How to remove wainscoting?
Question:i have wainscoting in my kitchen and i wanted to remove it or strip the paint and stain it, which would be easier and how do you remove wainscoting?
Answers:
I have installed wainscoting in my current and prior house. There is a company called New England Classic (do a web search) that makes wainscoting. You can fax them a sketch of their room, and they will send you a plan, the pieces that you need to buy and a drawing of where you need to install each piece. Beware, there is a fair amount of skill needed to install wainscoting, because you need to cut around windows, vents, electrical outlets, etc. The cost for materials is about $1500-2000 for a 12' x 12' room.
The instructions call for installing some of the pieces using construction adhesive and other pieces (e.g. rails and caps) by nailing them into the studs. Chances are that you will need to repair the walls if you decide to remove the pieces. Also, you likely will not be able to remove the old pieces, sand them down and replace them. The reason is that you will need to pry them off, which will likely damage some of the pieces. It may be hard to match the profile of the pieces you are removing, particularly if you don't have any scrap pieces. Also, you may find that the wood is not stain grade, or it may even be a composite material, because stain grade costs a lot more.
Bottom line...learn to like it as it is...maybe paint it to your liking. If you don't like it, then try to remove and sand some, but be prepared for having to replace, remove it all and have to patch up your walls. Good luck!
It's just wood so you can pull it off. You don't know however what the wall will look like underneath, if they glued it up you will probably damage the sheetrock. Striping the paint will do you no good if the wood isn't "stain grade" Are there a lot of knots and holes in the wood? If so it will look like crap if you stain it. Good luck!
If it's naild on and it's "real" wood and NOT paneling, get a "flat" crowbar/prybar and a hammer, find a seam and start from the top.
After it's all off, take it to a commercail furniture stripper and have them dip it in their tank. This is easier & faster than you doing the stripping.
After they're done and the wainscoating is dry, you will have to sand the waincoating, as the stripping will raise the wood grain.
the easiest would be to replace it with new. if you use the old, pull the nails from the back using channle-locks.
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