How to Paint Faux Wainscoting / Beadboard

I have always loved the historic look of beadboard paneling and wainscoting. It adds the perfect touch to a room that might be missing something. Instead of adding more furniture that can make a room look cluttered, consider adding a chair rail and doing a faux finish below it. Faux painted wainscoting may be the answer without having to spend a lot of money. You can also [paint over it later on.

I am going to explain how you can do it yourself with only paint, glaze, and a squeegee.

Faux Painted Beadboard

Step 1 - Get your materials together

• Paint (base - light beige or off white color / top coat - white)
  
• Good quality glaze with a long open time
  
• Squeegee
• Utility Knife
• Roller & roller skin (I like to use weinie rollers because they are much easier to maneuver)
• Painter's tape
  

Step 2 - Prepare the room

• Lay your dropcloths.
  
• Touch up holes with spackle and then spot prime
• Tape the area with painter's tape, so you don't get paint on your trim or moldings

Step 3 - Base coat

• Paint the area below the chair rail with the beige color in satin or pearl finish paint, let dry and do a 2nd coat

Step 4 - Prepare the squeegee

• Measure and mark the squeegee where you want your cuts to be
• Cut out with a utility knife to look like the picture below
  

Step 5 - Mix your Paint & Glaze

• Use the white paint as the top coat color to mix with your glaze
  
• 3 parts glaze to 1 part paint
• Do not add water because this can cause the glaze to dry faster on your surface, instead use an extender if you are concerned about the open time.

Step 6 - Apply Glaze Mixture

• Roll on your glaze in 3- 4 foot sections
  
• Immediately roll through the glaze with your squeegee

• It is easier if you have 2 people working on the project so one can roll on and the other can squeegee off.
• You need to work quickly

Step 7 - Clean Up

• Remove Tape
• Touch up with a small detail brush in areas where the paint may have bled through the tape.
• Save the glaze in a small air tight container. Be sure to label it.

So, that was easy enough right? Another great idea for a faux paint finish. This finish can be done in any room of the house or anywhere that already has a chair rail splitting the walls in a room.

You also have the option of putting a coat of gloss finish sealer over the finish. This will not only protect it, but it will bring out that true gloss wainscoting paint finish.

If you have any questions about this finish, please feel free to contact me.