How Much Does It Cost to Install Wainscoting in 2025?
The cost to install wainscoting is $1,325 on average though most homeowners pay between $1,575 and $1,600 to install 5-foot-high unpainted solid wood wainscoting in a 12-by-12-foot room.
Installing wainscoting or beadboard costs about $5.50 per square foot.
Your total cost depends on factors like location, project size, and material quality.
Hiring a professional ensures quality results and effective budget management.
Wainscoting enhances your home's aesthetic appeal and can increase its value.
This article was updated using automation technology and thoroughly reviewed for accuracy by HomeAdvisor Editor Ryan Noonan.
Adding wainscoting or beadboard to your home is a stylish way to enhance your interior spaces. On average, installing wainscoting costs around $1,325, or about $5.50 per square foot. However, you could pay as little as $1,050 or as much as $2,400 on this project. Your total cost can vary based on factors like your location, the size of your space, and the materials you choose. More affordable options like MDF or plywood start as low as $1 per square foot, while premium solid wood wainscoting can exceed $40 per square foot. Whether you decide to tackle the project yourself or hire a professional, wainscoting can add timeless elegance to your home.
What Is Wainscoting?
Wainscoting is decorative paneling, often made from wood, that covers the lower part of your walls. It adds insulation, protection, and a beautiful accent to your rooms. Most often installed about waist-high, wainscoting brings elegance and character to your home. A popular type of wainscoting is beadboard, featuring wood paneling with vertical grooves or “beads.” Beadboard adds depth and charm to walls and ceilings, and it's available in various styles to suit your taste. The cost of wainscoting or beadboard can vary based on the materials and finishes you choose, your location, the size of the area, your desired timeframe, design features, and installation complexity.
Wainscoting Installation Costs per Square Foot
The price of wainscoting ranges from $5 to $40 per square foot, depending on the type of panel. Installation costs average between $50 to $125 per hour or about $5.50 per square foot, including materials and labor. The biggest impact on your budget is the size of the space: for example, a 12-foot-by-12-foot room can easily require more than 15 hours of work.
Cost of Wainscoting per Panel
Wainscoting costs between $5 and $40 per square foot to install, depending on the style and materials you choose. It's often priced by the square foot rather t
| Type of Panel | Description | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Flat panel | Minimalist design with limited decorative molding | $7 – $10 per sq. ft. |
| Beadboard | Boards slotted together to form a decorative panel with vertical beads | $7 – $20 per sq. ft. |
| Board and batten | Smooth middle board outlined by thinner boards on all sides | $7 – $20 per sq. ft. |
| Raised panel | Features a beveled middle panel that adds a picture frame-like look | $10 – $30 per sq. ft. |
| Overlay | Combination of raised and flat panels to create a multi-layered effect | $10 – $40 per sq. ft. |
Raised Panel Wainscoting
Raised panel is the most traditional wainscoting design. It also can cost as much as twice the cost of flat or beadboard panels. This high price is due to the time-consuming nature of beveling the panel edges, custom-fitting it into the room so that the geometry is symmetrical, and the laborious finish work required to give it a distinctly elevated look.
Average Cost to Install Custom Wainscoting
Beadboard Paneling Cost per Square Foot
Beadboard costs $7 to $20 per square foot (materials and labor combined), based on the latest 2025 data. It costs $1 per square foot for ta rue wooden beadboard. Imitation versions cost $0.50 to $0.75 per square foot.
To finish off both types of paneling, you will also need caps and baseboards; these cost $0.30 to $2.50 per foot and are sold in 10-foot sections. From afar, it’s hard to tell the difference, but a closer look at imitation beadboard will reveal imperfections and a lack of density in the material.
Beadboard Ceiling Cost
A wooden beadboard ceiling costs $5 to $6 per square foot for materials and labor. Shiplap costs are similar, running between $2.50 and $7.00 per square foot. If you’re planning to fit out a porch ceiling, consider using vinyl beadboard as it is more weather-resistant, durable, and requires less maintenance.
Labor Costs to Install Wainscoting or Beadboard
If you hire a contractor, expect to pay $2 to $4 per square foot for labor alone. Including the cost of panels and materials brings the total to $4 to $6 per square foot. Your final price depends on the size of your room and the panel style you choose. Wainscoting works well in any interior space and is particularly attractive in areas like dining rooms, living rooms, hallways, and corridors. Since labor can account for half of your project's total cost, tackling the installation yourself could save you up to 50%.
