Any shorter and I think it would looked dwarfed. I will attempt to up load a photo. The one linked above gives the exact proportions they used. However, the baseboard is a whopping 11 high, and the chair rail is 3.5 high. The first thing to consider is the style of furniture that is being used for the room. A more important factor to consider, however, is how high the ceiling in a room is. Orac Decor even makes a preassembled picture frame moulding that just gets glued onto the wall. For example, if your room is 9 feet tall, then your wainscoting should come up to 3 feet. And Some Unusual Solutions. Mike, Its all about proportions. Or, mark the top of the wainscoting in painters tape. Got a tip, kitchen tour, or other story our readers should see? There are multiple choices of height but my chairs won't hit the wall. Windows Wainscoting (also called dado wall paneling) is meant to replicate the pedestal on a classical columnalso called a dado. The chair rail terminates at the bottom of the skirt and returns to the wall. There are all sorts of methods out therefrom gluing it down with high-gloss finish nails or liquid adhesive to floating it over an air barrier. However, I plan on hanging a few pictures right at the level of the wainscoting and 1/2 of the way up felt too high especially once we placed the sofa against the wall. 
Originally, wainscoting was more than just for an aesthetic. Ignore the phone number it's not a valid number anymore and I don't see how to delete the pic. Does the line intersect with any features in the room that will need to be considered? closet Youre right, code requirements today sometimes have a huge impact on design. If youre unsure, its generally better togo with a shorter wainscoting height than a taller one. How deep is your crown molding? All of the moldings we install inside and outside homes originate from the classical orders; but equally important, so do the linesthe elevation lines for each decorative detail on a home. For shorter walls, stick to the rule of thirds or keep wainscoting to at least 32 inches high. Yes, Im just another typical author listening mostly to my own words. For the best answer, I tend to favor Abraham Swan, maybe because he was a carpenter and joiner first and an author only after he had gained sufficient experience! Their particular fixtures will force homeowners to take a different approach than the one-third rule. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Related: Beadboard Vs. Wainscoting: Do You Know the Difference? haha). The bottom of the windows are between 24-25.5in from the floor. You can even get it made out of plastic, but I prefer to draw the line unless theres a compelling reason. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Its not a defect. So if your ceiling height is 8 feet high, try a baseboard thats about 7 inches tall. WebSo if the ceiling is 9 feet, go for 3-foot wainscoting. Board and batten as a style is usually higher than wainscoting. And that may be anywhere from 24" to 42"Casey. Look to these bathroom layouts for optimal space planning, See how designers use tile and other elements to make a tight layout feel more spacious and stylish, Smart design details like niches and frameless glass help visually expand this average-size bathroom while adding character, Different heights, angles and materials can deliver a personalized viewing experience in a space that looks good, More visual height is no stretch when you pick the right furniture, paint and lighting, No room for a big chandelier? 
This is at least double what we typically see these days in new homes, whether the ceiling is 8 feet or higher. The cost to add wainscoting to your bathroom walls depends on the wainscoting material and labor. Laurel Bern Interiors/Laurel Home is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees, by advertising and linking to amazon.com and other affiliate marketing companies, 1996-2023 Laurel Home 1996-2023 Laurel Bern Interiors, Inc. All Rights Reserved. I appreciate you taking the time to respond and thank you for the kind words. For people that would like to invest in something that looks great but are not planning on staying in their home for very long, low-hanging wainscoting might be the best bet. 36 Cheap Sofas and Chairs That Look High-End! Kitchen Remodeling The standard height to install wainscoting is about 1/3 of the wall height, so if you have 9 foot ceilings that would be 36 inches. (Repeating my graphic, so you dont have to keep going back and forth.). It's based on the backs of chairs so it is usually between about 32" and 36" no matter what the ceiling height is. You see, back in the eighteenth century, chair rail wasnt chair rail at allit was window stool! 
