Are you looking for an alternative to traditional beadboard wainscoting? Take a look at this. Here I have installed beautiful Brazilian Ipe hardwood vertically which is similar to conventional wainscoting, except this product it's extremely durable and has beautiful deep rich tones which will compliment any room in your home. So this is your thing, stick around and I will show you how it's done.
I am applying a coat of Polyurethane and we are just really doing it to bring out the luster and the colors of all these beautiful browns and reds, which is going to match our interior kitchen cabinets. They need a day or two to dry before we can actually install it. The dry wall that was here, was weak and deteriorated. I am replacing it with half-inch strand board for a nice structurally sound backing, and nail the wainscoting to it.
Now that the polyurethane has had several days to dry you are ready for installation. Typically, wainscoting is installed to a height of 36-42 inches from the floor. The choice is up to you. In this room I am going 37 inches to match the height of the hutch in the middle of the wall.
Now before you make any cut on a power saw you should always, always have your safety goggles. I also recommend using a dust mask because Ipe wood has been known to be allergenic to some folks. So don't take the chance.
To install the Ipe to the wall we are going to apply a bead of construction adhesive. You want to spread the construction adhesive in an S shape pattern for maximum hold. Once the glue is applied, you want to take the board, press it to the wall, use the back of your palm to mat it out and squeeze the glue. Pull the board off the wall and then allow 2-4 minutes to pass and that's what we call Aerating.
Letting it breathe helps the glue get tacky so it will bond securely. Once that's done, we can take the board, stick it back up to the wall and then you'll take a finish nailer and then pop two nails to hold it in place.
Vertical slats are installed, what's left to finish this beautiful job up is a 6-inch Ipe base molding which will cover the nails at the bottom of the wall. The way we are going to finish off the top is within something called an Apron. We are going to rip down a piece of Ipe, half the size of the slat. It's going to lay horizontally across the entire face covering all of these slats that are face-nailed. And on top of the apron is another piece of wood called the Cap. And what that does is cover all the scenes finishing off your wainscoting.
There you have it, untraditional wainscoting, it's beautiful, durable, and will last a lifetime.
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