Easily Add Wainscoting in the Entryway

Have you ever wanted to spruce up your entryway but aren't quite sure how to do it? Like many of you, and I wanted an inexpensive option to add a pop to my entryway and wainscoting was my solution. For all of the wainscoting lovers out there, this post is for you!

Wainscoting can look so elegant when done correctly. And it isn't super time consuming or hard to do if you know how to navigate a few tools.

Check out a similar wainscoting here but with different products.

Supplies I Used

Most of the pieces I used were scraps from casing our doors which really helped the budget.

• Baseboards - ½ " thick
• Batten wood (vertical) - ½ " thick
• Casing for the middle piece - ⅝" thick
• Header material for the top (horizontal)
• Level
• Measuring tape
• nail gun by Ryobi, 16 gauge
• Ryobi miter saw or this one with the stand
• Ryobi sander
• Spackle
• Caulking

How to Easily add Wainscoting in the Entryway

See my full video on my Instagram here!

Base Molding

First, measure and cut your baseboard and install with a nail gun (my favorite here) so you have a base to work with. My baseboard is ½" thick.

Bottom Batten

Next, you'll want to measure and cut out all of your vertical batten slats that are on the bottom. I spaced mine 16" apart and they are all 42" tall. It doesn't have to be perfect because you can cover up very minor imperfections with caulk, but you'll want it pretty close. My batten boards are also ½" thick.

Don't forget to use a level as you go to make sure all of the vertical slats are the same.

Middle Casing

Then I cut and installed the middle casing. This piece was 6 ½" tall and ⅝" thick.

Top Battens

After the middle casing was installed I cut and installed more vertical batten slats. I cut these to be 21" tall since I didn't want them the same length as the bottom. And again, spaced 16" apart.

Header

The final piece to install was the header on top. This header is also 6 ½" tall, but you can really use another piece of casing or header that you prefer to complete your desired look.

And of course, you'll want to put spackle on your nail holes and sand the whole thing before caulking. Don't forget to paint the finished product! I love how my wainscoting in the entryway turned out! For more ideas on DIY wood wall treatments go here.

Here is our finished entryway! Look how the wainscoting really dressed up the space. To add a splash of color I found this beautiful rug from Mohawk. It adds that vintage cottage feel I was going for and is so soft on the feet. Get yours here To keep this rug from moving around I used a dual purpose rug pad, also from Mohawk. This pad keeps the rug in place and adds a bit of cushion too!

It is always fun to change up the decor in an entry way too.