Potato, Potatoh.

Depends where you're installing the wainscoting.

In an entry

It might be easier to post your layout (overhead and wall view) rather than give you a general answer. However, here are my preferences

Any time I end wainscoting at an uncased opening that has baseboards I will try to do baseboards proud of the wainscoting. This also includes outside corners where the wainscoting ends. This ties the baseboards and wainscoting together.

For cased openings dissecting a single wall, with the wainscoting ending at the cased opening (e.g. wainscoting between two doorways) I tend to match the projections . Essentially, I will leave off the baseboard at the wainscoting so that the baseboard and wainscoting projection match on each side of the door.

For perpendicular walls I prefer baseboard on wainscoting but it doesn't really matter. Again, the continuous baseboard tends tie in the wainscoting with the rest of the room. But I have no problem doing it the other way.

For opposing walls in narrow spaces eliminate the baseboard if it narrows the space too much.

For rooms completely enclose by wainscoting do whatever you want.

For wainscoting on stairs leave the baseboards off. This should probably be number 1 as I really don't like the beefy stair projections. The hardest is when you have stairs and two or three other things that would typically look better with baseboards. I still prefer no baseboards on stairs.

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Windows (and sometimes stairs) dictate most of the height and layout requirements. So whether to start the wainscoting at the top of the baseboard or treat it as a small to large reveal depends on which option looks better below the windows or heading up the stairs.

Also generally as wainscoting takes up more of the visual field, the less you need baseboards.

Just my 2 cents, good luck.

bry911, thanks very much. This is very helpful. I appreciate your time.

Hi, Hou 2009,

We typically make some mock ups of trim details before making a final decision. Ask your trim carpenter to do that for you to help you decide.

Our baseboard is simple so we just treated the wainscoting bottom like the baseboard in terms of size.

And yes, we made lots of mockups before I gave the go ahead.

CP, what’s that little doorway? I personally like baseboards with the wainscoting.

CP lives in a very proper area that is infested with rats. The HOA's rules makes it mandatory to provide rat holes that match the architecture of the home. Violators have their house tore down. I could be wrong.

So, not domesticated leprechauns?

Yes.

Or no.

Or mebbe.

If you don't have any wainscot and any base, the answer is easy.

Our wainscoting was done like the top photo and had baseboards. The "lip" of the baseboards covered the seam between the blocking behind the baseboard and the bottom rail of the wainscot, if that makes sense. I prefer that look.

Edited to add: Just be prepared for the extra dusting that wainscoting will entail, especially if you have wainscoting with 90 degree corners. It catches everything, especially on stairs where the intersecting trim creates tiny little grooves that you can't get into with a fingertip and dust rag. DH says never again will he allow me to have it :)

We had baseboards years before I got the bright idea of adding wainscoting in just about every room of the house. Hubby built and installed the wainscoting above the existing 6 inch baseboards. The pic is the entryway.

Lol, I’m going with the leprechaun room.