You can add architectural interest to any room with beadboard paneling used as wainscoting on the walls.
While original beadboard was thick wall cladding of tongue-and-groove boards, today you can use a lighter beadboard that comes in 4-by-8 sheets of 1/4-inch-thick panels.
To add the charm of a plate rail wainscot, cut the panels about 4 or 5 feet high and finish with a deep cap rail to hold decorative items. To create a chair rail, the wainscot should be about 3 feet high and capped with a chair rail molding, which is a nice way to protect wall surfaces in a dining area where chairs can damage walls as they’re pushed away from the table.
Whatever you choose, a beadboard wainscot will bring instant warmth and charm to a room.
We found that a carpenter would charge about $500 to install 130 feet of beadboard wainscoting capped with a chair rail molding in a 10-by-12-foot room.
If you have carpentry skills and tools, we estimate you can buy the material for $120 and do it yourself. The beadboard can be fastened to the wall with construction adhesive or on furring strips nailed to the wall. To finish the wainscot, plan to sand it lightly before priming and applying two coats of paint.
