Today's wainscoting comes in all types of materials and designs. Hardwood, veneered plywood,
painted fiberboard and polyurethane are all available as paneling for your room. Styles include
raised panel, tongue and groove beadboard, flat, overlaid and recessed.
Raised panel construction
Typical raised panel construction resembles that of a door. Assembly is made up of a top and bottom rail,
vetical stiles and of course the raised panels. Constructing your wainscoting with rails and stiles requires
joins. Mortise and tenon, wood dowels, biscuits and slip tenons all have been used at some point with wood panels.
Cutting panels and table saw setup
To cut your panel, you will need to angle your saw blade to the desired taper. Due to the size of many panels, you
may have to use plywood and/or a block to steady your cut along the saw fence. The first cuts will be for the "reveal".
These 1/8 inch cuts are basically where your taper will fade into which causes the raised panel effect.
Inserting the panel into rail and stiles
Although your rail and stile pieces will be glued, DO NOT glue your panels! This will allow for expansion of the panel.
Typical rail grooves are 3/8 to 1/2 inch while allowing for 1/8 inch expansion in your panel.
Finished wainscoting usually involves a piece of cap molding and baseboard or shoe molding. You will usually need blocking
between studs and below your wainscoting where the baseboard can be installed. Standard heights for wainscoting are
usually 32 to 36 inches high, however any size and be used including full wall installations.
Plan wisely and sketch out your walls, layout and measurements. Making and installing your own wainscoting can be a
challenge, but the rewards will last a lifetime.