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How to Install Wainscoting & Wallpaper

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How to guide for updating your room with wainscoting and wallpaper.
Keyword accent wall, bathroom ideas, beadboard, bedroom ideas, decor ideas, DIY, grasscloth wallpaper, panel wall, playroom ideas, wainscot, wainscot room, wainscoting, wallpaper, white wainscoting

Equipment

  • Nail Gun (or Hammer)
  • Nail Setter if not using nail gun
  • Table saw for cutting beadboard wainscoting
  • Miter saw for cutting cap moulding
  • Jigsaw for cutting outlet and vent holes
  • Tape measure
  • Screw driver - Flat + Philips for removing outlets and vents
  • Paint Roller with Adhesive Applicator Fabric Roller for Wallpaper Adhesive
  • Laser level - for setting first piece
  • Trim Guard for cutting wallpaper
  • Utility Knife
  • Laser level - for setting first piece

Ingredients

Wainscot

  • 2-7* sheets 8'x4' Beadboard. *Count depends on size of space. I used 7, 8’x4’ sheets cut in half to get 14, 4'h x 4'w sheets. My Space: The wall length I covered was 39' (486"). I bought an extra sheet in case I made a cutting error. I only ended up needing 12, 4' sheets.

    Prefab kits work well too, check instruction dimensions to plan the count needed if using a kit. white primed

  • 1 pack 1¼" Finish Nails
  • 1-4* pieces 8' Panel Cap Moulding with ¼" groove to sit on top of ¼" beadboard.

    *Count depends on size of space. I used 4, 8' strips. I didn't need as many strips as the beadboard sheets because I had windows

  • 1 tube Finishing Caulk white

Wallpaper

  • 4 rolls Grasscloth Wallpaper

    My Space: Used 4 rolls to cover 195 sq. ft. Technically 3 rolls would work but I mis-cut around one of the tricky windows and needed more.

    TIP - Make sure to allow enough for a few inches overhang above and below your papered area to allow space for cutting to size.

  • 1 gal Wallpaper Glue Adhesive.

    Tip - Buy more than you think you need, the paper is more workable and sticks better without bubbles when you lay the glue on THICK.

Instructions

  • Measure room and calculate number of beadboard panels & wallpaper needed.
    Plan enough wallpaper to allow for overhanging, in other words buy longer than you’ll need to cover the space. I needed 2x more than I thought (4 rolls when I bought 2).
    Buy an extra panel of beadboard in case you mis-cut a corner piece. Getting tight corners are the tricky part.
    Measure room to plan your wainscoting and wallpaper project
  • Buy Materials & Tools. Use measurements to buy enough wallpaper and wainscot panels.
  • Plan layout for the wall/room.
    Wallpaper - Ask yourself, where do you want to start? You will see lines of the paper edges if using grasscloth, natural fiber paper.
    Wainscot Beadboard can start at a corner and work your way around the room. You will need to trim the panel to get flush with the corner as corners are never perfect 90degrees.

Install Wallpaper

  • Glue paper - Put glue on paper and "bookend" the paper by gently folding it onto itself, let stand for 3 minutes before placing on wall.
    Glue Wall - While paper is soaking in glue, lay glue on thick to the place you're going to start. Do one sheet at a time. Repeat until done.
    Where to start: Don’t start at a corner because you won’t get it to line up perfectly. I started in middle of rooms to get a centered line. See the resources section at the bottom of the blog for how to hang wallpaper.
    Tip - Use ALOT of glue. The paper is easier to work with and sticks better without bubbles when laying glue on THICK.
    Wainscoting Wallpaper How To Install Blog_Install Wallpaper

Install Wainscoting Beadboard

  • Cut Beadboard panels to size. I cut the 8’x4’ panels in half to get 4'h x 4'w sheets. Skip step if using pre-fab kit.
    Tip - Use painters tape along your cut line to prevent chipping for a clean cut.
    Wainscoting Wallpaper How To Install Blog_cut beadboard
  • Attach Wainscoting Beadboard to wall.
    Find & mark studs - Use stud finder to find studs.
    Nail to wall - Use finish nails to attached the wainscoting to the wall, hitting studs as much as possible. You can glue first if you like but I didn't because the glue rips the drywall off if you ever want to remove the wainscoting in the future.
    Note, I installed directly on the existing baseboards as a shortcut. If you are using a kit or bought new baseboards, you’ll need to rip out old baseboards before installing.
    Wainscoting Wallpaper How To Install Blog_Install Wallpaper
  • Install Cap Moulding
    Nail cap moulding on top of beadboard panels, nailing to studs where possible. Measure and cut to size as needed.
    Tip - Cutting corners for cap moulding can be tricky, check YouTube for tips on how to do this effectively. I cut a notch for the paneling on one corner, then traces the outline on to the other corner peice and cut it out with a jigsaw.
  • Caulk Nail Holes & Imperfections
    Use a white acrylic latex caulk to cover nail holes, corners, connection joints between panels and along trim.
    Wainscoting Wallpaper How To Install Blog_Caulk gaps