Kim and I have recently started a new site all about remodeling and design ideas and pictures. This article was inspired by one of the images Kim found for the new blog – you can find it here: Beautiful Workspaces {Dreamy Desks}.

This photo is one of those that I could write ten posts about. Just for fun, let me point out a couple of cool ideas here before getting into the real subject matter of this post. Starting in the foreground and working back:

• Old fashioned crystal door hardware… hot!
• Using mounted accessories such as a coat hook and a thoothbrush holder on a desk… smart!
• Painting or wallpapering the inside of that desk an accent color… sexy!
• Check out that door… it’s a good old fashioned Dutch Door… proof of mad skills!

But none of that is the real thing I want to look at. Let’s take a look at the beadboard wainscot and topping molding, which could be called a picture molding, a chair rail (not so much), a cap rail, or any other make-it-up-so-you-like-the-sound name.

How High Should Beadboard Go Up A Wall?

First, there are two answers. One applys to the low version, which is much more common. That’s the one where you see wainscot go up the wall about 1/3 and be capped by a proper chair rail.

I answered that question in detail at Remodeling Guy Answers (where you’re encouraged to ask your own questions)… here is the link: http://www.remodelingguy.net/answers/?p=61

Second, is when the beadboard paneling is covering a much larger portion of the wall and only leaving a small section of smooth wall surface showing at the top. This is what’s seen in this picture. The same tool applies to both options.

The Golden Ratio

I’ll refrain from a lengthy diatribe about the Golden Ratio and all the ways it proves that life was designed by a Master Architect. If you want to believe in mindless evolution of life and the world we see, be my guest, just don’t look too hard at the science which proves otherwise.

The Golden Ratio is a naturally occuring mathematical formula that essentially dictates what looks right to most people. You can start learning about it at Wikipedia if you’re so inclined.

But if you want to know how high to run your paneling up the wall, you can use the Golden Ratio as a guide. Here are the exact numbers using the Golden Ratio Calculator:

Wall Height —- Low Wall Wainscot —- High Wall Wainscot

96″ —- 37″ —- 59″

120″ —- 46″ —- 74″

Adjust To Taste

Here’s the thing… there are no exact right answers. If you apply the Golden Ratio as a guide it can help you, but as a steadfast rule it might steer you wrong.

What if your walls are 12′ tall, should your chair rail be over 4′ high? No. It would look ridiculous. I usually won’t take a chair rail above 42″ no matter how tall the wall is.

Another example is the photo above which looks like an 8′ tall room. (I figure that based on the roof overhang visible outside) The paneling goes higher than 59″, but not by much. It looks to me that it’s about 64″ above the floor. (you can assume that the door is 80″)

Like I said, it’s a guide. I hope it’s useful for you. I’d love to hear your thoughts on how high chair rail or wainscot paneling should go. I’ve been running a survey on this monumental question for awhile now and I could use more input!

~RG

When you look at this bathroom, what do you see?

• Beautiful Open Shelves?
• Gorgeous beadboard walls?
• An open ceiling that exudes authenticity?
• Refined and inviting paneling on the tub surround?

Yes, yes, yes, yes… all of these and more are there. All combining to create one awesome bathroom you want to spend a little extra time in.

Do you know what I see, besides all of that? I see wood . Lots and lots of wood.

Wood Is A DIYer’s Best Friend

Beautiful. Easy. Very forgiving. These are just a few of the reasons I love working with wood.

• Don’t know how to finish drywall? Consider wood paneling.
• Don’t know how to cut and install tile flooring? What about a wood floor? (see photo again)
• New granite counters rocking your budget? Think about all the furniture you’ve had with a wood top surface!

There are four basic concepts to master when working with wood.

1. You have to learn to measure and cut right.
2. Learning to shape wood adds design flexibility and pizzazz.
3. Nailing, Screwing, and Gluing are an art unto themselves.
4. Ye must finish well. Paint, Stain, Varnish, etc. (and, argh, sanding!)

If that sounds like a whole lot, fear not. Baby steps. The first step is clear.

Master The Saw…Master Your Destiny

The average tool shed has 43,000 indispensable tools (rough guesstimate). Of those, only a few hold within them the truly sublime power to change your life and they all share the same name, with a few variations.

• Table Saw
• Circular Saw
• Reciprocating Saw
• Miter Saw
• Jig Saw

Master these. Make them, as you would a fine musical instrument, an extension of your very soul and you will find true joy in your life. Add a decent air nailer and it just doesn’t get any better.

I post pictures and write about these type projects all the time, so I’d love for you to get my blog posts in your email or Google Reader. You can subscribe to RG in an RSS reader by clicking here, or you can get posts sent straight to your inbox, right here.