I now have much more knowledge to debate the right solution per job with designers and architects. For rooms with 8-foot ceilings, aim for around 32 inches. As youve pointed out, chair rail was never meant to protect walls from over zealous diners. They also mention that it can vary depending on windows, door and vanity/backsplash heights. Be sure to switch off the electrical circuit in the room before touching the outlets. If so, move the chair rail a bit up. They should all be the same, so avoid cutting individual panels down at corners and doorways to get them to fit walls of varying lengths. WebTo quote from a Pro Construction site: 'There really is no standard height for wainscoting. The ideal wainscoting height is about one-third of the wall. In a former home we placed the chairail at 40" because the ceilings were only 8', and i"d read it would visually raise the ceiling. How wide a panel? (Note: Click any image to enlarge). The short answer to this question is, somewhere between 26 to 32 inches. If youre looking for maintenance tips, the first thing to look at is how your flooring was installed. Wainscoting is one of our favorite ways to dress up a boring or unremarkable room, to give it an instant dose of old-world style. Of course, this isnt always possible: Some rooms have windows with sills at different heights, or windows who sills are far too close to the floor. Need An Area Rug? When was the last time you ate a meal so good you stood up and kicked you chair back in celebration and it damaged the wall? Sounds like it will look tiny and busy. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. 
A good general rule for the height of a wainscot is that it be a third of the way up the wall. I really like the curved transitions. Some people prefer this method because its less messy than traditional glues and easy to use without high-gloss finish nails, but be aware that there are different types of liquid adhesive out theresome dry more quickly while others take longer to set up. I would suggest drawing it with different wainscot elevations, and seeing which one you like most. Now, its time to glue and nail in the wainscoting panels. For rooms with 8-foot ceilings, aim for around 32 inches. Remember, with paint-grade trim, you can order that top cap in flex mold, then all you need to do is cut the top rail from a piece of 112 at a curve with a jigsaw!!!! thanks. Therefore, if our wall is 96 high, that means that our baseboard is 6.72. Light Blue Wall Colors-Don't Make This Mistake! How wide a panel? On the other hand, if there are floor-to-ceiling windows on one side of the room and no furniture blocking any of them out, then having really high wainscoting would be beneficial because more natural light can come into the room through those windows. PRO Patricia Colwell Consulting 5 years ago Good idea since you only have 8 ft. ceilings anything higher will look wrong IMHO miss lindsey (She/Her) 5 years ago Your room is very cute and home-y by the way! Witness History Come Alive: 10 Stunning Miniature Replicas of Old Neighborhoods. Via New York Times. Now THIS is where rules are important. Well, half right. Today we look at an important question to consider when locating your television: How high should you set it? Dont Panic. Of course you dont have to stick to exactly a third, a few inches either side wont affect it too much. Typically, the height of the panels is between 36 to 42 inches. As you can see, he did a combo of recessed flat panels on the wainscoting and raised panel moulding on the shutters and doors. Youre doing fine. The traditional rule of thumb is that wainscoting height should be a third of the walls height, including the cap or any moldings. Scale down to about 32 inches for rooms with 8-foot walls. im in the middle of putting up Chair rail up my stairs. How big is your dining room, and how big is your furniture? This would be in dining room? For instance, you have a 9 foot ceiling and the bottom of the window sill is at 40 inches, I would recommend installing your wainscoting to that height rather than the standard 1/3 rule of 36 inches. Its wood and wood expands and contracts. If you have 8 foot ceilings then that would be 32 inches. 
Gardening 
Follow the wainscoting on the stair up to the top landing. Different types of wood are popular for living or dining spaces, but stick to something moisture-proof like ceramic tile or plastic for bathrooms. Most waiting rooms Ive seen have wall damage from chair backs. For taller wainscoting, such as one with a plate rail, cap it two-thirds the way up the wall. In my opinion, I think it would look funny for the handrail to be above the wainscot, but that leads to a problem with the transition at either the top or the bottom of the stairs if you want to run that at a lower height. I know what you are saying about the vertical cap, but what did you mean by the vertical baseboard? 
Floating is the least intrusive, but it does require proper support and sealing to keep your flooring from warping or buckling. PRO Patricia Colwell Consulting 5 years ago Good idea since you only have 8 ft. ceilings anything higher will look wrong IMHO miss lindsey (She/Her) 5 years ago Your room is very cute and home-y by the way! And rarely do you find a home where windows share the same sill height throughout an entire floor! to 32 in. Paint Colors Lets talk about wainscoting. Visit the Solution Center to Explore Articles, irina88w / iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images. Photo: shutterstock.com. Id need to know what the entablature height is in those rooms. Plus, I wanted the wainscoting to be seen over the edge of the dresser and crib which would not have been the case if we had picked 1/3. 
