Lay out wainscoting panels around doors, windows and outlets

Enter your wall, the chair rail height and what is on the wall. Get equal panel frames below the rail, a scale drawing with every measurement, and a cut list. Free, no sign-up, nothing uploaded.

Wall

Frames

Doors, windows, outlets

Measure to the outside of the trim or cover plate. “From left” is from the left wall corner.

  • Door
  • Outlet

3 frames · 12 cuts · 23.3 linear ft

128" × 18 1/2"228" × 18 1/2"328" × 18 1/2"DoorWall 144" wide × 96" high4"32"36"64"68"96"Mark these distances from the left corner9 1/2"28"

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Cut list

Lengths are the long (outside) edge of each piece, with 45° miters on both ends.

QtyLength
6 ×28"
6 ×18 1/2"

Total 23.3 linear ft. Buy at least 4 boards of 96", plus one spare for miscuts.

Frame positions

Outside edges, measured from the left corner and the floor.

#WidthHeightFrom leftFrom floor
128"18 1/2"4"9 1/2"
228"18 1/2"36"9 1/2"
328"18 1/2"68"9 1/2"

How the layout is worked out

  1. Frames sit between the baseboard and the chair rail, with the same gap on all four sides.
  2. Doors, and windows that drop below the rail, split the wall into sections. Each section gets as many equal frames as it takes to land closest to your target width.
  3. A short frame is added under a low window, lined up with its trim.
  4. If the molding would run across an outlet plate, the frame count is changed until the plate sits clear. If nothing works, the plate is marked in red.

Before you cut

  • Measure the wall in two places. Walls are rarely square, so use the smaller number.
  • Measure doors and windows to the outside edge of the casing, not the opening.
  • Mark the layout on the wall with a level and painter’s tape, and step back before nailing.
  • Cut the longest pieces first so a miscut can be reused for a shorter one.

Questions

How high should wainscoting be?
A common rule is about one third of the wall height, which puts the top of the chair rail around 32 to 36 inches on an 8 foot wall. Taller treatments at about two thirds of the wall also work. Avoid the halfway point, which tends to make a room look cut in two.
How wide should wainscoting panels be?
There is no fixed size. Panels usually look best when they are wider than they are tall or clearly taller than wide, and equal across each stretch of wall. Enter a target width and the calculator adjusts it so the frames fit evenly.
How are the cut lengths measured?
Each frame needs two pieces at the frame width and two at the frame height. The cut list gives the long, outside edge of every piece, assuming a 45 degree miter on both ends.
What do I do when an outlet or light switch lands on the trim?
The cleanest fix is to change the number of boards or frames so the plate sits in open wall. The calculator tries this automatically. If no layout clears the plate it is flagged in red, and your options are to change the spacing, move the box, or notch the trim around the plate.
Is my layout saved or uploaded?
No. Everything is calculated in your browser. Print the page or save it as a PDF to keep a copy.

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