Can You Put Tongue & Groove Wood Over Drywall?

Measurement

• Before you begin to build the wainscoting on to a wall in your home, decide the height of the wainscoting. No specific rule exists as to how tall the wainscoting can stand, but in most homes, the wood stands roughly three feet off the ground. The height you choose not only depends on the look you wish to achieve, but also the length of your tongue and groove pieces. For example, cutting wood to four feet might be favorable if you have eight-foot pieces of wood, as you will be able to waste very little material.

Layout

• When planning your wainscoting, note the number, size and location of any obstacles such as wall outlets. If your wainscoting rises only to three to four feet off the ground, it's unlikely that you'll have to contend with other obstacles, such as light switches. Note the location of windows, as in these areas, the wainscoting will not stand as tall as in other areas.

Installation

• Because you want to avoid visible nail holes in the wainscoting, use small nails for the installation process. Hold a cut piece of tongue and groove wood against the wall at one end of the wall and hammer it into place by hammering nails at an angle through the tongue of the wood and into the wall. Slide the next piece of wood against the first piece so the first piece's tongue fits into the second piece's groove, and then hammer the second piece in using the same method. If possible, use an air nailer to make the job faster, easier and more accurate.

Chair Rail

• An ideal way to top the wainscoting is through a chair rail. Because you need to add some sort of cap to the top of the pieces of tongue and groove wood to avoid their exposed edges from being visible, the cap can serve a dual purpose. Nailing or gluing a piece of molding in the style of your choice will not only complete the wainscoting look, it will also protect the wall from chairs being pushed into the wall.