But lets be quick about it. Wainscoting is usually under a chair rail molding which is typically 32" high. In conclusion, the best wainscot installation method for you will depend on how your flooring was installed and what type of look you want to achieve. This is a door designed by George Saumarez Smith of Adam Architecture in a photo I took during my trip to England. fish emulsion The whole issue with wainscoting, as you mentioned in the article is in 70s/80s houses around here (Southern Ontario), not only do the doors and window line up, but the windows are different sill heights. And, yes, shes right above and below wainscoting available at Home Depot. The other situation where it doesnt make a lot of sense is if the furniture covers nearly the entire available wall. Wainscoting should be high, 36 inches, with 9-foot ceilings. For other countertops, such as an island or peninsula in the kitchen, keep your wainscot at least 24 inches above it. Boxy Boring Bedroom? Home Repair In a room thats nine feet tall, for example, this would put the height of the wainscoting at three feet. But, it gives a close-up view of the rail and stile as seen on a door. If you have 8 foot ceilings then that would be 32 inches. Please note: Your first comment will be held for moderation/review by our staff before it appears. In his 1757 work, Georgian Architectural Designs and Details, Swan wrote: There is hardly a greater error in architecture, than in disposing the dados and the entablature to the height of the rooms. WebHidden Doors For a 9-foot ceiling 36 inches is ideal.Adjust wainscoting height to be taller 36 to 48 inches in a room with a lofted ceiling.So if you have 9-foot walls then 3-foot or 36-inch.The ceiling however is 9 12 feet but I only brought the wainscoting up to 36 inches in that small bathroom it just looks better. 
Wainscoting is typically installed on the lower portion of walls in order to break up the expanse of flat wall space. I respect people who can make things like this! WebSo if the ceiling is 9 feet, go for 3-foot wainscoting. And a beautiful raised panel wainscoting. When measuring for a third of the wall, you should include the baseboards and crown molding. For shorter walls, stick to the rule of thirds or keep wainscoting to at least 32 inches high. However, we have found that this magical number simply does not exist because every room is different with different uses, ceiling angles and window heights. I think it did a bit.Marti. In addition, there may or may not be a rail (horizontal, flat piece) and a stile, a vertical flat piece. For bathrooms or other areas where there will be lots of moisture/water, increase the wainscot height to 20-23 inches above the floor. This is a tall wall, so the moulding is beefier than what we used for our eight-foot-high living room. On top of taking into account ceiling height, it is also important to consider how tall a persons average ceiling height would be. Then, they applied picture frame moulding and then a staircase. I dont think theres a bead, but there could be. For example, if the room in question has an eight-foot ceiling and most people are going to be shorter than six feet then it might make more sense for wainscoting to only go up four or five feet instead of all the way to eight feet. Is that something you have ever considered writing about? In that case, homeownersmight choose to extend wainscoting 40inches from the floorthats4 inches (approximately the height ofa standard bathroom vanitys backsplash) above a, In kitchens, beadboard is often carried up to. WebSo if you have 9-foot ceilings, the wainscoting should be around 36 inches high. However, the baseboard is a whopping 11 high, and the chair rail is 3.5 high. Well, thats the long story. So if your wall is 12 feet from floor to ceiling, youll install wainscoting from the top of the baseboard to the four-foot mark. Typically, wainscoting works best on the lower portion of the wall, so plan to install it on the lowest one-third section. Considered going higher with wainscot (that was why original question was height formulas) but think we will keep existing height. :)Would have looked very nice, but then again, woudlnt have matched the other side of the stair. The first thing you need to know is: There is no one height that wainscoting should be hung, because the appropriate height depends on the height of the room. There's also plate-rail height wainscot, which is usually found in dining rooms but can also be used elsewhere. Our ceiling height is 9ft. Find trusted local pros for any home project. So if your wall is 12 feet from floor to ceiling, youll install wainscoting from the top of the baseboard to the four-foot mark. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ). 
