{
  "id": "wainscoting",
  "version": "3aa2cf652f73",
  "status": "published",
  "name": "Wainscoting Calculator",
  "question": "How much wainscoting do I need?",
  "summary": "Wainscoting calculator: the wall area to panel from the wall length, openings and wainscot height, the 4 × 8 ft sheets or beadboard planks to buy, and the cap rail and baseboard trim.",
  "category": "construction",
  "subcategory": "materials",
  "url": "https://www.acalculator.org/construction/wainscoting-calculator",
  "markdown": "https://www.acalculator.org/construction/wainscoting-calculator.md",
  "kind": "function",
  "method": "Area = (wall length − openings) × height; sheets = area × (1 + waste) ÷ 32 ft², or boards = run ÷ board width × (1 + waste); trim pieces = run × (1 + waste) ÷ piece length; all rounded up.",
  "assumptions": [
    "Sheets are 4 × 8 ft (32 ft²); offcuts are reused where they fit, so sheets are counted by area.",
    "Boards are as tall as the wainscoting, one per board width along the run.",
    "Cap rail and baseboard each run the length of the wainscoting; buy the same number of baseboard pieces as cap rail pieces."
  ],
  "inputs": {
    "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
      "l": {
        "title": "Wall length",
        "description": "The length of all the walls to panel, added up.",
        "type": [
          "number",
          "string"
        ],
        "x-quantity": "length",
        "minimum": 0.001,
        "maximum": 10000
      },
      "o": {
        "title": "Doors and openings",
        "description": "The total width of doors and openings the wainscoting stops at.",
        "type": [
          "number",
          "string"
        ],
        "x-quantity": "length",
        "minimum": 0,
        "maximum": 10000
      },
      "h": {
        "title": "Wainscot height",
        "description": "How high the wainscoting goes, to the top of the cap rail.",
        "type": [
          "number",
          "string"
        ],
        "x-quantity": "length",
        "minimum": 0.001,
        "maximum": 10
      },
      "t": {
        "title": "Panels",
        "description": "Panels from 4 × 8 ft sheets, or tongue-and-groove boards (beadboard planks).",
        "type": "string",
        "enum": [
          "sheet",
          "board"
        ]
      },
      "bw": {
        "title": "Board face width",
        "description": "The width each board covers once fitted (its face, not counting the tongue).",
        "type": [
          "number",
          "string"
        ],
        "x-quantity": "length",
        "minimum": 0.001,
        "maximum": 1
      },
      "tl": {
        "title": "Trim piece length",
        "description": "The length of one piece of cap rail or baseboard as sold.",
        "type": [
          "number",
          "string"
        ],
        "x-quantity": "length",
        "minimum": 0.001,
        "maximum": 100
      },
      "x": {
        "title": "Waste",
        "description": "Extra for cuts and mistakes, in percent.",
        "type": "number",
        "x-unit": "percent",
        "minimum": 0,
        "maximum": 100
      },
      "p": {
        "title": "Price per sheet or board",
        "description": "The price of one sheet or board. Leave empty to skip the cost.",
        "type": "number",
        "x-unit": "USD",
        "minimum": 0,
        "maximum": 1000000
      }
    }
  },
  "outputs": {
    "panels": {
      "label": "Sheets or boards to buy",
      "description": "Sheets: area × (1 + waste) ÷ 32 ft². Boards: run ÷ board width × (1 + waste). Rounded up.",
      "format": "integer"
    },
    "area": {
      "label": "Wall area to panel",
      "description": "(Wall length − openings) × wainscot height.",
      "format": "quantity",
      "unit": "ft2"
    },
    "run": {
      "label": "Run of wainscoting",
      "description": "Wall length − openings: the length of cap rail and of baseboard.",
      "format": "quantity",
      "unit": "ft"
    },
    "trimPieces": {
      "label": "Cap rail pieces",
      "description": "Run × (1 + waste) ÷ trim piece length, rounded up; the same again for baseboard.",
      "format": "integer"
    },
    "kind": {
      "label": "Panel kind",
      "description": "Sheets or boards.",
      "format": "text"
    },
    "trimText": {
      "label": "Trim to buy",
      "description": "Cap rail pieces, and the same of baseboard.",
      "format": "text"
    },
    "cost": {
      "label": "Panel cost",
      "description": "Sheets or boards × the price.",
      "format": "money"
    }
  },
  "defaultAnswer": {
    "inputs": {
      "l": 12.192,
      "o": 0.9144000000000001,
      "h": 0.9144,
      "t": "sheet",
      "bw": 0.08889999999999999,
      "tl": 2.4384,
      "x": 10
    },
    "outputs": {
      "panels": 4,
      "area": 10.31223744,
      "run": 11.2776,
      "trimPieces": 6,
      "kind": "sheets",
      "trimText": "6 pieces each of cap rail and baseboard"
    },
    "text": "Buy 4 sheets for 111 ft² of wainscoting, and 6 pieces each of cap rail and baseboard."
