Wainscoting installation

[Lee Schierer]

I recently purchased some red oak wainscoting for our dining room. It is about 5/16 thick and 2" wide. About half of it will be installed against outside walls that are insulated. The house is about 45-50 years old so I don't know the condition of the insulation/vapor barrier behind the walls. There is 3" of insulation and the walls are blue board with plaster. I plan to stain and finish the wood before I install it. The question is should I also apply the finish to the back side to prevent (or at least slow down) moisture absorption from the outside? My thoughts are to apply a polyurethane to the inside, at least 2 coats probably 3, should I apply two to the side against the wall as well. I don't want it to buckle or twist.

[Neal Clayton]

in the old days they'd just put a half/half coat of blo and turp or blo and mineral spirits to seal the wood up a bit for stability. so yeah, anything like that should be fine.

consider the fact that the plaster wall won't be flat/level. that makes it hard for a 15 guage finish nail to hold. i use trim screws instead of nails. not only do they hold better on crooked walls but they'll pull a twist or bow up flat on the wall too. no caulk necessary that way.

if you care about the joinery appearance, the proper 'look' is to have the paint/plaster extend on to the wood a bit. that's how they did it in the days before caulk existed. with that in mind, you could simply finish it after it's on the wall, without much regard for getting finish on the paint. and then repaint the walls, and extend that paint edge on to the wood to give you that traditionally finished look.

[Larry Edgerton]

Lee

I prefinish everything in the houses I build as a matter of course, for just the reasons that you mentioned.

With that kind of thin beadboard that you are using I put on a ballanced finish, same on both sides, usually two coats if clear. It keeps it falt, but more importantly the tongues on that size product is very short, yet the product is just as wide as 3/4" beadboard. So if there is any shrinkage, the tongues fall all the way out of the grooves, is unsightly and hard to make right after the fact. Your climate is the same as mine so you will have the dry heat in winters and humid summers.

Just my 2 cents........ Larry

[Lee Schierer]

Lee

I prefinish everything in the houses I build as a matter of course, for just the reasons that you mentioned.

With that kind of thin beadboard that you are using I put on a ballanced finish, same on both sides, usually two coats if clear. It keeps it falt, but more importantly the tongues on that size product is very short, yet the product is just as wide as 3/4" beadboard. So if there is any shrinkage, the tongues fall all the way out of the grooves, is unsightly and hard to make right after the fact. Your climate is the same as mine so you will have the dry heat in winters and humid summers.

Just my 2 cents........ Larry

Yeah, that is why I plan to stain and finish everything before installation and then just touch up the brad holes. I plan on gluing at least two strips together to make a wider piece before I hang them. I don't want to use adhesive behind them in case we decide to remodel again at some point in the future. Our plaster is pretty flat because of the blue board backing so I don't think a rough surface will be the issue. I will brad nail them all to the plate and where the strips run over a stud, I will put several nails along the length into the stud so at least every 16 inches there will be a tighter attachment to the wall. The chair rail will hold the tops in place.

[Larry Edgerton]

Lee

The problem with gluing two of them together is that then they shrink twice as much at the joint that is loose, so it is even more likely to have the tongue come out of the joint. Want to know how I know this? Lets just say I learn from my own mistakes.....

I would put them on individually, and come up with a chair rail that is kind of sturdy, and rabbited over the top of the wainscoting by a half inch or so. That way you don't have to worry about fasteners so much as you can fasten the chair rail directly into the studs.

Larry

[Larry Edgerton]

I see you already had a plan for a captive chair rail. I got all frantic when I saw you mention gluing them together, because I remembered the mess I had to replace. We are on the same page. Do you have a micropinner? What I do for the ones out in the field if I can not glue is put a couple of micropins in the same hole at different angles, one set about a foot up, and another at two feet. The pins are in the tongue up tight where you would normally nail, but one is aimed down at 45 degrees, and the other up at 45 degrees. You push them firmly at the wall while you put the pins in. Its not as good as a nailer, but when the customer wants the option of returning the wall to paint its better than nothing at all.

Thats 4 cent now...........

[Neal Clayton]

Yeah, that is why I plan to stain and finish everything before installation and then just touch up the brad holes. I plan on gluing at least two strips together to make a wider piece before I hang them. I don't want to use adhesive behind them in case we decide to remodel again at some point in the future. Our plaster is pretty flat because of the blue board backing so I don't think a rough surface will be the issue. I will brad nail them all to the plate and where the strips run over a stud, I will put several nails along the length into the stud so at least every 16 inches there will be a tighter attachment to the wall. The chair rail will hold the tops in place.

yep, if you use nails toe nailing into the studs as much as you can is the key. even if the plaster looks straight, it often isn't. i see that every day ;). just a fact of life with an entire wall applied by hand. i'd check as you go with a straight edge to see what you're getting into with each section.

[Marc Myers]

The biggest advice you truly need to hear is that oak needs time to acclimate to it's surroundings. Most hardwood floors are left to rest inside the house for 24-48 hours before they are installed for just the reasons you're describing. Being as thin as 5/16, you're more likely to have cups in the boards as opposed to a 3/4 thick board. I would seriously lean toward giving the lumber pile at least a week or two to acclimate. Don't leave it all in a messy pile, spread the pieces around as much as you can and let as much air as possible around every edge and surface of the oak. After time has passed, you can take a better look at what movement has occured and see what you've got to work with. You may find that some pieces have twisted and warped too much to even bother installing. Then and only then would I consider applying a sealer to the backs of the boards. I don't think you need to use a poly, something like Zinnser Universal Sanding Sealer would work just as well if not better than poly.

[David Larsen]

One problem you might run into if you open up the packages and spread them all out is that they will probably bend and twist because they are thin. Bring the un-opened packages inside and let them acclimate before you open them up. This should keep them a bit more stable while they acclimate.

If this were my project, I would nail a 3/8 thick plywood to the wall behind the wainscot. Then glue and nail your wainscot where you please. If you want to tear it off later, just pull off the whole works. I have used the plywood backing before and it works great because it gives you a level surface, gives you a nailing surface, and it also makes the wainscot feel very solid afterwards. The 48 inch long plywood will seam on the existing studs.

I would prefer that you glue the plywood to the wall also, but you stated that you might want to remove it in the future.