Wainscoting
Wainscot is actually a paneling style. Wainscot or wainscoting is a decorative covering, applied to the lower part of interior of a wall. Paneling is placed in the lower half of the wall. Wainscoting was primarily used to cover the lower part of walls, in the houses with poor or absent damp-proof courses. Wainscoting has been used for wall covering over a hundred of years. Paneling has also been used since old times, because it was thought that the wall would need more protection. Today, it is mostly used for decorative purposes. Wainscoting is popularly experienced in many countries including Northeastern United States. Wainscoting is made from different materials like wood, tile, marble and plastic. Wood is preferably and traditionally used for its construction. In the early 19th century, wainscoting used to be made of wood wagon siding. It became widely popular since it was very plentiful. In the older houses, wainscoting was placed above the baseboard. Baseboards contained decorative edge and so when baseboard was extended by wainscoting, wainscoting was placed below the decorative edge. At that time, this lower style of wainscoting got exceptional popularity.
In the middle of 19th century, wainscoting was usually installed at the height of 1.2 to 1.5 meters, and this style was popular for both ornamental and protective features. Groove boards were then attached to the wall for the purpose of hiding joints. Later, the trend changed slightly and cloth wainscoting at the height of 1.8 meters became popular. This fashion was especially used in the dining rooms. Different types of materials like grass or burlap cloth were used with different colors. There are many applications of wainscoting, among which, raised panel and flat panel are most popularly used. In raised panel and flat panel wainscoting, wall panels are created by rails and stiles, which then form boxes decorated by stylish molding. Raised paneling is done in many appealing styles including colonial, federalist, shingle style, Queen Anne, Georgian and many other revival styles. Raised panel is mostly used in the environments used for formal dealings like living rooms, study rooms and libraries. The reason of popularity of raised panel wainscoting is its beveled edging treatments. This elegant effect is traditionally used in European woodcarving.
Although wainscoting has a historical background, it is still being used today for the unique ornamentation of a room. Wainscoting is low cost and almost everyone can afford it. Another advantage of wainscoting is that it can hide the defects in the wall construction. Wainscoting successfully multiplies the elegance of a room and many modern houses are being built by wainscoted walls. Wooden wainscoting offers durability with style. If you want to add a classic look to your room, wainscoting is the best choice. If you feel that something special lacks in your room, adding more furniture could be better, but it is going to take a considerable space. Wainscoting is an elegant addition to your room without taking away the free space. In the past few years, wainscoting was only handled by the professionals, but now wainscoting can be installed by yourself. This can save your money and offer you the maximum level of design control. You need some tips and guidance for doing this job. You can get wainscoting ideas and tips from many sources like television, magazines and the internet.
