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Entry Wainscoting

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  Entry wainscoting

I wanted to brighten up this house and get rid of all of that awful orange wood.  I created this wainscoting by routering a bunch of MDF and nailing it onto the wall.  It was actually a lot of work but well worth it!

I don’t have enough before pictures but you can let your imagination fill in the blanks.  The whole house was the same kind of ugly, entry and stairs included!

BEFORE
IL Entry before
 
*Tearing out the carpet involved 2 pairs of big pliers and a lot of elbow grease. Just grab the carpet and pull with all your might.  Probably a good job to wait for a big, strong man to take on.  If you’re impatient like me and want it done RIGHT NOW!  Just get ready for a GOOD workout and be mindful of your back.

 

 

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Comments

  1. um, can you come to my house? I'm seriously so impressed that you do this yourself, I think I might need some power tools!

  2. I do believe we were twins separated at birth. What we did to the foyer is really only half done… but we ran out of money. So we plan on adding the extra molding on top and in the squares next year… depending on what uncle sam gives us back next year. Apparently we should go shopping together or something, I bet we would have a great time. Have you been to the Kane County flea market at the fair grounds?

  4. Okay I'm not a stalker I promise, I just had to laugh that it says in my profile that I lived on an island, I'm glad you pointed that out. I actually live in Utah, not quite as exotic, I went to college in Hawaii for a time though, love it there. So I think I saw the United States part and didn't read the rest, I don't know why else I would have put that. But anyway I changed it.

  5. wow. amazing!! it looks sooo good! come to my house and work your magic..pretty please. 🙂

  6. That looks so so good! What a difference. I like that your darkened your railing too. Did you strip and restain or just add stain? Can you come and be my teacher?

  9. WOW — Perfect. What an impressive project. Did you happen to do a tutorial on the carpet removal and redoing the stairs? I was just telling my extremely skeptical husband that I wanted to remove the carpeting on the stairs and he just gave me that look. Wait till I show him this picture! Beautiful.

  10. I just noticed that you painted all of your stained woodwork. Was that horribly difficult? That's another thing that I'm wanting to do, but husband is thinking it is just fine. He thinks a stained door is twice as nice. Men!!!

  12. Stunning! As questioned already, was it hard to paint over the stained wood? Can you tell me just how you did it? You are really, really tempting me to paint all my oak doors and trim!!

  14. WOW! What a difference it makes! Thanks for the inspiration 🙂 I need do this all over my house…Come on over and link up at my Tuesday TALENT SHOW if you like :)http://myhouseofgiggles.blogspot.com

  15. I just LOOOOVE your blog! So glad I stumbled upon it! So many great ideas and I adore the wainscoting entry. Can you give details as to how to finish off the panels when you come to the corners where is stops? Also, can you say a little more about how you created it with the router? Sounds liek you didn't just go buy a panel – or did you use a router on a pre-purchased wainscoting panel? Before I tell my husband what my next project is, I think I better have some answers to the questions he'll be asking me! Thanks and good luck on the success of your blog and your house renovation!

  16. I LOVE the way you unified the space and gave it more depth! The sconces are just enough to give the area light but not too over the top. I really like it!

  20. Gorgeous! This is so inspirational to me, you have no idea! My house has the exact same dark wood trim and molding, and the exact same flooring. I have been BEGGING my husband to get all the trim painted bright white, but he won't allow it. Maybe your photos will help me! Thank you so much for sharing! I am so going to sign up as a follower!!Polly

  21. Congrats on your feature! This looks great! I want to do this in my entryway now too. We have a router and router table, but I have no idea how to use it. Guess I'll do some research and play with it this week. BTW, I like your new header too!

  22. I just found your blog from your feature on Tatertots & Jello and all I can say is WOW. The projects you have taken on are amazing!! You made them look far less daunting. Fantastic job, and beautiful home! :)~Keri

  23. Wow! Your steps and hallway look awesome! We just finished staining our steps and now you have me looking at the hallway! Thanks for the inspiration :)Wendy

  24. Wow! Job well done. The end result is fantastic. Most people would have been afraid to cover the natural wood. All white makes the banister and stairs pop. I love it!

  27. Wow! That's amazing! I can't wait to read FAQ details. Thank you for sharing this. 🙂 🙂

  28. P.S. LOVE how the waincotting is square under stairs but rhomboid above! How did you know to do that? LOVE it!

  29. This is the most beautiful entry!!! I LOVE it!Can you please tell me the dimensions of you foyer? I'm trying to compare yours with a house plan I'm looking at.Thank you for such great inspiration!

  30. Not only am I LOVING LOVING LOVING your wainscoting but I COVET your newly stained stair rail. We took the carpet off of ours years ago but we still have the 90's OAK rail and it drives us crazy. Does't sound too hard the way you described how they did it!

  31. You totally inspired my to do this in my entry. I did it all by myself and I love it! Thanks for sharing! Lindsay

  32. Stunning!! Makes me want to continue that mdf all over our stairway!! Just beautiful.

  35. Just BeAuTiFuL! We are buying a house with the same stair case that looks just like you before and I for sure wanted to tear out the carpet and add some molding. Very Inspirational post!

  36. I love the stairs…this is exactly how I want mine to look one day ! (dear hubby?) nice job !

  37. I just posted the picture of your stairway on my blog as you are my inspiration for what I am getting ready to do on mine! Although my stairway is not near as dramatic as yours I still love the look and know it will make a difference in the appearance!!! Love your blog!

