DEMYSTIFYING WAINSCOTING
Wainscoting is a kind of decorative wall accent, a paneling lining the lower portion ,of a wall that varies in width.
It is a great way to give any wall added dimension. There is a common misconception that wainscoting and panelling is very expensive, this article demystifies the cost of wainscoting.
If you intend to put wallpaper or any other wall treatment in your space, it lessens the amount of wall the material needs to cover. In consequence, this saves you money on wallpaper. It is also a great way to hide uneven work, creating cleaner lines where the flooring and the wall meet.
While wood baseboards might be desirable, it can be costly over time since you will need to check and treat the wood for termites constantly. We tend to use PVC plastic boards because they can be painted over to look identical to wood when using solid colours. Because the plastic baseboard’s surface is smooth and finished, there is no need to sand it down and plaster as much as you would a wooden baseboard, thereby lowering the amount of time spent.
For clarity, this article will suggest a material cost (thus excluding labour and tools) for an 8ft long portion of wall. Actual costs contingent on the size of your room and where materials are procured.
TAKE NOTE
Material costs do not include tools, as it is assumed your workers will have these on hand. Moreover, time spent can be tricky to estimate due to the fact that not all workers can work at the same pace.
This is an approximation of what I usually expect of mine. I have been able to work at a much faster pace than what I have recommended in this article, and there are times when work has been slower.
SHOPPING LIST
Note: All prices are approximates
▢ TOOLS: Hammer, Saw, Drill, Sand paper, Paint roller and Paintbrush
▢ PVC BASEBOARD & PVC WALL MOULDING: 8ft x 4in PVC Baseboard PHP260.00, PVC Moulding 8ft x 3in PHP 180.00 Total PHP440
▢ FASTENERS: Wood Adhesive, Nails and Screws approx. PHP 100, Stikwel 1L PHP190 Total PHP290
▢ EPOXY PRIMER & BORAL: Boysen Epoxy Primer 1L PHP115, Boral powder 1kg PHP40.00 Total PHP155
▢ SEMI-GLOSS PAINT: Boysen Semi-Gloss in your preferred colour 1Gal Total PHP535
TOOLS
Price varies
PVC BASEBOARD 8ft x4 in PHP260 & PVC WALL MOULDING 8ft x 3in PHP180.00
FASTENERS Assorted PHP100.00
EPOXY PRIMER 1L PHP115.00, BORAL 1kg PHP40.00
SEMI-GLOSS PAINT 1 Gal PHP535.00
DO-IT-WITH-HELP WAINSCOAT YOUR WALL
PHASE 1: CARPENTRY
STEPS
1
Hire a Carpenter and Painter
For selecting workers, ask friends and family or websites such as gawin.ph. Within the parameters of the law, what you pay your workers is at your discretion. Some workers can do a multitude of tasks such as carpentry and paintwork. You can pay them on a daily or a per square meter basis: ‘pakyaw’.
2
Position and Install the PVC Baseboard and Moulding
Baseboard directly over the end of the wall where it meets the floor, and moulding can be anywhere between your waistor knee height or 40cm, whichever you prefer. For an 8ft long wall, it can take 30 mins to an hour depending on your worker’s skill level.
Ask your carpenter to have his hammer and saw ready, You don’t need to buy a drill (ask your DIY loving friends if you can borrow theirs). You might need to buy a drill bit for the end of their drill and you will have to buy screws.
PHASE 2: PAINTWORKS
1
Paint Preparation
Use Boral to smooth over the imperfections and screws and sand down just these areas when it dries, this takes anywhere between 10-30 minutes with drying time in between boral and the sanding down.
Use epoxy primer the entire baseboard and the moulding which takes around 30 mins to 45 minutes. The photograph shows the grey primer we used.
This article assumes the wall in between the baseboard and the wall moulding is ready for painting and has been previously primed and applied with a flat white paint.
2
Paint in the Finish You Want
I preferred a semi-gloss finish using rollers and a paint brush, which takes around 30-60 minutes to do. You can opt to use a compressor and do a more polished Duco finish, but this can be more costly and time consuming as it takes a few coats. It also creates a tremendous amount of fumes.
Finishing with paint (in my case I like to swatch so I work with a master painter to get the shade I want) often, I will buy smaller cans of paint color that we then mix together, you can also play with the designs- here is a wooden baseboard I loved and the moulding that goes with it.
A NOTE ON TIME SPENT: 1.5 hour to install baseboards onto wall and put putty over the screws and nails used; 10mins hour to paint epoxy primer and 1 hour to paint (drying time in between these steps not included).
Disclaimer: Before embarking on any project, speak to an engineer to ensure that you are meeting health and safety standards.