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I'm looking at adding Wainscoting to a hallway in my home and I'm watching a lot of Youtube videos on how to construct it. One problematic different I'm seeing is some people believe you should have a panel like 1/2" plywood on the wall before you add the trim and some people say you can just add the trim right to the wall.

I'm sure you CAN add the trim right to the wall but will it be noticeable if you do it that way? Is it a "cheap" way to do it by not installing a panel first.

This is very close to what i'm looking to do :

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P2000
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nikolifish
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2 Answers2

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I have applied wainscotting directly on drywall with construction glue for permanence, temporarily held in place with finishing nails. For this, the wall was drywall paneling, that was mudded and smoothly finished.

Sometimes the substrate panel is part of the finish, and additional trim is attached on top, for depth. It appears as an insert, but is actually painted backing.

I have also applied wainscotting on furring, in order to better align and straighten the finishing on walls with an uneven surface due to bulging of the drywall or rough unevenness of concrete foundation walls.

If you give yourself a backing, at a minimum some strips of plywood, you'll separate the rough work stage to provide support from the more fine work of aligning and patterning. If you find you need lots of strips to support staggered and small panels, a whole sheet might save you lots of work and provide the flexibility to make the task easier.

Always remember when watching youtube videos, that professionals fundamentally work differently from DIYers: it's all a tradeoff between cost, time & pace, skill and whether it's for a paying customer or a critical spouse.

P2000
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To me, the best approach is sheet rock first, then wainscotting. You get better fire protection and noise reduction that way.

When I did my basement a few years ago, I used trim screws into the studs on 16" spacing, no glue. It looks good and has worked fine so far.

oldVermonter
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