Bathroom Remodeling with Wainscoting
by Anna Hart
Filed under Bathroom Remodeling
Bathroom remodeling with wainscoting is a good way to add a touch of yesteryear character to your bath. This paneling was originally used to cover the lower part of walls where they were likely to be affected by dampness rising from the ground. Now it is more decorative, but carries the feel of days gone by.
Bathroom remodeling with waynes coating (secondary spelling) allows you to cover the lower 3 to 4 feet of your wall above the baseboard. Practically, it protects the part of the wall that is likely to get dirty more quickly. Aesthetically, the vertical tongue-and groove board combines well with either wallpaper or paint.
How Difficult Is Bathroom Remodeling with Wainscoting?
A project of this type will involve cutting and installing the wainscoting itself, and then capping the wainscoting with chair rail molding. If you are able to do bathroom remodeling of any kind, this project is probably within your abilities. You will need at least some woodworking experience, patience, and 2 or 3 days.
Planning Your Bathroom Remodeling with Wainscoting
As with any do-it-yourself project, you will want to plan your bathroom remodeling. Begin with these steps.
* Decide how high you want the wainscoting to extend. It is usually up to 36″ or 48″ above the baseboard. If you have baseboard in place, plan to butt the bottom of your wainscoting against the top of the baseboard. If you have no baseboard yet, you might choose to install the wainscoting to the floor, and cover the bottom with new baseboard.
* Mark the height of your wainscoting at several places on the wall. Then use a laser guide, chalk line, or level and pencil to mark all around the room where the wainscoting top will be.
* Measure the length of the walls on which you will put wainscoting. Write this figure as the amount of chair rail molding you will need. If your bathroom remodeling calls for replacement of baseboard, this figure is also the amount of baseboard you will need.
* Next multiply that same length figure times the height of your wainscoting. This is how much wainscoting you need, in square footage.
* Take your figures to your local home improvement or bathroom remodeling store, and purchase your supplies.
Supplies Needed for Bathroom Remodeling with Wainscoting
You may already have some of these bathroom remodeling supplies. If you aren’t sure what to get, simply ask questions.
* 2-foot level
* Hammer
* Miter box (manual or power)
* Nails – 6-penny finish nails
* Nail set
* Speed square
* Chair rail molding
* Baseboard (if replacing)
* Wainscoting
Installing Your Wainscoting
Remove outlet covers, and baseboard if you will not be installing wainscoting above it. Set these aside for later use.
Beginning in one corner, cut a piece of wainscoting to the determined height. Set it in place. With your 2-foot level, be sure it is “plumb” (vertically straight) and snug in the corner. When it is, fasten it with two finish nails, one near the top where it will be covered by the chair rail molding, and one near the bottom. Use your nail set to sink them below the surface of the wainscoting. Continue around the bathroom. If necessary, cut wainscoting to fit under windows. At corners, you can overlap boards, or join with miter cuts at 45 degree angles.
Attach chair molding over the top edge of your wainscoting. Use as few finish nails as possible, and sink them with your nail set. When finished, fill the hole above each nail with wood putty to hide the nails.
Attach your baseboard, and finish this part of your bathroom remodeling project by painting or staining the wood the color you want.
I understand the concept of laying wainscoting. Just trying
to figure out how to cut around the pedastal sink and commode. Help?
Donna,
You probably don’t want to hear this, but to do it “right”, remove your sink and remove your commode. Install your wainscoting, then reinstall the sink and commode. Tricky part will be carefully carving cutouts in the wainscoting for your commode’s water supply line and your hot & cold water lines for the sink.
That’s my problem!!!!! I don’t know how to do that, I am remodoling 2 bathroom and would love to use wainscoting, I love the look, but cutting around the toilet is driving me crazy. I don’t even know where to begin or what tools to use to get this right. Any suggestions, please!!!
You will have to remove the toilet and the sink to properly install wainscot. If your water supply pipes are coming out of the wall, you will have to measure from the floor “up” and from the wall or end the the last installed panel of wainscot to determine where to cut the water supply holes. Use of piece of cardboard as a templet and then transfer this to your wainscot panel. Good Luck!!!
Eliana,
The best way is to measure the distance from where the bottom of the wainscoting will sit against the baseboard to the distance for the water supply. You might need to use a jigsaw to cut out that section, unless of course you can just drill a hole on the panel and push the water hose through. Ask your local Home Depot or Lowes personnel to give you some suggestions on how to do that. They can be a great help. Good luck.
what angle do you use to join wainscoting in corners… i cant find the angle!!!
Can I put the wainscoting over the existing tile? And do you suggest wood or vinyl?
I was wondering the same thing as Nicole – can we use something like liquid nails to glue wainscoting to existing tile. We are having a roll-in shower installed and because we have old tile with cement and wire backing the tile, it is costly to remove the other tile around the bottom half of the bathroom. Does anyone know the answer to this question?
I am planning on putting wainscoting over the tiled bathroom walls. I also have tile on the tub/shower surround. The tub needs to be replaced. Can I continue the wainscoting into the tub/shower area to cover the tile, providing I use vinyl? Would I run into problems when installing the fixtures? Or would I be better off removing the tile and either putting in a tub w/surround?
