Bathroom Wainscot
Bathroom wainscot gives your bathroom a refined and sophisticated look. If you want your bathroom to present a warm and welcoming decor like a living room, wainscot is for you. Bathroom wainscot has appeared in homes for hundreds of years. It is considered a classic style that never goes out of fashion.
Bathroom wainscoting will always look rich and elegant regardless of the style and color preferences. It easily adapts with any bathroom styles.
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| Beadboard Panel | Wainscot Board |
There can be confusion when using the terms wainscot and beadboard interchangeably. Technically, wainscot is separate pieces of tongue-and-groove boards installed on the wall below the chair rail. Beadboard is a sheet of wood, plywood, or MDF that has grooves on it and installed as a sheet over the wall under the chair rail. For this essay, both will be defined as wainscot.
What is Bathroom Wainscot?
Bathroom wainscot is paneling installed on the bathroom walls beneath a chair rail. Wainscot comes in 4-foot by 8-foot panels and as individual tongue-and-groove boards. These are nailed or glued to the lower section of walls and topped with chair rail molding. The bottom can be a continuation of the wainscot or baseboard. Bathroom wainscoting is usually 38 to 42 inches high.
Bathroom wainscot can be very intricate with separate moldings installed on the face (front). Wainscot has baseboard on the bottom and a chair rail on top. The baseboard protects the bottom of the wainscot and gives it a polished appearance. The chair rail performs two functions. First, it protects the top of the wainscot from damage. Second, it gives the wainscot a very elegant finish.
The middle portion of wainscot can have different moldings to give it depth. These applied moldings are a primary characteristic of wainscot and give it that classic style and warm.
Painting Wainscot in the Bathroom
Wainscot panels typically come pre-primed white. This is a bit of a misnomer. The primer is a filler. Its primary purpose as a heavy bonded primer is to make the exterior of the wainscot smooth and free of blemishes. This is very appealing to the touch and the eye. This special primer allows manufacturers to use lower grade materials and manufacturing processes when making their wainscot. The “primer” hides the substandard baseboard material. I have seen this in all the wainscot panels I’ve worked with from Asian countries.
Tongue and groove wainscot will not come primed from the mill. This means it will require a series of sanding and primer applications before applying paint.
An experienced installer can guide you to the better-quality products. To the inexperienced eye, it all looks the same. The only difference being price.
Prior to painting any wainscot, you must properly prepare the surface using an appropriate ultra-premium primer. Skipping this critical step and your wainscot will not long survive the high moisture environment typically found in bathrooms. Always use a premium high-quality urethane alkyd or acrylic latex paint on paintable wainscot. On stain grade wainscot, use a high-quality stain and clear oil-based Spar Urethane.
Always Hire a Reliable and Dependable Contractor to Remodel your Bathroom
Always work with a trustworthy contractor like DAD’s Construction. We are experts in bathroom remodeling who can manage projects in an efficient manner. DAD’s Construction will do everything to minimize the possibility of change orders. Our team will make sure we have all the necessary information to prepare a proposal that meets your requirements. Rest assured that we will provide you with a detailed, by line-item contract. We will make sure that the contents of this agreement are properly and clearly communicated to you. If you have questions or need updates regarding your project, we will always answer your inquiries.
How Can I Receive More Information on Remodeling my Bathroom?
If you would like more information on enjoying the best bathroom, kitchen, and interior remodeling experience in Orange County, call Dan at (949) 380-0177 or at dan@dadsconstruction.com for a free in home consultation. DAD’s serves all of South Orange County California. This includes Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Foothill Ranch, Portola Hills, Ladera Ranch, Irvine, San Clemente, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, Rancho Santa Margarita, Coto de Caza, Dove Canyon, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, and Aliso Viejo.
