Can You Use Wood Wainscoting Near a Shower?

Installing the Wainscoting

• Measure your bathroom to determine the amount of wainscoting required to cover the space. Wainscoting is available in prefinished or raw panels that require primer, paint and a glaze to protect them against water damage. Once the wainscoting sheets are cut to the proper dimensions, place them inside the bathroom for at least three to five days. This gives the wooden panels time to adjust to the humidity and temperature changes in the bathroom. If you don't have enough room to store the wainscoting in the bathroom, leave it in a hall or adjacent room. After the proper adjustment time is reached, install the wainscoting by gluing or nailing it to the wall.

Installation Over Tile

• Tile surrounding your shower doesn’t require a complete tear-down before wainscoting installation. But this doesn’t mean the wainscoting will adhere to the tile as is. First fill in the grout lines between the tile with joint compound or additional grout to provide a flat surface. Once the joint compound or grout is completely dry, remove the excess and tile glaze with fine-grit sandpaper. Removing the glaze creates a rougher surface, giving the wainscoting something to adhere to. Wipe away the sanding dust with tack cloth before installing the wainscoting in the same manner as with drywall.

Vinyl Wainscoting

• Poly-vinyl chloride is another material option for bathroom wainscoting. The PVC resists water damage, mold growth and warping when faced with constant temperature changes. The vinyl paneling is installed in a similar manner to traditional wooden wainscoting, and requires less cleaning and overall maintenance. The largest downsides of vinyl wainscoting over traditional wooden models are availability and cost.

Painting the Wainscoting

• It’s possible to paint both vinyl and wood wainscoting, either before or after installation. Vinyl wainscoting requires texturing its surface with sandpaper before applying the primer and paint. Semi-gloss paint is the best option for bathrooms because it stands up to the temperature changes and humidity while remaining easy to maintain and clean.