How to install decorative wall moulding?

Costevo

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to install decorative wall moulding (panel-style wainscoting) in my living room and bedroom and would really appreciate your advice on both trim selection and tool hire options.

Project details:

Walls are 2.6 m high, with the largest being 7.5 m wide, the other walls are 2-3 m wide each
I'll be doing rectangular panel moulding, including:
- Stacked panels (e.g. 3 on top, 3 on bottom)
- Large feature panels behind the TV and bed
The style is classic Parisian-inspired, painted tone-on-tone
We won’t be installing cornices

I’ve attached a photo of the actual living room and two inspiration images for context.

I’d appreciate your feedback on:

What timber to use: size/profile or anything relevant to consider (timber vs MDF, other profiles)
If pre-primed or paint-ready options are available
Whether Bunnings offer corner blocks or accessories to simplify installation

Tools:

We currently don’t have any tools, so I’d also like your guidance on:

Which tools you'd recommend for cutting, installing, and finishing the mouldings
Whether any of them are available for hire, such as:
- Mitre saw
- Brad nailer
- Laser level
- Workbench, etc.

Thanks so much for your help — looking forward to hearing your recommendations!

Best regards,

Steve

EricL

Hello @Costevo

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about installing wainscotting on your walls.

There are quite a number of timber mouldings available at the store and each of them come in their own unique profile. For example, the Porta 30x12mm 2.4m Panel Mould Clear Pine and the 15 x 11mm 2.4m Clear Pine Insert Mould are very similar to the sample image you've shown. But size and style are critical, and I therefore encourage you to come visit the store and look at the timber mouldings to give you a better idea of how they will present themselves when attached to your wall.

Some of the mouldings are pre-primed while others are raw timber, it all depends on which one you choose. In regards to the tools, most of the items you've mentioned are not for hire, but the purchase of such tools are very affordable. For example, the Mitre saw in the Ozito 1600W 210mm 8¼" Corded Compound Mitre Saw starts at $109. The Lasertec CX4DR Dot & Crossline Laser is $49 and the OZITO 18V Cordless 18GA Brad Finishing Nailer PXNGS-218 at $199. A Craftright Folding Metal Leg Saw Horse when combined with a flat piece of timber can be converted into a worktable.

If you 've not used any of these tools, you'll need time to learn their functions. This will take time which will eat into your rental time and therefore making it more expensive. But these tools you've mentioned are very commonly used for D.I.Y and I feel that it is a sound investment to have them in your D.I.Y tool box. You never know when your next project will require all four tools to be in use.

Here is a link for ideas and inspiration: 12 feature walls with wainscoting

Here are some discussions regarding wainscoting:

Let me call on our experienced members @HarrietArthur and @diy_hausdesigns for their recommendations.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

Costevo

Thanks a lot, Eric - We'll share the result