Entry Wainscoting
Posted by Sandra on Apr 10, 2010 in Building Stuff, Decorating, Illinois House, My Favorite Projects, My Home(s), Remodeling | 52 comments
I wanted to brighten up this house and get rid of all of that awful orange wood. I created this wainscoting by routering a bunch of MDF and nailing it onto the wall. It was actually a lot of work but well worth it!
I don’t have enough before pictures but you can let your imagination fill in the blanks. The whole house was the same kind of ugly, entry and stairs included!
BEFORE
AFTER
*Tearing out the carpet involved 2 pairs of big pliers and a lot of elbow grease. Just grab the carpet and pull with all your might. Probably a good job to wait for a big, strong man to take on. If you’re impatient like me and want it done RIGHT NOW! Just get ready for a GOOD workout and be mindful of your back.
BEFORE
AFTER
I hired a professional to stain the railing and stair treads because he gave me a it was quite reasonable but it’s a project a DIY’er could definitely do. Here’s what they did: Light sanding (just by hand-no power sander) and then a gel stain over the old stain. They played around with the stain color until they had a perfect match. Then a few coats of spray on polyurethane.
52 Responses to “Entry Wainscoting”
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Hi. I’m Sandra.
I'm a crafter, DIY'er, home renovator and builder of "STUFF". We move frequently so I get lots of chances to buy a house and then tear it up so I can put my mark on it before we sell it and move again. I hope you'll join me on my DIY adventure as I start all over again.
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um, can you come to my house? I'm seriously so impressed that you do this yourself, I think I might need some power tools!
I do believe we were twins separated at birth. What we did to the foyer is really only half done… but we ran out of money. So we plan on adding the extra molding on top and in the squares next year… depending on what uncle sam gives us back next year. Apparently we should go shopping together or something, I bet we would have a great time. Have you been to the Kane County flea market at the fair grounds?
That is an amazing difference! What a great job!
Okay I'm not a stalker I promise, I just had to laugh that it says in my profile that I lived on an island, I'm glad you pointed that out. I actually live in Utah, not quite as exotic, I went to college in Hawaii for a time though, love it there. So I think I saw the United States part and didn't read the rest, I don't know why else I would have put that. But anyway I changed it.
wow. amazing!! it looks sooo good! come to my house and work your magic..pretty please.
That looks so so good! What a difference. I like that your darkened your railing too. Did you strip and restain or just add stain? Can you come and be my teacher?
Beautiful!!! I love that white and dark wood combo-one of my favorites! -shaunna
What a difference! It is gorgeous!
WOW — Perfect. What an impressive project. Did you happen to do a tutorial on the carpet removal and redoing the stairs? I was just telling my extremely skeptical husband that I wanted to remove the carpeting on the stairs and he just gave me that look. Wait till I show him this picture! Beautiful.
I just noticed that you painted all of your stained woodwork. Was that horribly difficult? That's another thing that I'm wanting to do, but husband is thinking it is just fine. He thinks a stained door is twice as nice. Men!!!
WOW! It looks great. Just looks so expensive.Beckie in Brentwood, TN
Stunning! As questioned already, was it hard to paint over the stained wood? Can you tell me just how you did it? You are really, really tempting me to paint all my oak doors and trim!!
Just the information I needed. Thank you so much, Sandra!!!
WOW! What a difference it makes! Thanks for the inspiration
I need do this all over my house…Come on over and link up at my Tuesday TALENT SHOW if you like 
http://myhouseofgiggles.blogspot.com
I just LOOOOVE your blog! So glad I stumbled upon it! So many great ideas and I adore the wainscoting entry. Can you give details as to how to finish off the panels when you come to the corners where is stops? Also, can you say a little more about how you created it with the router? Sounds liek you didn't just go buy a panel – or did you use a router on a pre-purchased wainscoting panel? Before I tell my husband what my next project is, I think I better have some answers to the questions he'll be asking me! Thanks and good luck on the success of your blog and your house renovation!
I LOVE the way you unified the space and gave it more depth! The sconces are just enough to give the area light but not too over the top. I really like it!
This is beautiful. It brightens up the whole entry.
What an incredible difference! You did a fabulous job!
how gorgeous is that? Plenty I tell you! I love all the white…so fresh!
Gorgeous! This is so inspirational to me, you have no idea! My house has the exact same dark wood trim and molding, and the exact same flooring. I have been BEGGING my husband to get all the trim painted bright white, but he won't allow it. Maybe your photos will help me! Thank you so much for sharing! I am so going to sign up as a follower!!Polly
Congrats on your feature! This looks great! I want to do this in my entryway now too. We have a router and router table, but I have no idea how to use it. Guess I'll do some research and play with it this week. BTW, I like your new header too!
I just found your blog from your feature on Tatertots & Jello and all I can say is WOW. The projects you have taken on are amazing!! You made them look far less daunting. Fantastic job, and beautiful home!