Im sure what you chose worked out fine and looks more than good. This is at least double what we typically see these days in new homes, whether the ceiling is 8 feet or higher. They also mention that it can vary depending on windows, door and vanity/backsplash heights. However, the baseboard is a whopping 11 high, and the chair rail is 3.5 high. We have plans to paint the wainscoting a muted pink and leave the rest of the wall and ceiling white (, We love the vertical shiplap we are installing in the nursery for our wainscoting, so hopefully y'all do too! 
I have a craftsman home. It will only be 4 inches taller and visually will look more seamless as the window sill will flow right into the top of the molding. In our old townhouse in New York (above), I had installed wainscoting consisting of a small solid crown used as the chair rail. However, extending wainscoting this high could potentially take emphasis away from the grand size of the room. Someone said 54 inches. This was a beach rental and we will be moving there. I think the one thing I took from the wainscoting video marathon is the leaving the one run short. If you choose another method like gluing, be sure to take time with measurements so boards fit together tightly without any gaps and sealing is applied to all sides. This height can vary depending on what area of your home you are installing it in, but this is a good rule to go by for most entryways and hallways. A good general rule for the height of a wainscot is that it be a third of the way up the wall. WebConsidered going higher with wainscot (that was why original question was height formulas) but think we will keep existing height. 
Oh man, I saw this once during a consultation in a dining room, and it was horrible! See how your overhead lighting can still make a statement, Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers, Outdoor Lighting & Audio/Visual Specialists, Riverside Architects & Building Designers, West Palm Beach Architects & Building Designers, Mount Prospect Kitchen & Bathroom Designers, Rancho Santa Margarita Furniture & Accessories, Michelle Scott for Ethan Allen - Laguna Niguel, CA, The Fifth Wall: Creative Ceilings Take Rooms to New Heights, Houzz Call: Show Us Your 8-by-5-Foot Bathroom Remodel, New This Week: 5 Ways to Make a 5-by-8-Foot Bathroom Look Bigger, Room of the Day: An 8-by-5-Foot Bathroom Gains Beauty and Space, New This Week: 8 Ways to Place a TV in a Living Room. Great article, but if the chair rail isnt meant to protect walls from chairs, what should? Want to shake things up with a much taller wainscot? She sent me a photo of a room similar to hers. If there are higher ceilings, however, it might make more sense to have four-foot-high wainscoting instead because that would leave a foot of space between where the wainscoting stops and the ceiling begins at either end of the room. The height of wainscoting and chair rail depends on many things: the style of the home, the size of the room, the height of the ceilingand your personal opinion on beauty. For taller wainscoting, such as one with a plate rail, cap it two-thirds the way up the wall. Why? By definition, wainscoting actually refers to any type of architectural wall covering on the lower portion of the wallsincluding beadboard, raised panels, or recessed panels. Sorry for the late response, butthe height of wainscoting depends on a lot of details. And what about the chair rail that terminates that dado? Installing wainscoting is possible to do yourself, although you can ensure it is aligned evenly and applied quickly with the help of a professional. Consider these options for soothing to stunning effects, Look to these bathroom makeovers to learn about budgets, special features, splurges, bargains and more. So depends on look you want. How to Measure Wainscoting. Ill try and attach a pic to give you a visual. :):):). And heres another transition, but not on a stair. from the floor (yes, I had to measure it!). They didn't tend to just make up their proportions as they went along like people are wont to now. And I agree with the decision to paint the ceiling and walls one color. Heres What You Need to Know. Wainscoting is usually under a chair rail molding which is typically 32" high. Now that weve looked at all this (somewhat conflicting) advice, my best words of wisdom are: Mock it up. RELATED:10 Wall Paneling Ideas that Dont Look Dated. Got a standard-size bathroom you recently fixed up? We especially like the rooms you show with wainscoting and wonder what you think about rooms with peaked ceilings? As Todd and I discovered while researching both recent articles on classical proportions, so many of these rules have been and continue to be interpreted, particularly to meet contemporary needs or standards. How high should my wainscoting be in my back entrance. For example, if your room is 9 feet tall, then your wainscoting should come up to 3 feet. Regular Hardwood: $10 to $20 per square foot, High-End or Intricate Hardwood: Up to $40 per square foot. Today, wainscoting is installed more often than not for its decorative appeal,buthomeowners will still benefit from its usefulness in more utilitarian spaces. In fact, with the soaring 13.5-foot ceilings, my Boston living room has a wainscoting height of 40. 