Flooring is installed first then wainscoting in most cases.

As David pointed out, the flooring is typically installed first, then the wainscoting. However, because most wainscoting installations include a baseboard added to the face of it, you can install the majority of the wainscoting before the flooring (If you needed to for time constraints etc)

In this case the actual baseboard would still be added after the hardwood flooring. It is important that the hardwood have a 1/4" expansion/contraction space at the perimeter of the room. That space is hidden by the base that sits on top of it.

Alternatively, a common traditional detail is to install a quarter-round ( or "shoe") molding at the transition of the base and flooring, which would enable you to install the wainscoting and base before the flooring as the expansion gap is then covered by the shoe mold instead. Some clients love this detail, others not so much. Here's an example of what the shoe looks like.



Steve

Thanks for the info!

Great info. A follow up question from jennifer's. I am doing the wainscoting but we are having the flooring (hardwood and carpet) done by professionals. So if I install the wainscoting after the floors how it painting done after the carpet is in. Can a painter get to the bottoms of the WC w/o getting paint on the carpet or hardwood floors?

@ssfrosty Don't resurrect a 5-year-old thread to ask your question. Start a new one.