You’d use a 45 degree angle…but you can also overlap the panels, which is easier.
Okay…the wainscoting is installed and stained a light oak color. Now I can’t decide what color for the walls! So much of the room is this light brown shade…what goes with brown?
we are installing wainscoating for a client, we have a handyman business. The pieces do not cover the wall completely so we have to cut a piece… we can’t seem to give the client a perfect fit, where is it recommended to cut wainscoating when matching 2 pieces together? The client does not want any wood filler used for gaps
I needed to know if you can put wainscotting over tile? is a board? I just wondered because would it get damaged over years due to the moisture and possible water splashing on it? Any advice is greatly appreciated, Thanks!
We purchased 4′x4′ sheets of beaded white wainscoting panels. The edges are not tongue and groove. How can we butt them together?
frances,
I am no contractor but my thoughts are you could cut a 45 degree angle on one board taking off the one bead and cut another 45 degree angle on another removing the bead and overlap them to give you a better joint.then use wood glue to secure joint. Other then that I am out of ideas…
________ ______
Beaded End_______/ /______Beaded End
CUT
Glad I found this forum…Here’s my problem. I’m doing an addition with a master bath, Love the look of wainscoting but I’ve been to Lowes and Home Depot and everyone i’ve talked to is totally against installing it in my bathroom. They keep saying its not suitable for the bath because its MDF, the amount of moisture is going to make it swell,warp, I’mm gonne have to replace in the future… etc. Can you please help, is there a particular kind to buy? Should I been purchasing the vinyl type or what. In a state of confusion and my time is running out. Help if you can.
I am installing wainscot in my bath using vinyl bead boards from Home Depot. They are water-resistant suitable for the room walls only, NOT the tub area. Hope this helps.
I installed oak wainscoting purchased special order (expensive) online from Home Depot, installed in March in my new Victorian home bathroom, stained last month (dark – prestain, then dark stain, then polyurethane semi-gloss satin finish coat) – as per instructions from all people I spoke with (even at Home Depot). I was assured it would be fine even for around the tub.
WRONG!! Warning. It has COMPLETELY warped – pulled the chair rail off of the wall a good half an inch – warped every 10 – 12 slats or so, right off of the wall. Now it’s more like “waves” cote. ANY IDEAS?? Do I have to pull it out? Start over? They assured me it would be fine with poly coating – water resistant. I like the dark mahogany look – it’s elegant – what can I do????
xx
brent
Hi Berry
is vinyl beadboards easier to install than the wood one?
(like for wall behind the toilet)
and does it as beautiful as wood one? thanks
I’m hoping someone has a response for Brent, as I have the same concern. How does wainscoting not warp in a bathroom?
Thanks,
Laura
Light blue goes with brown. and light pink. or lavender.
I’am buying vinyl waincoting for my bathroom, but I want to put it everywhere. Close to the sink, and above the tub on top of the all in one shower wall. This is for a kids bathroom. Is this a good idea??
Im reading some of the questions and I just wanted to add that, i remodeled my bathroom 3 years ago, took off the tile that was half way up the wall and and replaced with wainscoting.. my home is 106 years old.. i have not had 1 problem with it yet. no warping, nothing..I am just wondering if there is another issue with the folks that are having that problem..I do have a small bathroom,but i dont know if that makes a difference or not…
I just installed the vinyl wainscot in my bathroom. My common sense prevailed over the cardboard type due to moisture. It was very easy to install. Liquid nails and brads into the studs did the the trick. My walls are tiled half way up. I made two rows of wooden spacers above the tile to compensate for the tile offset. Please remove the sink and toilet if you can. So far so good. I also installed a high-end exhaust fan to assist with the moisture elimination.
can you place vinyl wainscotting over the old adhesive or mastic left behind once removing the old tiles. If not is there a way to remove the old adhesive. Thanks
so, our bathroom tile is in great shape and is a nice pale yellow and goes 48″ up the wall – I was thinking of adding wainscotting on the wall above the tile, a little non-traditional, any thoughts? Also, how would I then match it up to where it will butt up against the tile?
Thanks
I have a powder room that I want to put wainscotting on the wall. Should I put it 36″ or 48″ up? And I was thinking of painting it black with the walls maroon. Will that make the bathroom look too small? Thanks
I am redoing our bathroom due to a leak and hoping someone will have an address or phone # of a company where I can order the new vinyl wainscot. I am looking for a darker mocha color or walnut wood look. If there is a paintable type of vinyl panels out there I would consider that too.
Thanks for your replies.
RE: Wainscot on top half of wall in tiled bathroom. I think this will look great.
It will give it a french country or a victorian feel depending on the type of wainscot you choose. Dark colors will make the bath look small but if you like it – who cares. Call a tile store, like Color Tile for advice on matching trim up against the tile. There are many options.
Important— don’t use cardboard/ press board type in the bath. I am told the vinyl stuff is great. I have used vinyl trim many times and it holds up beautifully.
Good Luck.
A.C., we used vinyl wainscot in our bathroom remodel almost two years ago, and we bought it at Home Depot. I kept it white, but it is paintable.
I’m planning to use the same material as a kitchen backsplash, so I’m hoping they still sell it in the store!