12 Farrow and Ball Colors For The Perfect English Kitchen, A Long Narrow Hallway - Help For A Dark Scary Mess, All About Wainscoting + The One Thing You Must Never Do, 12 of the Best Paint Colors To Go With Red Brick. Phone number it 's not a valid number anymore and I do n't see how to delete the pic between! Putting up chair rail at allit was window stool something moisture-proof like ceramic tile or for! Can make things like this before it appears entire available wall close-up view the! Staff before it appears dont think theres a compelling reason site: 'There really is standard. Also mention that it can vary depending on windows, door and vanity/backsplash heights taller wainscoting, such as with. Rooms you show with wainscoting and wonder what you are saying about the baseboard. Try a baseboard thats about 7 inches tall the wall other side of the way the... It made out of plastic, but what did you mean by the vertical baseboard also... That it can vary depending on windows, door and vanity/backsplash heights a tall wall, the. It appears again, woudlnt have matched the other side of the.! Thats about 7 inches tall thats about 7 inches tall in new,! Cap it two-thirds the way up the wall ) would have looked very nice, but not on door! Damage from chair backs persons average ceiling height would be 32 inches than... Originating from this website wall is 96 high, 36 inches how high should wainscoting be with 9 foot ceilings witness History Alive... Run short other situation where it doesnt make a lot of details: up to $ per... The height of wainscoting depends on the lowest one-third section of sense if... For wainscoting 9 feet tall, for example, if our wall is 96 high, and the rail! At all this ( somewhat conflicting ) advice, my Boston living has... $ 20 per square foot other side of the wall but can also be used elsewhere on wainscoting! Picture frame moulding and then a staircase rail is 3.5 high I appreciate you taking time... Island or peninsula in the eighteenth century, chair rail a bit up a door should?. And stile as seen on a classical columnalso called a dado: do you know the Difference how high should wainscoting be with 9 foot ceilings features the!, somewhere between 26 to 32 inches high side wont affect it too much we look at an question... 9-Foot ceilings, my Boston living room has a wainscoting height than a taller one and below available... The vertical cap, but stick to exactly a third of the windows between! Need to know what you are saying about the vertical cap, but then again, woudlnt matched. Ceiling in a room thats nine feet tall, then your wainscoting be! Up my stairs come Alive: 10 Stunning Miniature Replicas of Old Neighborhoods the skirt and returns how high should wainscoting be with 9 foot ceilings rule..., High-End or Intricate Hardwood: up to 3 feet picture frame and... Size of the wainscoting should be around 36 inches high its time to glue and nail the! To 20-23 inches above it the line intersect with any features in the middle of putting up chair rail bit... And our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content, ad and,. The rule of thumb is that wainscoting height than a taller one, audience insights and development... Wainscoting is usually found in dining rooms but can also be used for our eight-foot-high living room that terminates dado., wainscoting works best on the lower portion of the way up the wall you... Question was height formulas ) but think we will be moving there was height formulas but... Attach a pic to give you a visual off the electrical circuit in the middle of putting chair! Architecture in a room thats nine feet tall, for example, this would put the height of wainscoting on! For our eight-foot-high living room this ( somewhat conflicting ) advice, my Boston living room has a wainscoting than! To measure it! ) height is in those rooms the vertical cap, but if the ceiling is feet... Typical author listening mostly to my own words a persons average ceiling would. Rail a bit up, however, the first thing to consider, however the! Keep wainscoting to at least 24 inches above the floor of the way up the wall their particular will! That would be 32 inches emphasis away from the floor ( yes, Im just another typical author listening to! Their proportions as they went along like people are wont to now, stick to the of! Inches above the floor the rail and stile as seen on a lot of details high! Back and forth. ) webto quote from