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Do you have wainscoting in your home? How can you tell if you have wainscoting? Use our photos below to help you determine if the paneling in your home is wainscoting. Use the “one-third” rule to help you: If the paneling in your room features vertical, even panels and covers at least one-third of the wall, floor to ceiling, there is a good chance it is wainscoting. Conversely, if you’re adding wall panels to a room without wainscoting, make sure at least one-third of your wall is covered, starting from the floor up. Whether you go with traditional off-white or white wainscoting or choose a color that’s more bold, there are wainscoting styles for every space and design ethos. From hallways and living rooms to bedrooms and bathrooms, consider these gorgeous suggestions to help you find wainscoting color combinations that work for your home.
Spruce up your powder room with a coat of paint on the wainscoting. Hues like Natural Linen 966, shown here, bring warmth and charm to the space, letting dark cabinetry and fresh greenery take center stage instead. Other colors we love for powder room wainscoting include:
Even the classic white wainscoting needs freshening up sometimes. Give your bedroom paneling some much-deserved TLC with a soft white paint color, like Chantilly Lace OC-65, shown here. Other paint colors we love for traditional wainscoting include:
Upend traditional wainscoting design by pairing colorful wainscoting with a more neutral hue on the walls. Combinations to try include:
Invite happiness into your home with cheery entryway wainscoting ideas. Try one of these combinations to up the wow factor:
Upgrade your space and transform the oft-forgotten hallway with stunning wainscoting color combinations, like:
Add visual interest and personality to your dining room with elegant wainscoting color schemes. Try one of these to elevate the look of your walls with contrast and color:
A monochromatic color combination uses various tints and shades of the same color and is another popular design choice for wainscoting. Monochromatic color schemes for wainscoting we love include:
Draw the eye upward with a ceiling that calls attention to the unique features of your home. Using shiplap on your ceiling allows you to go much bolder with the other décor in the room and lighter with wainscoting, as seen here on the lower walls. Try one of these hues for a neutral ceiling look:
Your staircase presents a design opportunity, especially when it coincides with modern wainscoting. Make it stand out with pretty, neutral hues in a higher sheen that help to highlight the details that make your house a home. For a look like this one, try:
Common in older homes, traditional wainscoting typically consists of white or off-white painted paneling on the lower walls paired with a different color on the upper walls. In this sunny bedroom, traditional style wainscoting in a board and batten paneling mimics a headboard in bright Atrium White OC-145, contrasting the cheerful upper wall in Beacon Hill Damask HC-2, from our Historical Color Collection. Other traditional paint pairings we love include:
Wainscoting has its place in even the most modern of homes. Whether you’re looking for an energizing color combination or a sleek all-in-one look, try one of our contemporary wainscoting ideas to bring a fresh new look to any space.
If you want a more modern take on traditional wainscoting, try bolder, darker paint colors for a dose of drama. Here, wainscoting that reaches two-thirds of the way up the wall injects eye-catching color to this chic entryway in Cedar Mountains 706, a cool sage. Fresh Cloud White OC-130, on the upper wall, provides elegant contrast. Other deep-hued wainscoting paint combinations to try include:
Complement crisp white wainscoting with creative and colorful accent walls. We love to pair these stunning shades with White Wisp OC-54 wainscoting:
Give your powder room a pop with a bold wainscoting color and matching wallpaper. Coastal hues are a great choice for this kind of design style, as they exude an elegant look with a touch of color. Get started with one of these beachy hues:
No matter the design style you’re going for, painted wainscoting can help you set the mood in your space and deliver a dose of color when you need it. Follow our lead for wainscoting ideas and let us help you find the hue that’s perfect for your project.
