which require a higher budget and skill set and are generally left to a carpenter or builder, so is not outlined in the below instructions.

For a home DIY renovator, you may prefer the ease of our DIY wainscoting kits.

Tools

  • Tape measure
  • Vertical and horizontal spacer blocks 90mm wide
  • Height measurement stick
  • Hammer
  • Nail gun
  • Short nails
  • Stud finder
  • Combination saw
  • Caulking gun
  • Intrim Intense Grip Adhesive
  • 1 piece of sandpaper
  • Carpenters pencil

How to install raised panel wainscoting

1 Establish height of chair rail, measure and mark on wall

Formula – height from top of floor to top of chair rail = 100mm either side of 2/5 from floor to ceiling height, therefore 2400 divided by 5 = 480mm multiplied by 2 = 940mm. The recommended height of the chair rail from the floor will then be anywhere between 840mm and 1040mm.

The video example shows 970mm.

2 Measure down the width/height of chair rail

The video example: 70mm for CR22 chair rail.

3 Measure this distance between top of the skirting and underside of chair rail

Formula = (Measurement established in step 1) MINUS (height/width of skirting plus height/width of chair rail).

Video example: 970mm – (skirting 135mm + chair rail 70mm = 205mm) = 765mm

4 Cut height stick to this length

Cut height stick to this length

5 Mark underside of chair rail onto wall with height stick
6 Measure overall length of chair rail
7 Cut chair rail to length
8 Cut slight bevel on front face of chair rail so it meets with architrave thickness.

Tilt saw over on 45 degrees to perform this bevel cut. This is a 3mm bevel.

Formula = chair rail thickness @ 21mm thick less the architrave thickness @ 18mm = 3 x 3mm bevel cut.

9 Locate studs

Locate studs with stud finder at chair rail height and mark on the wall.

10 Position chair rail

Position chair rail in place using height stick and fix in place.

11 Nail at stud locations
12 Set out wall panels

Set out wall panels for inlay moulds using 90mm spacers.

13 Mark corners

Marking all corners: Mark the top right corner of the end wall panel, the bottom right corner of the end wall panel, the top and bottom left corners of the end wall panel, and all 4 external corners for the end wall panels of this overall wall section.

14 Tack nail

Tack a nail in on the left vertical mark of left-hand end wall panel.

15 Hook tape measure on nail

Hook tape measure on nail and measure overall distance of wall panel ends.

16 Mark individual wall panels

Mark out individual wall panels on the wall section.

Recommended individual panel length/width should be 1000mm maximum.

Formula – Overall distance of all panels = 2441mm less (2 @ 90mm spaces = 180mm) = 2261mm, therefore 2261mm divided by 3 panels = 753mm long/wide for each panel.

Video example: This wall section is 2441mm long, so overall will require 3 panels. This means we will need to allow for 2 more 90mm spaces between the 3 wall panels.

17 Mark out width of individual wall panels
18 Confirm vertical height of each wall panel

Formula = overall distance between top of skirting and underside of chair rail less (2 @ 90mm spaces = 180mm) E.g. 765mm (as in step 3) less 180mm = 585mm

Video example: Wall panel height will be 585mm.

19 Set out each wall panel at determined width/height in above steps

Measure length/width from the vertical mark of the first end wall panel and mark.

Mark the start of the second panel by positioning the 90mm spacer at the vertical mark of the previous wall panel.

Video example: 753mm long/wide x 585mm high

20 Cut a 45 degree mitre cut on each end of each inlay mould

Video example: The overall length of the long points for the vertical inlay mould components = 585mm as determined in step 21. The overall length of the long points for the horizontal inlay mould components = 753mm as determined in step 16.

You will require 2 vertical and 2 horizontal pieces of inlay mould to create each rectangular panel on the wall.

Video example: this wall section requires 3 wall panels, therefore 3 wall panels x 2 vertical inlay moulds/panel = 6 pieces of inlay mould @ 585mm long, and 3 wall panels x 2 horizontal inlay moulds/panel = 6 pieces of inlay mould @ 753mm long.

21 Use initial cut lengths of inlay mould as templates

Intrim TIP: The original vertical inlay mould cut (to 585mm long in our video example), should be the same throughout the project as long as the distance between the top of the skirting and the underside of the chair rail is consistent throughout.

Intrim TIP: The original horizontal inlay mould cut to length will be the same for that particular wall section length only. These lengths will need to be adjusted to suit each individual wall section length.

22 Layout inlay molds close to installation area
23 Begin installing inlay moulds

Begin installing inlay moulds to form rectangular wall panels using the 90mm spacers.

