My wife thought it would look nice to add some wainscoting to our small 1/2 bathroom.  The bathroom is about 7 foot by 3 foot and is pretty simple right now.  We are going to add some MDF shelves above the toilet as well as the wainscoting.  Here is the quick run down of how it went.

The Plan and Materials

The first step, as always, was a quick plan and material list.

• Baseboard = 4 1/2″ tall
• Vertical Pieces = 3″ wide
• Upper Horizontal = 4″ tall
• Top Cap = 1 3/8″ wide
• Cove Molding under top cap
• Quarter Round
• Shelf = 7″ wide + 1 1/2″ wide front
• Spacing between vertical pieces ~19 1/2″
• Overall Height = 42 1/2″

Quick trip to HD and I bought the following

• Full sheet of 1/2″ MDF + 2′ x 4′ piece of 1/2″ MDF
• 2’x4′ sheet of 3/4″ MDF
• Dyna Grip adhesive
• 20′ of quarter round
• 20′ of cove molding
• Bright White Caulk

Ripping and Priming

Once I got home, I started ripping all the MDF to strips

After ripping all the strips, it was time to lay them out and add a coat of primer to everything

Certain edges and surfaces don’t get any primer because they will be against the wall or will get the top cap glued onto it.  When I have primed MDF in the past, I typically use KILZ original (oil based).  It works awesome as a sealer and sands nicely.  I had a mental moment and used latex KILZ on these and regretted it.  I had a lot of sanding to do and some reapplication.  Sanding latex is not real fun and some times I just end up pulling it all off the wood in a ball.

Adding to Wall

I started by adding the baseboard to the wall and making sure it was level all around.  Then, I made another level line where the vertical pieces should end.  I added the vertical pieces and the top horizontal pieces.  When I added each piece I used some adhesive on the back and then shot a few 18ga nails to hold it in place while the adhesive dries.  Adding the top cap was little different, since I used wood glue to hold it onto the top horizontal piece and shot some 18ga nails to hold it int place.  After the top cap was on there, I added the cove molding with some adhesive and nails.

 

None of the walls were square with each other, of course, so it takes some time to scribe the vertical pieces in each corner.  I always re-learn that lesson.  I am not a very good finish carpenter so there are some gaps and mistakes that will get filled with drywall compound or caulk down the road.

Here is an example of how much material I had to remove from a vertical piece to make the joint line up in  one corner.   The walls are like a “V”

Next step was to add 3 coats of semi gloss white to the MDF and wall.  We didn’t remove the toilet, just painted around it.

Adding quarter round

I start by the door with a 45 degree cut and then do a 90 cut against the wall

In order to get a decent looking joint, I cope the next piece so it aligns with the previously cut piece.  I start by cutting a 45 degree angle on the end of the quarter round.  The line created by the 45 gives me a coping line so it makes a nice fit

I also use a piece of sandpaper on a small piece of quarter round to finesse things. (Spray adhesive helps)

Here is the joint after some finessing.  As I progressed around the room, the coping went quicker.  After the quarter round was nailed down, the holes were filled and the some more caulking was done.

The Shelves

The shelves were made from 3/4 thick MDF as well as the supports/cleats that mount it to the wall.   The shelves are glued and nailed together like a small “L” shape.  About 7″ deep and 1 1/2″ tall.  The shelves were painted with Rustoleum (Ultra Cover) Satin Espresso.  Make sure to paint the bottom of the shelf as well since it will be somewhat visible.  The cleats must also get painted since they are visible from underneath.

 

Finished Pictures

All in all, it looks really good.  It should really be called faux wainscoting, but it still looks nice.  I wish I would have taken more care when placing and scribing the vertical pieces in the corners.  There are some pretty big gaps that were filled with caulk.