Thursday 17 December 2015

The History Of Wainscoting

The History of Wainscoting


The term wainscoting (or wainscotting) refers to the application of decorative paneling that's placed between a baseboard and a chair rail or wainscot cap on an interior wall. Wainscoting has been around for centuries and remains popular today as an inexpensive method of enhancing room decor or covering wall areas that have imperfections or are in need of repair. Does this Spark an idea?


History


The origins of wainscoting can be traced back to 16th-century England where it was applied in homes to the lower interior sections of stone walls to counteract coldness and dampness. Throughout the 18th and 19th century, wainscot was commonly found in casual settings, such as informally decorated homes, cottages and retreats. Historically, traditional wainscot was made of wood and consisted of tongue-and-groove boards nailed vertically up the wall and measuring anywhere from 42 to 58 inches high. During the 1900s, wainscot as high as 60 to 72 inches became popular, especially in dining rooms. The preferred type of building material for wainscoting of this height was cloth, including burlap, grasscloth and linen.


Features


Wainscot consists of three parts: baseboard molding, chair molding and panels placed between the two moldings to create a solid wall covering. Once mainly composed of wood or cloth, wainscot is now produced in many different materials such as low-maintenance vinyl, PVC plastic, embossed metal and ceramic tile.The term "boiserie" refers to wainscoting that covers an entire room as opposed to just the lower portion of walls. Often made in a coffered style of recessed panels, boiserie is most commonly seen in the types of large formal rooms found in law offices and museums.


Types


The three main types of wainscot are raised panel, flat panel and beadboard. According to popular home renovation expert Bob Vila, the origins of all three can be traced back to Western European woodworkers.


Raised panels, usually 30 to 40 inches in height, are the most traditional wainscoting style and date back to colonial days. Flat, or recessed, panels provide a simple, clean look popular in Mission style and Arts and Crafts style homes. Beadboard features a vertical tongue-and-groove look favored for casual, cottage or country home decor.


Styles


You can adapt the many different styles of wainscoting to almost any kind of home from formal to informal. American classic decors often feature flat panel wainscot with slightly raised rails and stiles (vertical pieces in the frame of a wood panel). For a cottage look, a combination of beadboard and flat panel wainscot lends a cozy feel to a room. Rustic wood wainscot displaying a distressed finish is well suited to cabins, country inns or mountain lodges. A simple wainscot design that emphasizes the beauty of wood grain while minimizing architectural elements is often found in classic modern home decors.


Considerations


Wainscoting involves a significant amount of planning, measuring and cutting, so you may want to consider hiring a professional experienced in the wainscoting process.

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