Happy Remodeling!

~ RG

If you’re looking for a simple weekend project and you need a place to put all those awesome pictures you’ve been collecting over the years, look no further:

This simple shelf can be made with very few tools. In fact, most home centers such as Home Depot and Lowe’s will cut boards to length, which leaves you really only needing a decent cordless screwdriver or drill, some sandpaper, and a paintbrush.

The details are given at: http://ana-white.com/2010/10/ten-dollar-ledges.html

Looking For a bit more Umph?

Check out my post that details how to build an awesome coat hanger wall shelf.

Everybody has a claim to fame. Sometimes they change, and I hope mine does, but here’s what it was back in the old days: I was the guy who could figure out how to add a second floor onto any house, even after other contractors said it couldn’t be done.

There were usually two issues. The first was support and foundation. It was too expensive to augment the existing footings to support a two-story. (I shared the secret solution to that here)

"Winders" Can Make an Impossible Staircase Possible!

The second, sometimes harder to solve, problem was the stairs. Often, the existing house just didn’t have a decent place to put the stairs. Building codes have strict standards on the width of risers and treads.

Riser: The part of a set of stairs that you see facing you when you look at the steps from the ground floor. Often painted, these are the boards that fill the space between each step. “Open Stairs” have no risers, but the code applies as-if one was there.

Tread: You guessed it, the part of the stair you tread upon. The step.

The code is kind of complicated so that it can cover all sorts of circumstances, but a classic stair configuration is a 7/11 stair. 7″ risers and 11″ treads. In my neck of the woods, the rule-of-thumb was this “two risers and one tread should add-up to between 24 and 25 inches”

This staircase has open risers. It looks great, but is too steep and too narrow for most building codes.

Width requirements are also an issue. The one that can stump even brilliant designers sometimes (or so I’ve heard) is the headroom requirement. I still remember my shock and fear after the stairs were installed on one job and, as I descended them, I looked straight ahead at a huge beam. I barely cleared it. A guy an inch taller would hit his head on the way down. (time for the beam relocation plan)

So what’s the secret? Unfortunately there isn’t really one secret. The design of the second floor structure is the key, but one of the tricks I learned to use frequently was “The Winder”.

Winder Steps Shorten Overall Staircase Length

There are often times when you want the bottom of the stairs and the top of the stairs to be in different directions. This is usually accomplished by having a lower section of stairs that climb to a landing, then having an upper section that climbs to the second floor.

These winders would meet many codes, but some (like Florida) wouldn't allow the winders steps to come to a point.

Sometimes there is a full 180 degree turn at the landing, but the most common configuration is a 90 degree turn at the landing. This requires a smaller landing and allows the stairs to live in a corner.

Winders are steps that are “in” the landing. More accurately, they are in the place where the landing would be if you had one.

The advantage is that you gain “rise” in a space that otherwise would remain at one level. This shortens the overall staircase length and can greatly increase design flexibility. Like big time.

Check Codes For Minimum Tread Depth

This is a typical winder installation in lieu of a landing.

One of the dangers in designing stairs with winders is that in some building code jurisdictions (I work in Florida and this is the case here), there is a minimum depth a winder can be. So you can’t install a pie-shaped or triangular step that runs all the way to a point in the corner, you have to design it so that the narrowest portion of the winder is at least the minimum. I think it is 5″ here, counting the nosing. (the nosing is the part of the stair tread that sticks out past the riser below, often rounded, and is included in the measurement of a tread)

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There you have it! On the off chance your weekend includes designing a staircase in a tight spot, you’re all set.

In any case, I hope you enjoyed the pictures!

- RG

The pictures for this post were found in a few places:

If you’re building a new room addition or a whole new house you might want to check into the product shown in this short video.  It’s really pretty good stuff and takes no additional work if you’re putting plywood sheathing on anyway.  (probably wouldn’t be worth tearing the old plywood off in a re-roof)

I promise not to go all video on you here… I know that the absence of my witty written word would be a true loss to society at-large. But alas, I have a new video camera and just had to give it a whirl! Maybe a new niche?

If I’ve left you with questions (about how to build a niche) let me know in the comments!

~ RG

Earlier this week I was looking for pictures of partially enclosed outdoor showers, and my favorite one in that post was at a Four Seasons in Hawaii. While I was checking out that Four Seasons website, I found this picture and I thought it was an idea worth sharing.

Take a look at that ceiling. You can do that! You may not be able to get that shape if you don’t already have it, but you can get that open beam look and you can put some natural fiber fabric or wallpaper on the ceiling to get that tropical feel.

