How a Carpenter can Help Install Beadboard or Wainscotting in Your Home

A carpenter in Vaughan can help you install wainscoting or beadboard in any room of your home. These are popular to use as a wall accent but they can serve other, more practical functions as well. While the terms “wainscoting” and “beadboard” are often used interchangeably, they are not exactly the same thing. To understand beadboard, you must first have a grasp of what wainscoting is.

What Is Wainscoting?

If you have ever been in a room where panelling covered the lower portion of the walls, then you have seen an example of wainscoting. Wainscoting is often considered an accent used purely for decorative purposes, and in many cases that is its primary function. However, wainscoting has also traditionally been used to prevent damage to the walls, or at least to cover it up when it does occur. For centuries, wainscoting has also been used to provide some extra insulation.

Traditionally, wainscoting typically consists of several different pieces:

• Panel
• Stiles
• Rails

The panel is the biggest piece that provides the most coverage. The stiles and the rails make up the frame of the wainscoting that helps to hold the panel in place and finish off its edges for aesthetic effect. The stiles are the two pieces that run vertically along either side of the panels, while the rails run horizontally along the top and bottom.

Wainscoting usually covers the lower portion of a wall to a height of three to four feet. However, this height is arbitrary. You can install wainscoting that extends as high as you want it to. While wainscoting has traditionally been made out of wood, you can also find it in other, less expensive materials.

What Is Beadboard?

Beadboard is a specific type of wainscoting that follows a very specific pattern. You can have wainscoting that isn’t beadboard, but you can’t have beadboard that isn’t also wainscoting.

Traditionally, beadboard consisted of a series of wood planks of uniformly narrow size. Between these was a “bead,” which was a little ridge or indentation. When arranged vertically along the wall, the planks and the beads between them form a distinctive pattern, which is where beadboard gets its name. The seam at the top is capped off with horizontal moulding in strips.

Today, it is less common for beadboard to be made of individual wooden planks. Beadboard also comes in long rolls of materials such as vinyl or MDF. These materials mimic the appearance of natural wood and fine carpentry work but may be easier to work with and more durable over time.

Where Can You Install Wainscoting or Beadboard?

Wainscoting, including beadboard, can be used in any room of the house you choose. However, certain styles of wainscoting are more common in particular areas of the house. Beadboard is often found in the bathroom. It can be painted to add some colour to the room, or it can be white to give an impression of cleanliness and openness. Regardless of where it is used, beadboard often gives a room a more rustic feeling. Depending on how it is used, however, beadboard can also give a more modern impression. For example, painting beadboard in darker colours can give it a cooler, sleeker look.

Why Should You Have a Carpenter in Vaughan Install Wainscoting?

While you can certainly install beadboard or another style of wainscoting as a do-it-yourself job, it can take a long time. If you do not know what you are doing, you may make a mistake in the installation. As a result, the wainscoting may not look as good. Skilled carpenters from Handyman Connection know how to install wainscoting correctly for an attractive look. They can also complete the job more quickly than you would be able to do yourself.
Installing wainscoting is only one of the many repair services in Vaughan that Handyman Connection provides. Find out more about the maintenance we can perform around your home.