  },
  "examples": [
    {
      "given": {
        "l": 12.192,
        "o": 0.9144000000000001,
        "h": 0.9144,
        "t": "sheet",
        "tl": 2.4384,
        "x": 10,
        "p": 40
      },
      "expect": {
        "area": 10.31223744,
        "panels": 4,
        "trimPieces": 6,
        "cost": 160
      },
      "source": "Wikipedia, Wainscoting (the lower part of the wall, roughly 3 to 4 ft), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wainscoting; Wikipedia, Plywood (sheets are most often 4 by 8 ft), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plywood (both retrieved 2026-10-03); hand calculation in content.mdx: (40 − 3) × 3 = 111 ft² × 1.1 = 122.1 ÷ 32 = 3.82, so 4 sheets; 37 × 1.1 = 40.7 ÷ 8 = 5.09, so 6 pieces",
      "tolerance": 1e-12
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "l": 3.6576000000000004,
        "h": 0.8128,
        "t": "board",
        "bw": 0.08889999999999999,
        "tl": 2.4384,
        "x": 10
      },
      "expect": {
        "panels": 46,
        "trimPieces": 2,
        "run": 3.6576000000000004
      },
      "source": "Wikipedia, Wainscoting (the lower part of the wall, roughly 3 to 4 ft), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wainscoting; Wikipedia, Plywood (sheets are most often 4 by 8 ft), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plywood (both retrieved 2026-10-03); hand calculation in content.mdx: 144 ÷ 3.5 = 41.14 × 1.1 = 45.26, so 46 boards",
      "tolerance": 1e-12
    },
    {
      "given": {
        "l": 9.7536,
        "h": 1.2191999999999998,
        "t": "sheet",
        "tl": 2.4384,
        "x": 0
      },
      "expect": {
        "panels": 4,
        "trimPieces": 4
      },
      "source": "Wikipedia, Wainscoting (the lower part of the wall, roughly 3 to 4 ft), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wainscoting; Wikipedia, Plywood (sheets are most often 4 by 8 ft), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plywood (both retrieved 2026-10-03); hand calculation in content.mdx: 128 ÷ 32 = 4 sheets exactly; 32 ÷ 8 = 4 pieces"
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    "Wikipedia, Wainscoting: the treatment of the lower part of the wall, roughly 3 to 4 ft (about a metre), retrieved 2026-10-03. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wainscoting",
    "Wikipedia, Plywood: the most commonly used sheets are 4 by 8 ft (1,220 × 2,440 mm), retrieved 2026-10-03. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plywood",
    "NIST Special Publication 811 (2008), Appendix B: 1 in = 0.0254 m and 1 ft = 0.3048 m exactly, retrieved 2026-10-03. https://www.nist.gov/pml/special-publication-811"
  ],
  "related": [
    "board-and-batten",
    "drywall",
    "paint"
  ],
  "changelog": []
}