  38. Oh please do a tutorial on wainscoting! I have a router table and would love instructions – thanks!Mary

  39. Pleeeeeeease, pretty please, pretty please with a cherry on top…can we get a tutorial on the wainscoting?????? On my knees begging. Please!!!!! We have a router table too and I have been trying to explain to my husband that this was the kind of molding I wanted in our downstairs family room, but it is impossible to find a tutorial on it. Did you follow a tutorial or did you just make it up as you went? If you made it up you are a genius! If not, you are still really smart, but could you please share your resource? I wish we lived closer because I would buy your house in a heartbeat now that you plan to move! (Have I done enough sucking up to warrant a tutorial yet?)

  40. What an AMAZING TRANSFORMATION!! Your entry is just SO BEAUTIFUL!! Great work…what an accomplishment. ~Jenna, SAS Interiorswww.sasinteriors.blogspot.com

  41. You are my DIY hero. Just found your blog recently and can't wait to see what you do next!Quick question on securing the mdf to the walls with the wainscoting–what did you do? Tutorials on the web are sketchy about this.Good luck finishing things up–I'll be following [email protected]

  42. I have a couple questions…1. Did you sand your wall texture, or are your walls completely flat? I'm wondering if the inside of each "box" will look textured, as my walls have slight texture on them.2. Did you router the edges before putting them on the wall? How did you know precisely where to stop with the router (as it stops just before the pieces overlap)? Hope my questions make sense. I just love it and am wanting to get started putting this exact wainscoting in my dining room.Thank you,Melissa

  44. Truly stunning! I have your before and can't wait to transform it the way you have. I'd love to see a tutorial too!

  45. I love this and have put it in "my going do it someday file". My staircase is very similar to yours and I know it would add so much character to my foyer. What kind of molding did you add to the top?My best- Diane

  47. You did a great job on this project! What a way to add interest and detail to plain walls. Love it!-Katie

  48. I love the board and batten you did. You're awesome! I also appreciate the FYI on how the paid workers finished the railing (project up-and-coming for me), but I wonder would it also be possible to do a light sanding and use the gel stain to change the color of wood floors???

  49. Did you use semi-gloss on the walls as well as on the moulding? I'm about to start a project like this myself and don't know whether to buy a gallon of flat…

  50. Really beautiful, as if you read my mind, right down to the black egg shaped door knobs!Paula ~ Mise en scène

  51. Um…..A-freakin-mazing! That is absolutely beautiful! Funny thing…I have been seeing that pic of your entry ALL OVER Pinterest for weeks…then today I stumbled onto your blog by seraching Google images for beadboard. Now, the two worlds meet. Can’t wait to scour your blog! You are a very, very talented lady! =)

    • Hi Mandy! That’s funny about Pinterest. I haven’t seen it once! LOL I guess it would make it easier to find the source if I actually stamped my name on my pics…but I’m too lazy! 🙂 I just bought a new house and am getting ready to start a whole new list of projects. Welcome!

  53. So, if I followed correctly, you routed the mdf to get the mullion look without applying in a traditional flat panel manner?? If so, you are my hero and I wish I would have seen this before I did my flat panel wainscoting. All the nail holes and joints that I had to fill and refill and sand and refill and sand…..

    I don’t have a router yet. You are filling my tool box faster than I can get my projects done. 🙂

    Your house is fabulous and inspiring big plans in my head for when I don’t have 3 boys and a dog knocking stuff into my doors and moldings.

    • That is correct. Routed the MDF, it fit together like puzzle pieces, I didn’t add a panel. Just painted the wall. 🙂

  55. Sandra,

    I know that this post is old, but I have read soooo many blogs in reference to putting wainscotting. Your work is very impressive and your experience speaks for itself. I have plans on tackling builtins and will contact you in the near future. But in reference to this project. I keep hearing 3/4 and/or 36 inches from the floor. Is it personal prefence? What is the the correct height? What height are you using?

    • I used 3/4″ wood but lots of people do 1/2″ or 5/8″. It’s a matter of what material you find that will work with your budget and for the look you are going for. As far as height goes, it’s a design choice. Do what makes your eyes happy.

      • Hi Sandra,

        I have been following you for a while and absolutely love all your projects…wish I had the space for a workshop. In any event, I am getting ready to finally tackle my small entry hallway by placing batten and board, all by myself! So wish me luck!

        I do have a question about the baseboard…I noticed yours is about 2 1/2 inches to maybe 3 inch baseboards and then you placed the bottom horizontal board that is a 5 inch width resting upon your baseboard, which I really like, because I won’t have to deal with removing my baseboards. My particular baseboards are 5 inches wide and I had planned on using a 3 1/2 width boards for the horizontal. Since you have probably seen all sorts of batten and board jobs, do you think it would look odd that I have a 3 1/2 width board resting on top of my 5 inch baseboards?

        Also, my walls are not smooth, kind of cottage cheese texture, so the bulk of my work will be sanding down the portion of the walls where I place batten and boards…that will not be a fun job. 🙁 Okay, Thanks in advance!

        • My baseboards are on top of my wainscot. It would not work to put the wainscot on top of the baseboard because the base is less than 1/2″ thick and my wainscot boards are 3/4″ thick. You have to remove your baseboards and do it right. More work but it will pay off!

        • Thanks for the clarification on that…I will definitely remove the baseboards…I don’t own or know how to use a router, so my project will end up having less detail…but the pictures of your work are my inspiration. I just purchased all my boards and will be tackling this project over the weekend…

  56. Hi Sandra,

    My wife and I are about to start remodeling our home ourselves and we found your site. Great work! One question we had about the picture for the wainscoting in the entry way is actually about the flooring used. Can you tell me what type of wood flooring you went with? Thanks for putting up all these great pictures and information.

    Cheers,
    Harold and Patty

  57. Hi Sandra,
    Did you use a rail and stile router bit set? If so, do you have a brand to suggest?
    Thank you,
    Laura

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