Wainscoting Calculator
Enter a wall's length, the wainscot height, the stile and rail widths and the largest box you want, and get the picture-frame boxes, their clear width and the frame boards to buy, wall by wall.
Estimates for planning, not professional advice. Read the full notice.
Example: a twelve foot wall
6 frame boards
- Boxes 6 boxes
- Stiles 7 stiles
- Clear width of each box 20.5 in
Estimate for planning, from what you entered and the product data shown. Check product labels and your supplier before you buy.
Your project
Enter a size to see your total.
Each product is rounded up once for the whole project, so the total can be less than the items bought alone added together. A line counted from a cut layout (sheets, boards or tiles laid out piece by piece) is counted for each item and added.
Shopping list
| Item | Size | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| Frame boards (stiles and box rails) | frame boards | 6 |
| Base rail boards | base rail boards | 2 |
| Cap rail boards | cap rail boards | 2 |
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Worked example: a twelve foot wall
Show the working
- Width the stiles take: one more stile than boxes 7 stiles × 3 in = 21 in
- Wall left for boxes 12 ft − 21 in = 123 in
- Clear width of each box 123 in ÷ 6 boxes = 20.5 in
- Frame boards from stock: stiles and box rails, rounded up once per piece length 7 stiles = 6 frame boards
Assumptions
The figures behind the example. Sourced figures link to their source below; a default is a starting value to check against your label or supplier.
| Assumption | Value | Details and changes |
|---|---|---|
| Stile width | 3 in | |
| Default An example size. Check your label or supplier. | ||
| Base rail width | 5.5 in | |
| Default An example size. Check your label or supplier. | ||
| Cap rail width | 3.5 in | |
| Default An example size. Check your label or supplier. | ||
| Largest box width | 24 in | |
| Default Our assumption for the example; the layout keeps every box narrower than this. | ||
| Stock piece length | 96 in | |
| Default An example length. Check your label or supplier. | ||
Feet and inches, like 12' 6"
Frame parts for the example wall
Pieces, length and stock pieces for each part of the picture frame wainscoting on the example wall
| Part | Pieces | Length of each | Stock pieces |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stiles | 7 | 27 in | 3 |
| Box rails, top and bottom of each box | 12 | 20.5 in | 3 |
| Base rail | 1 | 144 in | 2 |
| Cap rail | 1 | 144 in | 2 |
Each part is cut from the stock length in the assumptions; pieces of the same length share stock.
Boxes by wall length
Boxes, stiles and clear box width for five wall lengths, with the same stiles and a largest box width
| Wall length | Boxes | Stiles | Clear box width |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft | 3 | 4 | 20 in |
| 8 ft | 4 | 5 | 20.25 in |
| 10 ft | 5 | 6 | 20.4 in |
| 12 ft | 6 | 7 | 20.5 in |
| 14 ft | 7 | 8 | 20.57 in |
Questions
How do I work out picture frame wainscoting boxes?
Lay a stile at each end and between the boxes, so the stiles are one more than the boxes. The calculator finds the fewest boxes whose clear width stays under your largest box and shows that width.
How high should the wainscoting be?
The height is yours to enter. The calculator makes no claim about a usual height; it takes the base and cap rails off it to get the stile length.
How is this different from board and batten?
Board and batten gives batten marks across a wall. This page lays out boxes between stiles and counts frame parts, so use the board and batten page when you want battens.