~Keri
Wow! Your steps and hallway look awesome! We just finished staining our steps and now you have me looking at the hallway! Thanks for the inspiration
Wendy
Wow! Job well done. The end result is fantastic. Most people would have been afraid to cover the natural wood. All white makes the banister and stairs pop. I love it!
Wow, what a difference! It looks amazing!
GREAT job! I'm extremely impressed!-Trish
Wow! That's amazing! I can't wait to read FAQ details. Thank you for sharing this.
P.S. LOVE how the waincotting is square under stairs but rhomboid above! How did you know to do that? LOVE it!
This is the most beautiful entry!!! I LOVE it!Can you please tell me the dimensions of you foyer? I'm trying to compare yours with a house plan I'm looking at.Thank you for such great inspiration!
Not only am I LOVING LOVING LOVING your wainscoting but I COVET your newly stained stair rail. We took the carpet off of ours years ago but we still have the 90's OAK rail and it drives us crazy. Does't sound too hard the way you described how they did it!
You totally inspired my to do this in my entry. I did it all by myself and I love it! Thanks for sharing! Lindsay
Stunning!! Makes me want to continue that mdf all over our stairway!! Just beautiful.
The stairs and foyer look amazing! I am visiting from The Inspired Room.
Wow, love it! Great job! I'm visiting from Cabin in the Woods.
Just BeAuTiFuL! We are buying a house with the same stair case that looks just like you before and I for sure wanted to tear out the carpet and add some molding. Very Inspirational post!
I love the stairs…this is exactly how I want mine to look one day ! (dear hubby?) nice job !
I just posted the picture of your stairway on my blog as you are my inspiration for what I am getting ready to do on mine! Although my stairway is not near as dramatic as yours I still love the look and know it will make a difference in the appearance!!! Love your blog!
Oh please do a tutorial on wainscoting! I have a router table and would love instructions – thanks!Mary
Pleeeeeeease, pretty please, pretty please with a cherry on top…can we get a tutorial on the wainscoting?????? On my knees begging. Please!!!!! We have a router table too and I have been trying to explain to my husband that this was the kind of molding I wanted in our downstairs family room, but it is impossible to find a tutorial on it. Did you follow a tutorial or did you just make it up as you went? If you made it up you are a genius! If not, you are still really smart, but could you please share your resource? I wish we lived closer because I would buy your house in a heartbeat now that you plan to move! (Have I done enough sucking up to warrant a tutorial yet?)
What an AMAZING TRANSFORMATION!! Your entry is just SO BEAUTIFUL!! Great work…what an accomplishment. ~Jenna, SAS Interiorswww.sasinteriors.blogspot.com
You are my DIY hero. Just found your blog recently and can't wait to see what you do next!Quick question on securing the mdf to the walls with the wainscoting–what did you do? Tutorials on the web are sketchy about this.Good luck finishing things up–I'll be following along!pinktoesandpowertools@yahoo.com
I have a couple questions…1. Did you sand your wall texture, or are your walls completely flat? I'm wondering if the inside of each "box" will look textured, as my walls have slight texture on them.2. Did you router the edges before putting them on the wall? How did you know precisely where to stop with the router (as it stops just before the pieces overlap)? Hope my questions make sense. I just love it and am wanting to get started putting this exact wainscoting in my dining room.Thank you,Melissa
Absolutely beautiful! You did a great job!
Truly stunning! I have your before and can't wait to transform it the way you have. I'd love to see a tutorial too!
I love this and have put it in "my going do it someday file". My staircase is very similar to yours and I know it would add so much character to my foyer. What kind of molding did you add to the top?My best- Diane
What a beautiful transformation! I love it!
You did a great job on this project! What a way to add interest and detail to plain walls. Love it!-Katie
I love the board and batten you did. You're awesome! I also appreciate the FYI on how the paid workers finished the railing (project up-and-coming for me), but I wonder would it also be possible to do a light sanding and use the gel stain to change the color of wood floors???
Did you use semi-gloss on the walls as well as on the moulding? I'm about to start a project like this myself and don't know whether to buy a gallon of flat…
Really beautiful, as if you read my mind, right down to the black egg shaped door knobs!Paula ~ Mise en scène
Um…..A-freakin-mazing! That is absolutely beautiful! Funny thing…I have been seeing that pic of your entry ALL OVER Pinterest for weeks…then today I stumbled onto your blog by seraching Google images for beadboard. Now, the two worlds meet. Can’t wait to scour your blog! You are a very, very talented lady! =)
Hi Mandy! That’s funny about Pinterest. I haven’t seen it once! LOL I guess it would make it easier to find the source if I actually stamped my name on my pics…but I’m too lazy!
I just bought a new house and am getting ready to start a whole new list of projects. Welcome!
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