Wainscoting Calculator

Work out an even wainscoting layout for your wall. Enter the wall size, choose how high the wainscoting runs, and the calculator spreads the panels evenly across the lower wall, sizes each one, and finds the chair rail height, with bare wall above. It works in inches or mm and estimates the moulding to buy.

Wainscoting layout
Wainscoting height
mm
Panel width506 mm
Panel height600 mm
Chair rail at900 mm
Bare wall above1500 mm
Frame moulding to buy9.7 m

4 panels across the lower wall, capped by a chair rail at 900 mm. Moulding total includes 10% waste.

Open the wainscoting layout in the planner

How wainscoting is laid out

The quick version: wainscoting is lower-wall panelling, so it has two layout problems, not one. Across the wall, the panels are spread with an equal border at each end and between each pair, so n panels have n+1 borders. Up the wall, the panels sit in a band between the baseboard and the chair rail, not the full wall height. The calculator solves both and draws the bare wall above so the proportions read the way they will on the wall.

For example, a 2400 mm wall with the chair rail at 900 mm, a 150 mm baseboard, a 75 mm border, and four panels: each panel is (2400 − 5 × 75) / 4 = 506 mm wide. The field band is 900 − 150 = 750 mm tall, so each panel is 750 − 2 × 75 = 600 mm tall. Slightly taller than wide, which is the proportion to aim for.

How high should wainscoting be?

Traditional wainscoting runs 800 to 1000 mm from the floor, roughly 32 to 40 inches. Two rules compete. The chair rule puts the top rail at chair-back height, around 900 mm (36 inches), because protecting plaster from chair backs is its historic job. The thirds rule puts it at one third of the wall height, which favours proportion over protection. On a standard 2400 mm (8 ft) wall the two nearly meet at 800 to 900 mm.

The one height to avoid is exactly half the wall, which cuts the room in two and both halves lose. Tap the ⅓ button in the calculator to snap the rail to the proportional default, or read the wainscoting height guide for the edge cases like stairs and radiators.

Panel sizes for common walls

A quick reference with the chair rail at 900 mm, a 150 mm baseboard, and a 75 mm border, so every panel comes out 600 mm tall. Your own heights change these, so use the calculator for your exact wall.

Wall widthPanelsEach panel (w × h)
1800 mm3500 × 600 mm
2400 mm4506 × 600 mm
3000 mm5510 × 600 mm
3600 mm6513 × 600 mm

Plan the whole wall

The calculator gives the numbers for one wall. The free planner draws the whole wainscot to scale, lets you drag the chair rail height and watch the panels rescale, works around sockets and radiators, and produces a cut list of every piece. Open the wainscoting template to start from the classic three-tier layout.

Open the planner

Wainscoting, shaker, or slats?

Wainscoting is framed panelling on the lower wall, capped by a chair rail. If you want the same framed panels running the full height of the wall, use the wall panel spacing calculator. For narrow vertical slats or board and batten, the slat wall calculator and batten spacing calculator start from the strip count instead.

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Frequently asked questions

How do you calculate wainscoting panel spacing?

Decide how many panels you want, then spread them with an equal border at each end of the wall and between every pair. With n panels there are n+1 borders, so each panel width is the wall width minus (n+1) borders, divided by n. The panel height is worked out separately, inside the band between the baseboard and the chair rail. The calculator does both at once and redraws as you change the numbers.

How tall should wainscoting be?

Traditional wainscoting sits between 800 and 1000 mm (roughly 32 to 40 inches) from the floor. Two rules compete: chair-back height, around 900 mm (36 inches), which is the historic job of protecting plaster; or one third of the wall height, which favours proportion. On a standard 2400 mm (8 ft) wall both land near 800 to 900 mm. What almost never works is exactly half the wall height, which splits the room in two. Use the ⅓ button in the calculator for the proportional default.

How many wainscoting panels should I have?

Aim for panels that are slightly taller than they are wide, or close to square, and keep them consistent around the room. On most walls that means a panel width somewhere between 400 and 600 mm (16 to 24 inches), so a 2.4 m wall takes about four panels and a 3.6 m wall about six. Enter your wall width and step the panel count up or down until the preview looks balanced.

What is the border or reveal on wainscoting?

The border, or reveal, is the flat painted margin around each panel and between panels. On applied-moulding (picture-frame) wainscoting it is the gap between the frames; on framed panelling it is the width of the stiles and rails. A 50 to 90 mm (2 to 3.5 inch) reveal is typical. The calculator keeps the reveal equal on all sides so the panels sit evenly.

What is the difference between wainscoting and a chair rail?

A chair rail (called a dado rail in the UK) is just the horizontal moulding that caps the top of the wainscoting. Wainscoting is the whole lower-wall treatment beneath it: baseboard, framed panels, and the rail together. You can fit a chair rail on its own, but wainscoting always ends in one. See the dado rail height guide for the rail itself.

Related guides

Wainscoting: the full style guideHow high should wainscoting be?Dado rail (chair rail) height guideHow much does wainscoting cost?