Wainscoting can dress any room, from modern to country.
Traditionally, wainscoting consisted of a wood material that was applied to the bottom portion of a wall. Wainscoting added an architectural detail to a space and dressed up a room. Today, there are options other than wood available. MDF, veneer, PVC and polyurethane are all used to create less-expensive wainscoting. Wainscoting is also available in a number of different styles. Does this Spark an idea?
Board and Batten
Board and batten wainscoting is generally used in craftsman-style homes. Its flat panels and vertical battens illustrate simplicity. In the early days of wainscoting, the battens were added to hide the seams between the individual boards, but today, they add textural interest and design. Homeowners sometimes add a plate rail to the top of board and batten wainscoting to create a shelf for displaying decorative objects.
Raised Panel
Raised panel is the most common wainscoting style, dating back to colonial times. It immediately adds a sense of timelessness to a room. Raised panels are created by beveling the edges of the panels, giving them a sense of depth. Some homeowners opt to use the bottom rail of the panels as a baseboard, while others build a separate baseboard using several pieces of stacked molding.
Overlay Panel
Overlay panel wainscoting looks a bit like raised panel, but has been given a more elaborate design. For added texture and depth, a piece of wood is centered between the rails and stiles and is glued into place, and molding is applied to further dramatize the effect. Because it has a relatively "busy" design overlay, panel wainscoting works best in an uncluttered, sedate space.
Flat Panel
If you see wainscoting in an arts and crafts or mission-style home, it is very likely a flat-panel style. With simple, recessed flat panels and straight, clean lines, this particular style epitomizes the sparsity for which arts and crafts and mission style are known. Flat panel is also one of the easier styles of wainscoting for beginners to install.
Beadboard Panel
Beadboard panels came into vogue during the 19th-century Victorian design period and were used in less-formal settings like country cottages. Beadboard consists of a flat surface on the top and bottom of each panel with small vertical slats of wood in between. It is often finished off on both the top and bottom with a simple trim.
Tags: arts crafts, batten wainscoting, flat panels, panel wainscoting