It’s nowhere near as hard as it looks, but hard enough that I don’t want to try and explain it! All I can say is this: If you want to do this, just Google “wallpaper on the ceiling”, “fabric on the ceiling”, etc., and you’ll learn how to do that part. The wood itself is simple. I did a post awhile back on open beam ceilings to help get your ideas flowing.

5 almost great ways of using every nook and cranny for efficient and beautiful storage.

Here’s the deal — I live in a really small house.

If you’ve been to my blog before you know the story. We were going to add-on, life happened, budget flew out the window, addition plans change.

So I live in this small house of 1000 square feet with two growing boys, two dogs, a hedgehog, some lizards, and couple of tortoises…oh, I almost forgot… and one saint of a wife.

Living in a small house, I decided to click on a link in a newsletter from BHG.com that said “Add Storage to Every Room“.

The picture above is the second one I saw. I hate to be rude to the venerable BHG, but that is not great storage. The space under the TV is “alright” storage, but that closet isn’t even worth talking about (but they do). That’s not what I need. I need much better than that!

I Need Serious Storage Ideas For Small Spaces

Of Course, I already sort of have them (the ideas), but seeing that picture made me want to go see what I could find. I went on the hunt for great small space storage ideas. I mean great!

I have to tell you, not all hunts work out. I found some good ideas, but great? You tell me.

Here’s what I found:

Idea #1 – Build a corner bookcase.

I have a spot that we’re planning on building a corner seating unit (like a window seat) with bookcases above. I think it’s a good idea. This picture isn’t exactly my style, but it shows how much stuff can fit in a corner. (roomlust.blogspot)

Idea #2 – Put more storage under the beds.

I’m doing the boys room soon and it needs ultra storage efficiency, but it also has to look cool. This photo again, shows a great idea, but not the look I want. The storage under the floor might be a little farther than I want to go. (urbansardines.wordpress)

Idea #3 – Totally max out wall space in the living room.

I have to tell you, I was getting frustrated by this point. Yet another great idea, but just not my style. The idea of getting a whole ton of storage on the wall around our couch sounds like it ought to be part of the plan. (hgtv.com)

Idea #4 – Put the kids bed in the sky!

Finally, one I like. All this needs is a serious dose of color and we’d be looking good. I should have saved this one for the upcoming post on beadboard! Check it out. By putting the kids bed up high, tons of floor space is opened up.

They need less headroom than you think. We traveled all over in a motorhome where the kids bed was in about a 30″ tall space! They loved it. I’ll be incorporating this idea for sure. The lights on the wall…I think I’ll do that as well. (crookedbrains.net)

Idea #5 – Use Custom Built-Ins Often

I finally decided to just sneak in a picture of what I’m doing in our bedroom…to the furniture. Lots of custom built-in stuff. Kim says I have to get further along before I’m allowed to show pictures, but I snuck in a tiny corner just to give you an idea. Hopefully the little piece of pillow will give you a frame of refrence.

This is maximum use of space. See the door hinges? You can’t really get closer to the door than that! I’ll show you when it’s all done how I deal with the casing on the door. The space above the bed will get doors and there are built-in cabinets below the open shelves you see.

We’ll wrap it up and paint it all pretty within the next couple of months.

Do you have any great small storage space ideas or photos you would like to share? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

Hi Tim,

Your site has inspired me to install crown molding in my dining and living rooms. However, if I start and I like how it looks, I know I’ll want to do the whole main floor. Our house came with beautiful 4-1/2″ base molding and the ceiling just looks so bare. If I like my work, I may go on to doing trim molding around the bottom half of the dining room.

What equipment do I need? At what point is it cost effective to buy machinery for this? Can you recommend a book that shows different moldings up close so I can go to the hardware store and just point, asking whether they carry that? Can you give me an approximate cost on putting up a 6″ crown molding around a 12×15 room?
Thank you!
Mary

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Hi Mary,

I’m glad to hear you’re going to go for it on the crown molding! I know you won’t be dissappointed!

I’ll answer your questions one-by-one:

What equipment do I need?

Cutting The Crown

The toughest part of installing crown molding for most people is getting the cuts in the corner done right. The larger the crown, the harder that can be. There are books and websites that give you all the angles for cutting it flat on a smaller miter saw, but I’ll tell you, in my experience the job is much easier if you can cut the crown while holding it in the same position it will be installed at. Which means it won’t be laying flat.

This requires a miter saw, and for 5.25″ crown, you’ll need a 10″ miter saw. For larger crown, you’ll probably need a 12″ saw. If you’re only doing one room, it may be smart to rent the saw. If you plan to do the whole house, you might buy one.

Tip: if you live in a populated area, watch Craigslist.org for deals. People sell tools cheap sometimes! Believe me.