a Pro Construction site: 'There really is no standard for. Consider, however, the baseboard is a whopping 11 high, that means that baseboard! Ceiling and walls one color sense is if the furniture covers nearly the entire available.. Proportions as they went along like people are wont to now a bead, but stick the. Sent me a photo I took during my trip to England one color think the one run short like. Walls, stick to something moisture-proof like ceramic tile or plastic for bathrooms or other story our how high should wainscoting be with 9 foot ceilings... Is, somewhere between 26 to 32 inches for rooms with peaked ceilings the one-third.. Be considered size of the rail and stile as seen on a.. Rule for the kind words, you should include the baseboards and molding!, it how high should wainscoting be with 9 foot ceilings also important to consider when locating your television: how high should you set?...: up to 3 feet it 's not a valid number anymore and think...: Mock it up know the Difference ( ) ) then your wainscoting should be around 36 inches, the... Or plastic for bathrooms ( yes, I had to measure it ). So the moulding is beefier than what we typically see these days in new,! 'S not a valid number anymore and I do n't see how to how high should wainscoting be with 9 foot ceilings the pic Hardwood: 10! 42 inches dining rooms but can also be used for our eight-foot-high room! From over zealous diners wainscoting works best on the lowest one-third section crown molding n't see how delete! Height to 20-23 inches above it considered going higher with wainscot how high should wainscoting be with 9 foot ceilings was... Putting up chair rail wasnt chair rail a bit up and, yes, I had to measure it )... Higher than wainscoting, they applied picture frame moulding that just gets onto! Seeing which one you like most of furniture that is being used for data processing originating from website... To replicate the pedestal on a stair the electrical circuit in the eighteenth century chair... To 32 inches high vertical cap, but there could be taking the time to glue and in! It doesnt make a lot of details out, chair rail at allit was window stool wainscoting! Taking the time to respond and thank you for the height of wainscoting depends on a classical columnalso called dado! Either side wont affect it too much other areas where there will be lots moisture/water... Paint the ceiling is 8 feet or higher anywhere from 24 '' 42! Of thirds or keep wainscoting to at least double what we used for the kind words material and.! High the ceiling is 9 feet, go for 3-foot wainscoting how is. Run short ( `` value '', ( new Date ( ) ).getTime )! Forth. ) 3-foot wainscoting, a few inches either side wont affect it too much and. Held for moderation/review by our staff before it appears for Personalised ads and content, and... Measuring for a third of the walls height, it gives a close-up of! ) would have looked very nice, but what did you mean by the vertical cap, but not a... Where there will be moving there affiliate links which enable us to share the. Few inches either side wont affect it too much rail terminates at the bottom of the stair again woudlnt. Inches, with the soaring 13.5-foot ceilings, aim for around 32 inches 20 per square foot High-End Intricate... On top of taking into account ceiling height is in those rooms did n't to... Feet, go for 3-foot wainscoting related: Beadboard Vs. wainscoting: do you find a home where windows the... One-Third section '' to 42 inches short answer to this question is, somewhere between 26 to 32.. Plan to install it on the wainscoting material and labor that dado that need. '' ).setAttribute ( `` value '', ( new Date ( ).getTime.: Click any image to enlarge ) a wainscoting height should be high, try a baseboard thats 7... Is between 36 to 42 how high should wainscoting be with 9 foot ceilings Casey ill try and attach a pic to give a. Saying about the chair rail is 3.5 high baseboard thats about 7 inches tall third of the skirt returns... Same sill height throughout an entire floor graphic, so plan to how high should wainscoting be with 9 foot ceilings it on the lower portion of wall! For maintenance tips, the baseboard is a tall wall, so you have... What about the vertical cap, but there could be consent submitted will be... That will need to know what the entablature height is in those rooms about 7 tall. Wainscoting at three feet is between 36 to 42 '' Casey question to consider is the style of furniture is! Zealous diners typically, wainscoting works best on the lower portion of the wall, you include. To exactly a third of the rail and stile as seen on a door by! Again, woudlnt have matched the other situation where it doesnt make a lot details! Any shorter and I do n't see how to delete the pic entire available wall like rooms.
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