Place glue on the back face of a piece of vertical inlay mould and the back face of a piece of horizontal inlay mould. Position the 2 @ 90mm spacers in the corner and nail both inlay moulds in place to form the first corner of the wall panel. Use short nails and fix nails at a slight angle to gain more holding power to plaster while the glue dries.

24 Continue to fix next wall panel

Continue to fix the next wall panel using 90mm spacers, repeating the steps from above.

25 Fix final wall panel

Fix the final wall panel for this section of wall using 90mm spacers, repeating steps from above.

26 Finished

Completed wainscoting panels on the section of wall. Ready for painting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is installing wainscoting difficult?

How difficult wainscoting is to install depends on what kind of wainscoting style you are going for. Raised Panel wainscoting is one of the simplest methods where inlay mould is fixed directly to the wall to create a multi-frame picture look that is relatively simple and cost-effective. If you wanted something more formal such as Recessed Panel wainscoting, there are quite a few more steps involved in the process which require a higher budget and skill set and are generally left to a carpenter or builder. 

Do you glue or nail wainscoting?

To create wainscoting you use both. Glue is applied on the back of the inlay mould lengths and glued to the wall where you will need to apply pressure for 10 seconds to the piece. If you need to move a piece of inlay mould after this you can but need to reapply 10 seconds of pressure. You then nail inlay mould pieces using short nails and fix nails on a slight angle to gain more holding power to the plaster while the glue dries. Intrim also has its own glue Intrim Intense Grip Adhesive available for purchase.  

What type of wall surfaces can I stick wainscoting to?

The Intrim Intensive Grip Adhesive will stick to all surfaces – plaster, timber, brick or render. There does HAVE to be paint on the surfaces you are sticking to, and that must be in good condition (ie no flaking or cracking). The bond is only as good as the surface it is glued to – so if the surface is flaky paint, then it will not adhere well to the wall. If you’re worried about bonding to your surface, you may like to use masking tape to hold the inlay mould to the wall surface in some spots while the glue is curing. This may help when applying to an uneven surface, like brickwork. 

Do you put wainscoting over drywall?

Yes. Prior to applying your inlay mould, MDF or plywood sheets are usually installed in place of gyprock or on top of the existing wall (especially if this is part of a renovation) at the full height of your wainscoting to the chair rail. Square DAR finished timbers are then fixed to create a board and batten look.

Is Wainscoting expensive?

Depending on the method used wainscoting can be expensive. Traditionally it would be installed using a method called ‘raised panel’ wainscoting, where boards (usually MDF sheets) and battens are installed on the walls to create depth by projecting from the wall. The inlay mould is then installed around the inside lip of these raised board panels. This will give you a traditional Hamptons look and will be beautiful, but it also adds additional cost. This method requires more material and it is much more labour intensive. So how can you combat this? The alternative method of installation is the direct wall application, where for want of a better explanation, you ‘stick’ or install the inlay mould in the ‘frames’ directly to your wall. Usually, these are nailed on, but we also have DIY wainscoting kits so you can install them yourself (saving even more cash) by simply sticking them on the wall.

How to install raised panel vs recessed panel wainscoting?

Raised panel wainscoting is where the inlay mould is fixed directly to the wall to create a multi ‘picture frame’ across the wall look. This is a relatively simple, cost-effective method. Step-by-step details are contained in this guide. You can use the inlay mould with or without a chair rail and have the flexibility to apply the ‘frame’ look to the entire wall, by creating different-sized frames up the wall. There are a number of ways you can install this panelling. If you want to use a chair rail it is best to begin by installing your skirting board and chair rail. The skirting board and chair rail will be used as a guide to determine your spacing, so ensure these are installed level.  Recessed panel wainscoting is the traditional Hamptons or American style influence. There are quite a few more steps involved in the process which require a higher budget and skill set and are generally left to a carpenter or builder. 

How long does it take to install wainscoting?

Installing wainscoting wall panelling will vary in time depending on the style of wainscoting, such as raised or recessed, whether you are only doing the lower section of the wall or full height and your level of skill, experience and equipment used.  

What is the difference between wainscoting and beadboard?

Beadboard is a form of wainscoting where narrow vertical lining boards or VJ boards are positioned alongside one another with grooves (also known as beads) installed between each board.  

Tips

Tip 1

Intrim recommends using IN23 inlay mould with CR22 chair rail for 18mm wide architraves, and CR99 with IN32 for 30mm architraves.

Tip 2

Use our Intense Grip glue when installing wainscoting as it eliminates the use of nails.

Tip 3

To get a high quality cut use aluminium blade on mitre saw.

Tip 4

If you have a small external wall continue wainscoting around corner.

Tip 5

Make sure you always keep borders consistent.

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