Bathroom Wainscoting in Culver City Lends Elegance to a Small Space

Still one of the best bang for your buck DIY projects to undertake, wainscoting is useful not only for decoration but also as a protective surface.  In high traffic areas such as hallways and other rooms the wall treatment, which typically stands between 32-36” from the floor, can serve as a chair rail to protect the walls from the inevitable nicks and scuffs that come with furniture collisions.  In some areas, a wainscot can be made to go up to 48”, providing even more wall protection and a smooth, easily cleaned surface that can make your cleanup work a whole lot easier.  In other areas, especially in small spaces, it goes a long way to tie together a dull space with limited room to work with.

Pretty much any material that is common for finish work is used currently for wainscoting.  The most common is of course wood, and it is readily available in a number of attractive species and styles.  Hardwood veneers like birch and oak are common in easy to use 4×8 sheets, as are paint grade options such as pine and MDF.  Lightweight polymers that are commonly made into crown moldings can also be found made specially for wainscoting applications. 

The tongue and groove design of these off the shelf items make them especially well suited for weekend remodelers with limited tools on hand.  In most cases, sheets of wainscot material can be directly attached to your wallboard with adhesive and a few small finishing nails.  But for thicker, heavier material, such as a style with a deep profile, it will need to be nailed securely to the wallboard.  Take care when you are using thin boards however, as with too much force you can split the wood, leaving you with wasted pieces. 

If you choose to forego adhesive, you will definitely need to install some sort of furring or backing on your wallboard to serve as your nailing surface.  On exposed framing, this is as easy as nailing up some plywood directly to the studs to act as your backing. Then, when it is time to install the drywall above, just make sure you use a wallboard of the same thickness.  In this way the transitions from the wainscot to the wall should be perfectly smooth, as a cap molding will rest on top of the wainscot to help define the two features.

Below we have a newly remodeled bathroom in Culver City, with a sharp white wainscot that runs around the perimeter of the room from the tub area.  As you can see, the lines of the wall treatment flow perfectly together with the lines of the sink, tub, and toilet fixtures, creating an elegant look in this small bathroom space.