How to Make Wainscoting Picture Frame Molding

Measure the walls with a measuring tape. These measurements can be used to determine how much chair rail molding you will need.

Measure approximately 32 inches from the floor and mark the measurement with a pencil. Extend the line around the room with a pencil or chalk line. This is a standard measurement for most chair rails. However, if you have other chair rails in your home you may want to consider matching the height of the new chair rail to the height of the existing chair rail.

Prime the chair rail molding and the wainscoting frame molding with latex primer and a paintbrush. Once the primer has dried, apply latex paint to the moldings. Allow the moldings to dry completely.

Use the measurements of the wall to cut the chair rail molding to the right length. A miter saw should be used to cut the chair rail molding to size. Set the miter saw to a 45 degree angle to make corner cuts. Where the molding butts against a doorway or window, use a 90 degree angle so the molding lies flat against the casings.

Nail the chair rail into place with a pneumatic nail gun. Fill the nail holes with wood putty and touch up the paint as necessary.

Create a diagram of the wall on a piece of paper to determine the size and layout of the wainscoting frames. If the walls in your room are all approximately the same length and size, you will be able to make all of the frames the exact same size. However, it is more likely that you will need to adjust the sizes of the frames on each wall slightly. Decide on the approximate size of the frames, how far apart the frames will be from one another, and how many are needed on each wall. After you have decided these factors you can adjust the width of the frames to fit the particular wall that you are working on. Some frames may be slightly wider than others to accommodate the wall you are working on, but as long as the frames are within a few inches of being the same size, the difference will not be noticeable. The frames should also be centered in the bottom portion of each wall, below the chair rail. The distance from the bottom of the frame to the baseboard and from the top of the frame to the chair rail should be consistent no matter how long the wall is.

Cut the smaller molding for the wainscoting frames. Make each of the corners of the frames by setting the saw at a 45 degree angle.

Nail the wainscoting framing to the wall with a pneumatic nail gun. Before you nail each piece into the wall, make sure each piece of the frame is level or plumb by using a small level.

Fill nail holes with putty and touch up the paint.