Decorating: WDYT of Wainscoting

lsgarver · November 2011

What do you think of wainscoting/beadboard? We're at a point in time where we still want to do decorating/renovating for us to enjoy but we want to be smart about how it will appeal to buyers in about 2-3 years. I'd like to put white wainscoting in the master bedroom and bathroom with gray-blue walls, blue and white comforter, white furniture, white drapes, hardwood floors(eventually) and a wrought-iron bed. It would be the difference between springing for the wainscoting or just painting the blue color.

The whole thing would basically look like this but we might use the typical slatted wainscoting instead of molded like this one shows, depending on cost:

Is this pretty well-accepted? Would you call it classic? Would you invest the money in it instead of just painting?

KathrynMD · November 2011

This is not something that would make or break a homebuying decision for me.

I like it in general, but it depends on the furniture, how it goes w/ the rest of the house, etc.

xmaryrickx · November 2011

I like it in most areas of a home, the bedroom is not one of them :-/ To me it's okay in most bathrooms,hallways, dining rooms and kitchens. But it doesn't feel right in a bedroom. I really like that high wainscotting though. It's very pretty.

Ragdolls · November 2011

I love it in bathrooms - we used it in our new bath on the wall and also on the ceiling framed out by crown molding and I love the way it came out. It's generally not my thing in a bedroom, though. Doing the whole master - bed and bath - in it might be a little much.

MrsNDM · November 2011

I'm not a fan of it in bedrooms or bathrooms but I do like it in most other places. Like Kathyn said, it wouldn't be a make or break for me but I would prefer a house without it in those areas.

Cooper81 · November 2011

That looks like board and batten to me, and I like that more than wainscoting. I do like wainscoting in bathrooms, but for larger rooms I think board and batten looks nicer. I actually don't mind it in bedrooms, but if I were to do it in a BR I would have a picture ledge installed and not just a wide piece of trim, just to give it a little more function and higher finish. I really like B&B in dining rooms and I've seen it in a few bedrooms, but I would do it about 2/3's of the wall so it wouldn't interfere with most pieces of furniture.

nezwee · November 2011

We have wainscoating in DD's bedroom. When we painted it, it was just TOO pink. So we decided the wainscoating would even it out and it did. Now, i wouldn't put it in my bedroom as the room is a lot bigger than hers. We also had it in our Kitchen at the condo, but it was only about a 4 ft section of wall in there.

daisyterp · November 2011

Ditto Kathryn & Cooper.

Also I know I have seen blog posts where people do B&B really quick- like they don't cover the whole wall (so there is no board? or perhaps no batten?)

lsgarver · November 2011

Hmm, ok, thanks for all the honest responses. It's not an idea I'm married to--we have most of the other elements already in the room so when I saw this picture (and liked it) I thought we could easily mimic the look. I know it wouldn't make or break a buyer's decision but I don't want to put all the money and effort in if 2-3 years from now a significant portion of buyers will see it as something to rip out.

Before seeing the photo, our idea was to just paint the bedroom and do white subway tiles up half the wall in the bathroom (it's small). I may just stick with that.

Cooper81 · November 2011

If you want the quick/cheaper way to DIY B&B check out Thrifty Decor Chicks blog, great ideas and tutorial. For me personaly, I think even the look of B&B (even if it's not the true B&B, but the blogers shortcut) looks very high end. I don't think it would make or break my decision, but I would definately favor a house with B&B, but again everyone has their own style.

Decorating: WDYT of Wainscoting

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