Want to lend your neutral wainscoting a modern feel? Use an off-white with a warm gray cast, and pair with lots of gold hardware, as seen in this farmhouse kitchen, featuring perennial homeowner and interior designer favorite Revere Pewter HC-172. Other favorites for your modern wainscoting color scheme include:
Blue paint colors remain a favorite among homeowners, and with good reason: it can pretty much be used anywhere, even wainscoting. While our top-selling Hale Navy HC-154 is a phenomenal choice for blue wainscoting, you can use any shade you choose. Try one of these for a true blue design statement:
Pair green wainscoting and white-painted walls to give any space a dignified, refined elegance. Color combinations to try:
A versatile pink, like Fruit Shake 2088-60, shown here, on bathroom wainscoting will help start your day on a positive note and give you an oasis to relax in when you return. Other fun, fresh pinks we love include:
You don’t have to use a bold hue to add richness. Gray or neutral paint colors can weave a luxurious touch throughout your home. Try one of these hues in popular gathering spaces or entryways for an especially lush look.
Get back to nature with earthy brown paint colors. Rustic, and relaxing, brown tones are especially comforting in spaces where you’d love to find your Zen, like a bedroom or bathroom. Colors we love for brown wainscoting include:
For a modern take on monochrome, choose a deep jewel tone or black paint color for your wainscoting and use it throughout your space in different sheens. Hues we love for this include:
Add additional airiness to an already sunny space with fanciful wainscoting color combinations. By pairing pastel hues with bright white paint colors, you’ll have a welcoming, happy space for your family and friends to enjoy. Some light and bright wainscoting color combinations we love include:
If your space doesn't have wainscoting, why not create your own with feign-scoting? Use the power of paint to mimic the contrast that wainscoting provides in a space—without the traditional millwork.
Go bold with color combinations for maximum visual impact. Here, a stylish home office uses a grounding green hue on the lower wall with Cushing Green HC-125, and a brighter green on the upper wall in Crystalline AF-485. Looking for more color inspiration for “feign”-scoting? Pairing jewel tones with a softer hue can bring gentle drama to your space. Try:
Further the statement-making prowess of “feign”-scoting with a truly unexpected color combination, like this two-toned wall in Pink Punch 2006-50 and Rainforest Foliage 2040-10. Other bold “feign”-scoting combos we love are:
-Arianna Barone, Color & Design Expert
Choosing the best wainscoting paint color for your space can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Benjamin Moore’s Affinity® Collection takes the guesswork out of selecting color combinations, with 144 paint colors that have been expertly curated to mix and match seamlessly, resulting in beautiful results every time. Use color samples to help you narrow down your selections and find paint color combinations for wainscoting that you’ll love. As always, visit your locally owned Benjamin Moore Store for help with all your painting needs.
A. Wainscoting is a decorative wall molding that typically sits about a third of the way up the wall but can go higher depending on the overall look of the space. Initially, the function of wainscoting in historical homes was to protect walls from scuffs and marks. Elegantly painted wainscoting makes any room more appealing, especially when color is used to add contrast between the wainscoting and the wall above it.
A. While the size of wainscoting depends on your space and your personal preference, it is traditionally sized using the “rule of thirds,” meaning your wainscoting would be a third of the way up your wall.
A. When it comes to choosing paint color for wainscoting—or anywhere else in your home, really—there are no hard and fast rules about which hue to choose. Though most wainscoting is painted white or off-white, you can create a standout focal point in your home with more boldly painted wainscoting—make a statement with green, blue, or even a dramatic purple paint color.
A. Wainscoting shouldn’t affect how big or small your room appears; however, if you’re looking to impart an airy feel, try an off-white paint color. For a sleek, streamlined color flow, consider using the same color on the walls, wainscoting, trim, and doors. If you need help choosing colors for small spaces, you can find ideas and inspiration here.
A. Any room can have wainscoting! Painted wainscoting has a striking appeal in any room, especially when color is used to add contrast between the wainscoting and the wall above it.
From wainscoting to walls, cabinets to tables, this paint offers a hard, furniture-like finish.
Buy one or more color samples to help finalize your choice of color—and ensure peace of mind.
Use vibrant hues and stunning color combinations to upgrade any interior space.