I am kinda obsessed with wainscoting. All kinds too, picture frame, board and batten, bead board... They are all so great! Someday when we have our own house, it will be so hard to choose which style to go with!! For my brother and sister in laws dining room, I went with the picture frame molding. It gives the room a classic and elegant feel. Perfect for a dining room!
Supplies needed:
- Tape measure
- Level
- Nail gun - We have an 18 gauge Dewalt brad nailer. I'm sure you could use a hammer and normal nails, but it would take way longer...
- Compressor
- Miter saw
- Molding of your choice. (You can buy pre-made frames at Lowes, but they are twice the price!!)
- Paint - colors of your choice. (I used accessible beige by SW on top and extra white by Valspar on the bottom)
- Paintable caulk and caulk gun
- Spackle and sand paper
- Paint brush and 4" roller
Step 1. Measuring
The first thing I did was measure all of the walls in order to figure out what dimensions to make the picture frames. In my opinion, this was the hardest step. I was trying to figure out how to make all the boxes on the separate walls the exact same, before realizing that that is impossible... So save yourself some time (and headaches) and just know that each wall will have slightly different size frames. To keep a uniform look around the room I did the same spacing for each wall. I chose 4" space on all sides of the frames. Once you have the dimensions for all the frames, you can go buy your molding.
Step 2. Cutting
After getting all your supplies, its time to measure and cut! Having a miter saw makes this project go so fast. But, if you don't have one, a miter box would work as well. for my walls, the height of almost all the frames were going to be the same so I cut all of the vertical pieces at once. After that, I went wall by wall and cut the horizontal pieces.
You want to cut each piece cut at a 45 degree angle. And you want your measurements to be the long side.
Step 3. Attaching
To make the attaching process easier and faster, I drew all the frames onto the walls, that way I could just line them up and nail each piece on. (Some people use painters taper for this, but drawing them on is faster AND cheaper). Nothing about this house is level, so I had to kinda shimmy things around as I went, and once its all painted in the end you cant even tell.
Even though I drew them on the wall, I did double check to make sure the top piece was level for each frame. Once the top piece was attached and level, the other pieces fell into place. I did two to three nails in each piece of molding (8-12 per frame). It made for more spackling and sanding later on, but I think its worth it to make them more secure on the wall. I just went left to right and worked my way around the room.
Once they are all on the wall, you cant even tell they are slightly different sizes.
Doing that pop out section was interesting... The two side walls and the spaces on either side of the window are ALL different measurements. YAY for old houses!
Step 4. Caulking
This may not be your actual feelings during this step... but CAULKING IS YOUR FRIEND!! I think it took me about 3 hours to caulk all of the frames... But its worth it to do a thorough job, so just turn on a podcast and go to town!
Just put a thin bead of caulk down the side of the frame and smooth it out with your finger or a damp rag. (Its messy, but I find using my finger to be easier) But see how it makes it appear flush with the wall?! Don't skip this step!
Step 5. Paint
All that is left to do is Paint! I chose extra white in satin by Valspar for the bottom half of the wall. It took 3 coats to cover. I used a 4 inch roller to make it go on smoother and faster. I painted the chair rail and baseboards the same color as the wall and frames for a seamless finish.
What a difference it makes!! It you missed the full dining room makeover you can find that here.