How to Create an Easy Black Wainscoting Wall Design

Update your wall space with an elegant black wainscoting design that is sure to impress.

Move on over white wainscoting, black is in and here to stay! Black wainscoting is quickly rising in popular design trend in modern homes. It's a bold statement that adds depth and elegance to any room. Imagine sleek black panels lining the bottom half of your white walls, creating a striking contrast against the rest of the room. And the best part of this stunning new look? It's not just for traditional or formal styles anymore.

In this article, we'll dive into how to create your own DIY black wainscoting in your own modern space. Get ready to be inspired and learn how to make a statement with this timeless and versatile design element.

Black and White Bathroom

When we built our home we knew we wouldn't have time to finish everything before moving in. So it was important to me that all of our hard surface finishes were neutral so I could add a little style to each space.

Hard Finishes

Quarter Sawn Oak with a warm wood grain – Foxwood Cabinets
Wood Bead Mirror
White Sconces
Faucet
Robe Hooks
Beveled subway tile – Dal Tile
Countertop - Liberty bronze by Dal Tile

Tiling

We chose tile for our bathrooms, instead of the hardwood floor we have all over the entire house. I always recommend tile in bathrooms due to the high water exposure. But we also wanted tile as a wall accent. It's a simple design, but also a very popular wall decoration material that won't go out of style.

I did the tile back splash myself. If you are looking to tile subway tile on a bathroom backsplash, this is a great way to start. Pick up your tile, grout and tools at a local store for this DIY. Plus, see more bathroom tile installation tips here. Or my DIY tutorial video clip down below!

For additional variety, see how I installed a kitchen tile backsplash here.

I love what an impact the tile made to this black and white bathroom.

DIY Black Wainscoting

We opted for a black and white theme bathroom for my daughter to go with her love for black bedrooms. I didn't want just white paint on the walls, so incorporating a design on the top or bottom half of the walls was ideal. Putting on top wallpaper was considered, or even a black stripe wallpaper down below. Ultimately, I chose a wood panel, specifically a black wainscot wall.

Traditional wainscoting can add up to be quite costly, so instead I designed my own wall panel with a fairly easy installation feature. We also liked the short design over a tall wainscoting.

Measure and Cut Wood Pieces

First up, measure where you want your header or chair rail. I used a header for the top molding that I ripped down with a table saw. But you could easily use a 5" wide straight piece of primed MDF to get the same look.

The batts (vertical pieces) are 3" wide pieces of primed MDF. This is a cheaper alternative that still looks really nice, but may not be as heavy duty as normal molding. The bottom pieces are my existing base board that is 7" tall. The inside boxes are ½" wood pieces.

Attach Molding and Trim

To attach the top pieces and batts, use a finish nail gun. To attach the ½" thick molding I used my pin nailer so the small wood pieces wouldn't split. You can see an in depth video on my Instagram Page here.

Finish Work for Black Wainscoting Half Wall

I can't stress enough how important finish work is. This is what will make or break the outcome of your project. Use caulk to fill in all of your seams. Then, fill in all of your nail holes with putty. These are pretty user friendly materials and not too difficult to apply.

After the putty is dry, lightly sand everything down until it is nice and smooth. Now you are ready for a paint color on your modern wainscoting wall.

Painting Your Black Wainscoting Panels

When testing out dark colors, make sure to first grab a few small paint samples you can paint on various parts of the surface. Lighting can change how your paint will look, as many interior designers can attest.

I used a brush and foam roller to paint my modern wainscoting with Tricorn black from Sherwin Williams. I highly recommend using a premium quality paint and often choose Sherwin Williams. The black wainscoting with white walls is absolutely eye-catching and goes perfectly with her black and white bedroom.

Finishing Touches to Our Easy Black and White Bathroom

For our black wainscoting bathroom, I opted to dress the space up with some affordable artwork (under $50) and a few other black accents to bring is all together! A few design options may be:

Other Paneling and Wainscoting Ideas

If you love this black wainscoting, you'll love my other designs too.

Dark shiplap ceiling
Wainscoting entry way
Laundry room wood paneling
Picture frame molding in bedroom
Fireplace accent wall in living room

You can also easily add wainscoting walls to a home office or formal dining room for a sense of elegance.

Black Wainscoting Wall

Adding black wainscoting to any room will create a beautiful modern design that is elegant and classy. And with this simple DIY, you not only save on cost but also establish a high end design style. Create a detailed masterpiece for all to enjoy by adding a black wainscoting wall to your space.

Happy DIYing!

Brooke