Materials:

Tongue-and-groove beadboard
Chair rail molding
Construction adhesive
Caulk and gun
Pry bar
Circular saw
Level
Tape measure

Measure up from the floor, mark the planned height for the wainscoting and extend the line around the entire area using a level.

Chair rails typically are between 32 and 36 inches above the floor, but you can adjust it if the height will be awkward with window frames.

Cut your first pre-finished tongue-and-groove panel to length. Apply a wavy line of construction adhesive along the back.

Position the board on the wall, align the top edge wit the level line and check that it’s plumb.

Apply pressure to the board with the butt of your hand to bond the boards with the wall.

Note: Wainscoting also can be installed with nails, but that requires locating studs, driving in nails and applying wood putty to the holes.

Repeat the process measuring and cutting the boards as you go to allow for uneven floors, and be sure to allow for a slight gap between each board for expansion in humid weather.

With the wainscoting complete, cut and adhere the chair rail to the wall along the upper edge of the beadboards and fill any gaps with caulk, and then paint or stain as desired.

Wainscoting will add warmth and elegance to any room in your home, and it will also protect your plasterboard walls from damage.

How We Install Cornice

Our Crown Cornice — How We Install It

When choosing a moulding contractor, assume nothing, they are not all the same. Some do not apply the finishing touches like dap (caulking) required before painting. We meticulously dap where the crown meets the ceiling and walls. Other areas that would require dapping would be all inside and outside corners as well as butt joints (where two pieces are joined together).

All brad nails are 2″ (18 gauge) installed in pairs at 45 degrees approximately 16″ apart to ensure fastening into the studs. The nail heads are counter sunk into the moulding and are then sealed and can not be seen. A light sanding is then applied, and the moulding is now ready for it’s final coat of paint. (more…)

Crown moldings provide sculptured elegance to soften the angles where walls meet ceilings. A living-room, hallway, bedroom, or den is transformed from an austere, angular box into a serene, more unified room in which to relax or entertain.

Crown moldings are supplied in 8 foot (2.4 m) lengths. They are made of primed polyurethane, have a density comparable to white pine, and accept any latex or oil-based paint finish.

We recommend the use of Designer Miter Blocks for all crown molding installations. Using the blocks eliminates the need to cut miters, match patterns, and to correct molding alignment at each joint. The External Miter Block can be used to create an elegant self return wherever it is necessary to end a run of crown molding such as when windows or doors extend to ceiling height.

Before applying adhesive to the pieces, it is best to cut and fit the entire room. Start by deciding where to place designer miter blocks. Add divider blocks to your layout so that the distance between any two blocks is less than a full length of molding.

For the best results, blocks and molding lengths should be fixed in place with an adhesive caulk as well as nails or screws into studs and joists. We recommend using a premium paintable, siliconized or super latex, latex adhesive caulk. It will fill any seams left between the molding and the wall or ceiling due to their unevenness and cleans up with water. One 10-1/2 fl oz (300 ml) tube of latex caulk is enough to install about 25 feet (7.6 m) of crown molding.
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