One of he most common ways to improve the look of your room is by applying wainscoting panels to your walls. The right style of wainscoting in your room will not only improve the look of your space, but it will also increase the resale value of your home. Today, there are numerous wainscoting designs and types to choose from.
What are Wainscoting Panels?
Wall paneled wainscoting is a type of wall trim that combines baseboards with panels and moulding to create a stylish and ornate look. Wainscoting is attached to the lower portion of your walls. Most panels are 1.5 metres (five feet) or at a chair level height. However, some are made to be higher at shoulder height. This type of wainscoting panel leaves 0.6 metres (two feet) of wall space from the trim to the ceiling bare. This style is commonly found in dining rooms because they give the room a more formal and elegant look. Some rooms also feature floor to ceiling wainscoting panels that completely cover the entire wall space.
Wainscoting panels were first used in the 1800’s to protect the interior wall surface and improve the home’s insulation. Today, these versatile panels are used not only to protect the wall and add an extra insulating barrier, but also to improve the aesthetics of the space. Wainscoting panels add texture and depth to other flat walls and provide a great surface to hang pictures and other home décor on.
When the wall trim was first used, it was made of wood. Today, there are different types of wainscoting that come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and materials.
What are the Different Types of Wainscoting?
There are many wainscoting styles and types to choose from. With the vast selection available, adding wainscoting panels to any room in your home is easier than ever. Some of the more popular types of wainscoting are listed below.
Flat Wainscoting Panel
Flat panel wainscoting is exactly as the name states. The inside panel and surrounding trim are flush with each other so the paneling gives a flat, uniform look across the entire space. Flat panel wainscoting has simple clean lines so it works well in almost every room in your home.
Raised Wainscoting Panel
Raised wainscoting panels are designed so the panel is flush with the baseboard and interior portion of the trim. However, the top edging of the trim extends outward giving the wall mounted panel a beveled look. This picturesque style is the most traditional type of wainscoting panel. It has remained highly popular since it was first introduced in the late 1800’s because the elevated edging not only adds to the elegance and beauty of your room, but the shadows created from the beveling give dimension and texture to flat walls.
Beadboard
Beadboard is a tongue-and-grove wainscoting style where evenly measured vertical ‘tongues’ are separated by equally spaced grooves in the panel. This type of wall mount usually come in 2.5 metre (eight feet) boards. This look is perfect for cottages and lake houses.
Board and Batten
Board and batten wall panels are a combination of wide boards and narrow battens that, when applied to your wall, create a more geometric design. Board and batten panels were first used on exterior buildings like barns. The design reinforces and protects joined areas where two walls meet. The interior wainscoting style adds an informally stylish and comfortable look to your room.
Overlay
Overlay combines flat wainscoting panels with raised panels. By applying a raised panel over top a flat wainscoting panel, it gives the illusion that the wall mounted wainscoting panels are raised. This style was first used in libraries and formal rooms. Today, it is still a highly popular design in homes and offices.
Vinyl Wainscoting Panels
Vinyl wainscoting panels are a modern take on the classic wall mount. Made of PVC vinyl, these wainscoting panel styles are light weight, highly durable, are easy to install and require very little maintenance. Vinyl types of wainscoting are best for rooms where there are high moisture levels such as laundry rooms, bathrooms, mud rooms, shower rooms, basements, saunas and garages where other wainscoting can get damaged from the humidity.
What Rooms Should Have Wainscoting?
Wainscoting was first designed to protect areas in homes and commercial buildings that were more exposed to moisture and at a higher risk of rotting. These areas included kitchens, bathrooms, lunchrooms, dining rooms and the servants quarters.
Today, there are different styles of wainscoting so you can easily find a panel design and type for any room or area of your home or business. With the different materials now used to make the wall panels, it is easy to install wall paneled wainscoting in any room or area or of your home or business.
Wainscoting is a very popular fixture in entranceways and hallways because it gives the area a dramatic and sophisticated look and is gives the area a wow factor when you first enter.
Living rooms and dining rooms are also popular rooms to install wainscoting panels because the decorate wall panels create an elegant and formal look. Different wainscoting styles and types work well in bathrooms where the walls are exposed to high moisture levels. Not only do they protect the underlying surface, but they add to the beauty of your room.
Wainscoting also works well in bedrooms and with the different types of wainscoting panels available, it is easy to incorporate the wall mounts to any décor style.
Wall paneled wainscoting is a decorative fixture that adds beauty and glamour to any room in your home or commercial property. It is a classic feature that never goes out of style. Today’s wainscoting panels are made to suit every room and décor style.
At VIP Classic Moulding, we are experts in all areas of wainscoting application and installation. Contact us today for all your home and business to help you choose and install the perfect type of wainscoting for your area.
