What type of paint for wainscoting?

12 years ago

I just had some wainscoting installed in my dining room. I started painting it with a white semi gloss, but it doesn't look that great, & I am not sure if this is the type of paint I should be using, so I stopped. This is the type of wainscoting that you attach the chair rail, & picture frames to the wall. What type of paint is best for this project?

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danmcgint

8 years ago

thanks @ournewhome83 . I ended up going with white dove BM in eggshell. I painted satin and it was too shiny seeing we get a lot of natural light in there during the day.

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Comments (14)

Pamela (retired) DeCuir
12 years ago
Semi-gloss is what I usually recommend. What is it about yours that you don't like? If it isn't shiny enough, then use a higher gloss paint. If you are seeing brush strokes or such, you may want to use a higher quality paint like Ben Moore or Sher Wms or have it professionally sprayed.
User
12 years ago
At least a semi-gloss or for a more reflective and elegant look in the dining room try a high gloss. I used it in my dining room and I love it. So many meals take place at night so the high sheen with softened lighting is very nice. It needs to be done by an experienced painter as it's more difficult to work with than a semi-gloss.
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itallhastowork
12 years ago
I like a semi gloss, keep a slightly warm white (there are hundreds of shades of white!), and use a very high quality natural bristle 2 inch or smaller angle brush. You need to work in small sections. I hand painted all of the trim in our victorian home, several times. Good quality paint and brushes make a huge difference in your results. Good luck!
lisa71775
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks! I'm going to hire a painter to paint it. I'm fine painting with eggshell, but this semi gloss is not easy to work with!
ournewhome83
10 years ago
What about for a full wall wainscotting design? Which finish works best? Egg shell, semi-gloss, satin or pearl?
danmcgint
10 years ago
I'm curious on the full wall wainscotting design question. I originally planned to do semi-gloss but I thought it would be pretty strong on the shine in a 2 story foyer. Any input on this would be great. Example below: [https://www.houzz.com/photos/westbury-long-island-new-york-transitional-staircase-new-york-phvw-vp~5144098[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/westbury-long-island-new-york-transitional-staircase-new-york-phvw-vp~5144098)
ournewhome83
8 years ago
@damncgint we finally decided on farrow and ball emulsion sheen (it’s a good mix of classic creamy and a hint of gloss when the light hits). It’s a little pricey but, my perfect white.
ournewhome83
8 years ago
danmcgint that was our exact issue, very similar project! Looks great!
juliejfw
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Use cream trim for the gray or greige wall paint. White, off the shelf, is NOT a neutral.
Naush Een
7 years ago
Just curious to know, how much did it cost for you to get ththe wainscoting installed?
pls1968
6 years ago
Pls help...painting this wkend.
Danmcgint, I love your photo...we have wainscotting just in our stairwell...not a lot of natural light. Chair rail going upstairs and downstairs and have 2 feature walls one up, one down that are floor to ceiling squares, like your wall.
I have 2 matte walls that are adjacent to feature walls (matte finish).
All our walls and crown molding are BM Oxford White (Aura matte finish)...baseboards/window trim/doors throughout our home are going to be the same colour/brand in satin finish.
1-Do you think I should keep my wainscoting, baseboards, window trim & doors satin, as my stairwell doesn’t get a lot of natural light?
2-Switch to eggshell (as I don’t like a lot of shine) on the 2 feature walls and leave baseboards/window trim/doors satin?
3-Or change all the above to eggshell and keep walls and crown as matte?
Sorry so long...have been in a stressful reno for over 2 yrs and desperate to be done.
HU-976936818
4 years ago
Pls1968- I am experiencing the same dilemma. What did you end up doing? I prefer no shine - surrounding walls are matte. Thank you!
amcvickers
4 years ago
Just curious if anyone who commented with question on here made a call and if they would do it again. I'm in a similar boat. Dining room with wainscoting at the bottom. I want to do everything one color, but I'm struggling with using 2 finishes or one finish? Do I do matte on top and trim (including wainscoting) satin or do I do the whole thing eggshell? It's so hard to envision either! Doing a neutral gray with an LRV of around 55, fyi.