Design your wall wainscoting with decorative molding, then download a complete cutting list and installation plan as a PDF. Desktop: Click and drag to rotate, scroll to zoom, right-click to pan.
Mobile: Swipe to rotate, pinch to zoom, two-finger drag to pan.
Colours
Cutting List & Materials
Live Specifications
Total Molding Required 0.00 m
- Wall
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- Paneled Section
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- Layout
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- Panels
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- Molding
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- Distance to Ceiling
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- Skirting
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- Panel Fit
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How will I use this plan?
This calculator gives you the exact cutting list and a 3D preview of your wainscoting layout. Click Save Plan in the controls panel to download a PDF with every measurement, a step-by-step installation guide, and recommended suppliers for the materials.
Molding Details
Molding Width: the visible face of the profile that frames each panel. Common sizes range from 20 to 50 mm.
Molding Thickness: how far the profile protrudes from the wall surface. Typically 9 to 25 mm.
Mitered Corners: each panel frame has four pieces cut at 45° for clean joints.
Layout Notes
In Double row mode, the wall is split into a top and bottom row of panels separated by a divider gap. The Top : Bottom Ratio controls each row’s share of the available height.
Skirting Board
Length: 0.00 m
Height: 0.0 cm
Panel Molding
Total Length: 0.00 m
Width: 0 mm
Thickness: 0 mm
Per-Side Lengths
Horizontal: 0.00 m
Vertical: 0.00 m
Where to buy your materials
For decorative panel molding, adhesives and fixings, we recommend Wall Panels World. They stock 7 different molding profiles in multiple finishes.
Buy Panel MoldingCalculating wainscoting panel molding
Use this calculator for panel molding wainscoting: separate rectangles made from decorative molding, with 45 degree corners. Enter the wall size, row style, column count, molding width, skirting height, panel gap, floor margin, and row ratio. The plan gives the frame count, cut lengths, and total molding length.
If the wall uses flat vertical and horizontal strips instead of mitered picture-frame molding, use the shaker wall paneling layout calculator instead.
Set the molding width to the profile you actually plan to buy before judging the preview. A 25 mm profile and a 45 mm profile can make the same number of columns look completely different.
Measure the wall first
Measure the wall width near the skirting and again near the planned top line. If the numbers are slightly different, work from the smaller width and leave the adjustment at an outside edge.
Mark the top line with low-tack tape before you settle on the height. Check it from the doorway and from the main seat in the room. Then check sockets, switches, radiators, door casing, windowsills, picture rails, and furniture.
Keep one unit system in your notes. If your tape measure is imperial but the supplier lists metric molding, check the conversion with the centimeter and inch conversion calculator before ordering.
Single row, double row, and full height
The row style changes the whole job. A single row is quicker to mark out and install. A double row gives a more formal wall, but it doubles the number of frames and adds a divider line that must stay level. Full height work turns the wall into a main feature and needs more care around ceilings, coving, sockets, and switches.
Single row
Best for hallways, dining rooms, bedrooms, and lower-wall paneling where the skirting stays visible.
Double row
Good for taller rooms and feature walls. Plan extra time for repeated miters and a level divider gap.
Full height
Works when paneling is the main wall finish. Check ceiling lines and openings before committing.
Row ratio reference
For double-row wainscoting, the ratio controls how much of the available height goes to the upper row compared with the lower row. A taller upper row usually feels lighter. A taller lower row feels more traditional and heavier, especially with high skirting.
70 / 30
Upper panels dominate; lower panels act like a base.
Use for high ceilings or a formal dining-room look.
60 / 40
Balanced, with enough weight at the bottom.
Use as the safest first layout for most rooms.
50 / 50
More grid-like and modern.
Use when the wall is symmetrical and furniture is simple.
40 / 60
Lower row feels heavier and more anchored.
Use with high skirting, dado rails, or low furniture.
Pick columns around the room
Do not choose the column count from wall width alone. A centered bed, fireplace, mirror, radiator, console table, or doorway can decide whether odd or even columns look better.
Odd columns give one clear center panel. Even columns leave a center line between two panels. If a socket lands inside a frame line, change the column count, panel fit, or height before you plan any electrical move.
Windows add their own vertical lines. Glass size, frame size, sill width, and trim are different measurements. If you are also measuring glass, use the window film measurement calculator for that part so the numbers do not get mixed.
Order more than the exact total
The total length is the clean frame length before waste. Add extra for miter cuts, saw kerf, trimming, test pieces, and one or two bad cuts. For a plain single-row wall, 10% extra is a normal starting point. For double-row, full-height, alcoves, returns, or uneven walls, use 10% to 15%.
The percentage increase calculator can add 10% or 15% to the molding total. If the job also needs timber backing, blocking, or other boards, estimate that separately with the board foot material calculator.
Cut one frame first
Cut one complete frame and dry-fit it on the wall before batching the rest. If the miters do not close, fix the saw angle or the measured length before repeating the same error across the room.
Mark the top line, lower margin, divider line, column marks, and socket zones on the wall. Cut matching pieces together only after the test frame fits. Label repeated lengths by row and column.
Straight panel measurements do not cover curved walls, arched panels, or round feature frames. For curved trim, check the curve with a circumference and diameter calculator before cutting flexible molding.