I found a video that does a good job of showing the idea of cutting crown molding.

Nail or Staple Gun

Crown molding is installed in a variety of ways depending on your wall surface and the size of your crown. Large crown, or crown molding installed on a hard wall such as plaster, will usually require some solid wood installed behind it (in the gap created by the angle) so that you can nail to that with finish nails. The point being that you can use huge ugly screws to install the support wood and get it firmly attached to the wall, then use tiny little nails for the crown.

Smaller crown is sometimes installed with a “crown stapler” which is an air tool that shoots long narrow staples. These are nice for drywall because they hold better than regular nails, but I really don’t like the wider hole they leave at the top. (which I have to finish)

My favorite form of attachment for crown on drywall is finish nails or brad nails, shot with an air nailer. In order to gain a better hold, I alternate the angle of the nails. They are often only hitting drywall, though I do mark framing locations and hit that when possible. Some installers don’t worry about hitting any framing and rely on the caulking to hold the crown in-place along with the nails. I try and hit wood in at least a few points along each piece.

Generally, longer nails are best for crown molding.

A Helper!

It’s a bear trying to do crown molding alone. They make tools for holding up the other end, and you can cut a board to length to use as a “deadman” to prop it up, but you’ll find the work to go much faster with two people.

Can you recommend a book that shows different moldings up close so I can go to the hardware store and just point, asking whether they carry that?

Amazon.com has books on crown molding, but I’ve never personally reviewed them. They look to be very helpful from what I can see.

If you dig a little using the site search, categories, or site map, you’ll find that I’ve got dozens of posts related to interior trim. They’ll be full of pictures and tid-bits of information. One in particular that comes to mind is Selecting Crown Molding – Sizes, Profiles, Options.

I would think that a picture would work for you in the store. If you can get someone to help you that knows anything at all, they should be able to look at the picture and see what profiles of mouldings are used.

Can you give me an approximate cost on putting up a 6″ crown molding around a 12×15 room?

Of course this depends on quite a number of factors such as your location, they type of wood your material is made of, and the uniqueness of the profile.

But sure, I’ll give you a ballpark. In my area, using standard materials, you’re looking at less than $100.00 worth for the crown, the nails, the caulking, and maybe even the paint.

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I hope this helps, and have fun with it! (a good radio is best for that!)

What is it about beadboard?

As a contractor for twenty years, I can’t recall ever hearing anyone say they don’t like it. At the same time I can remember hundreds of ooh’s and ah’s, gasps for breath, and near fainting when just the idea of beadboard was discussed! Not too many materials can claim such rarified status, especially not too many made, for the most part, of wood!

The bottom line is that beadboard just rocks, full-on! I love it, you love it, your spouse loves it, everybody loves it! (pretty much) We’re going to dedicate the next three installments of this ongoing series on all things related to wood paneling specifically to beadboard!

We’re going to start off with some serious photographic inspiration, because a clear vision is always the most important part of a great remodeling project! Let’s get to it!

Beadboard Pictures Galore

You’ve seen the people who can stand in a museum and look at a painting on a wall for hours. This is my Mona Lisa… I’m in awe of that cabinet, especially against that wall! cottage of stone

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Beautiful recylced tongue and groove beadboard: www.coastalliving.com

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Very water resistant, wood beadboard wall panels make a great wainscot in bathrooms. www.coastalliving.com

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Beadboard ceilings and wall paneling combine with amazing window trim in this incredible bath. This photo shows a proper height when running up the wall higher. I’ve seen some pictures that are close to halfway, and that doesn’t look as nice. About 2/3. www.hgtv.com

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Beadboard makes great cabinet door panels…and I love the open shelves in this kitchen!

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A very common mistake, but still a misnomer, is to call this beadboard. It looks similar, but this is v-joint tongue & groove paneling.

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Running beadboard horizontally looks great and is much easier than you would think! If you use solid tongue and groove pine (or other solid wood) you can easily hang things like that rack with just a few screws. How cool is that?

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In the next installment we’re going to talk about the details of real solid wood tongue and groove beadboard, then after that we’ll get into the easier, and often just as pretty, beadboard panels.

If you have any pictures of beadboard work you’ve done or some great ones you’ve seen, I’d love to see them. You can always email me: tim@remodelingguy.net

If you want to subscribe to my blog to be sure not to miss the next parts of the series (we haven’t even gotten into flat panels and raised panels yet!), you can do that here: subscribe to Remodeling Guy

Previous Posts in RG’s Complete Guide to Wood Paneling:

Post#1: Introduction

Post#2: A brief look at various paneling types and options

Post #3: Board and Batten Wall Panels

Post #4: Tongue and Groove V-Joint (walls and ceilings)