Ready to enhance your home with wainscoting? Hire a professional wainscoting installer near you to ensure quality results.
Wainscoting and Beadboard Cost Factors
Wainscoting and beadboard costs can vary based on several factors, including your choice of materials and finishes, your location, the size of the area, your desired timeframe, design features, and installation complexity. Considering these factors will help you plan your budget effectively.
Chair Rail
The cost to install trim, such as a chair rail, averages $4.50 to $6 per linear foot, including the materials and paint.
Originally intended for protecting walls against damage when the servants drew back the chairs after supper, chair rails are often used in modern homes purely for visual appeal. Install your rail approximately 1/3 above the floor to ensure it doesn’t throw off the scale and proportions of the room.
Paint
Paint costs between $25 and $50 per gallon or $0.80 to $1.80 per square foot, plus an additional $2 to $6 per square foot of paintable area or between $20 to $50 an hour. The cost to paint a room depends on the number of colors and coats you use, where you live, and the size of the surface area. More ornate trims and frames will require more preparation work than minimalist designs. Be sure to calculate the amount of paint beforehand to save money.
Material
If you’re contemplating applying a natural wood finish or stain to the wainscoting, you’ll want to look at using nicer hardwoods like maple, oak, or cherry because they have beautiful grains that shine in situations like this. If you’re painting the wainscoting, you’ll only need to use paint-grade wood, which is dramatically more affordable than stain-grade because you’ll be covering up all the knots and grain with a couple of layers of paint.
DIY Installation vs. Hiring a Pro
If you're not experienced with installing wainscoting or beadboard, hiring a local wainscoting installation contractor is a smart move. However, if you're a seasoned DIYer with the time to dedicate, you can take on the project yourself and achieve a professional, stylish look Benefits of hiring a vetted professional include expert carpentry skills, guaranteed quality work, and timely installation.
How HomeAdvisor Gets Its Cost Data
No place is more important than your home, which is why HomeAdvisor connects homeowners with local pros to transform their houses into homes they love. To help homeowners prepare for their next project, HomeAdvisor provides readers with accurate cost data and follows strict editorial guidelines. After a project is complete, we survey real customers about the costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects.
Frequently Asked Questions
Wainscoting is decorative paneling that covers the lower part of a wall, adding style and protection. Beadboard is a popular type of wainscoting characterized by long, vertical panels with raised beads—small indentations or ridges between the planks. It's commonly used on walls and ceilings to add depth and character. Both wainscoting and beadboard are versatile options that allow you to enhance your indoor and outdoor spaces. Beadboard panels lock together with a tongue-and-groove joint, while shiplap—a similar style—uses a square-shaped rabbet joint.
The top of the wainscoting should be set at one-third of the room’s height. So, for a standard room with nine-foot ceilings, the wainscoting should extend exactly three feet. This precise measurement creates a balanced, elegant look that enhances overall room proportions and delivers a classic design appearance.
Wainscoting can make a room look smaller if the room has low ceilings. The same rule applies with wainscoting as it does with painting any space: In order to make the room look larger and more open, paint it a light color like white or cream. Since beadboard incorporates vertical lines in the paneling, this style of wainscoting is ideal for those wanting to make a room appear larger than it is.
While wainscoting can technically be used in any room, you’ll typically want to reserve it for a more open space, like a foyer where you want to make a dynamic first impression or a bathroom with tall ceilings. Avoid using wainscoting in small spaces with low ceilings. Open concepts like a living room and kitchen combination also don’t work well with wainscoting because there isn’t a clean break point along the walls.
Wainscoting can increase home value because it offers a refined design element that boosts buyer interest. Its elegant finish and distinctive style enhance interior aesthetics and generate a positive market impression, therefore confidently increasing the property’s overall desirability and resale value.
- Carpentry Framing - Install
- Carpentry Framing - Repair
- Closet - Build
- Wood Paneling - Install or Repair
- Fireplace Mantel - Install
- Wood Stairs and Railings - Install or Replace
- Interior Trim and Decorative Moldings - Repair
- Interior Trim and Decorative Moldings - Install
- Wood Stairs and Railings - Repair
- Exterior Shutters - Install or Replace
- Arbor, Pergola or Trellis - Build Custom
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