Wainscoting is a very popular choice when considering wall coatings, it has been popular for over one hundred years. Wainscoting is basically a type of paneling which is used to fix to the lower half of the walls inside your home. Wainscotting can be made from a number of different materials, including ceramic tiles, marble, wood, or even modern materials such as plastic. Wainscoting is any paneling which starts at the baseboard and goes up to the chair rail. The most popular material for this is wood, especially tongue and groove boards. Wainscoting can be virtually any height, but they are basically an extension of the baseboard. Baseboards commonly run up to eight inches high, most of these have a decorative top edge. Traditional wainscoting was popular in the 40's.Wainscoting traditionally went higher than it is popular today, these normally go as high as fifty four inches. This is not only used to decorate the area, but it is also used to protect the wall from damage. Taller wainscoting became popular in the middle of the nineteenth century. Traditional types use tongue and groove boards which are fixed to the wall with nails in order to hide the joints in the walls. You can also install higher levels of wainscot in your home, these became very fashionable in the dining room during the 1900's. The most popular material used for these during this time was material such as burlap or grass cloth. Most of these were rich vibrant colors.