Appliques are a traditional type of wainscoting that has been around since the 17th century however it is a decorative touch that never left or went out of fashion. There are many different ways to finish or paint this style of wainscoting, many homeowners just paint everything white from the Chair Rail down, other people paint only the Chair Rail and the Applique Frames leaving the wall it’s original colour, typically a darker colour so the Applique can stand out. In recent times however many of our customers with modern homes and condos have used Appliques as a modern touch by painting the Appliques and the walls all one color. The shape, height , length and finish of Appliqués is endless.

Appliques also lend themselves well to creating symmetry in a room when installed properly. Our Carpenters lay the room out symmetrically however they take the customers input into consideration as they are figuring out the dimensions. We find that customers often see things differently than our carpenters or sales people and may want to change their minds once the installation is underway, we welcome that.

The standard installation height for a room with an 8 foot ceiling is 36″ from the top of the Chair Rail. The standard installation height for a room with a 9 foot ceiling is 42″ from the top of the Chair Rail. With that said, you are not limited to those heights, they are simply recommendations. You may have a 2 tier installation where the bottom applique is much lower with the upper applique being much longer and higher or vice-verse. Once again, the shapes and dimensions are endless, you’re only limited by the space on your walls.

If you’re home has curved walls or Stairways, there’s no need to worry, Appliqués are one of the few Wainscoting styles that can be curved using flexible Chair Rail material. By using a flexible applique material we are able to match any curve without loosing the shape of the appliqué and following the curve of your stairs or wall seamlessly.

When considering a Wainscoting installation, take your existing Baseboards into account. You may want to change your Baseboards while you’re having the Wainscoting installed. The reason for this (especially with Appliqués) is that we take the height of the Baseboards into consideration when determining the height of your Appliqué Squares and the placement on the wall. If you decide to increase the height of your Baseboards after an Appliqué installation, you may find that the top of the new baseboard is now too close to the bottom of the Square. This would throw off the symmetry of the installation.

Our team of experienced Design Consultants can help you through the process of designing and placement of your new wainscoting, contact us for more information.