Definition

• A wood wainscot, courtesy www.prestigeenterprisellc.com
  
  A wainscot is a paneling or covering over the lower portion of a wall, usually extending around 4 feet vertically. This type of paneling was very common in the 1700s and 1800s, as carpenters and architects began trying to combine the luxury of castles and manors with the utility and practicality of a family dwelling. In certain areas of the house, especially the kitchen and living rooms, the plaster walls were susceptible to damage from bumping furniture, scraping chairs, and other movement. The wainscot, also known as the dado, was created to both accent the lower portion of walls in these rooms and to protect them from unintentional damage.
  
  

Placement

• The wainscot is an extension of the baseboard, a low trimming of wood placed on the wall along the floor, serving a dual purpose in both sealing cracks that may have opened between the wall and the floor and protecting the wall from damage while sweeping or mopping. Generally, the wainscot is several boards extending upward from this trimming, along with a decorative top-border that juts out in comparison to the rest of the paneling.
  
  

Variations

• Of course, there is not a firm standard for the shape or make of wainscots. Those found in even more vulnerable areas like bathrooms tend to be even higher, while those in more opulent houses can be very intricate, covered with carvings and even inlaid with other materials. The height and shape of the wainscot depends on the height of the ceiling in relation to the room and the type of furniture inside the room--generally, carpenters attempted to make wainscots the height of bookcases or tables in the room, to make them more pleasing to the eye.
  
  

Materials

• Originally wood was used to make almost all of the wainscot, especially oak. Oak became so popular as a wainscot that the name wainscot often refers directly to oak coverings. However, oak was only one of the materials used to make wainscots. Another popular and affordable choice was cloth such as burlap or linen, dyed in various colors. The wainscot can also be made from an extra layer of plaster, perhaps molded in a specific way or colored in a different style, with the outcropping being even more complicated. Different shades of wood may be combined, and even wood and plaster or wood and cloth.
  
  

Outside Wainscots

• Wainscots may also be built around the outside of houses, shorter versions used to accent stonework and protect the base of a house. Instead of using wood or plaster, these outside wainscots are most often made of cast concrete that can be made to look like various types of stone.