17 Stunning Exterior Wainscoting Design Ideas

When people think of wainscoting, they tend to assume that it’s best for interiors only. This is not true! You can use wainscoting as a part of your exterior, too. It actually is a major trend among architects and real estate investors looking to modernize a home. Don’t believe it? Take a look at these ideas. 

1. Keep It Cabin-Y Exterior Wainscoting

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The most common way to add wainscoting to a home’s exterior is as part of a cabin. This gorgeous cabin uses natural-hued wainscoting to give the exterior a fully woodsy look. Admittedly, this cabin uses stone wainscoting rather than traditional wood. It still looks amazing and forest-friendly. 

2. Concrete Chic Wainscot Exterior Siding

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Poured concrete, or perhaps clay, is what makes the bottom portion of this modern home. This unique take on wainscoting proves that wainscoting can work wonders with a mid-century home. (And that color contrast? Oh, we’re all for it.)

3. Trailer Hiding Wainscoting

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Mobile home buyers know the mild embarrassment of having trailer equipment underneath their homes visible in broad daylight. It’s bad. Wainscoting can help hide it in a pinch and make your home look like a more traditional place to live.

4. As An Accent Panel Wainscoting

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A modern, million-dollar home is a great place to add wainscoting. However, most architects don’t use it as a “round the house” addition. Rather, they add it as an accent. You can find a stone wainscoting accent here. It adds to the overall look of the home, especially when it comes to the home’s dimension.

5. Bold Coloring Unique Wainscoting Office Building

Image Source: https://polebarnsdirect.com/

Want to have a barn that really stands out on your range? Wainscoting can help make it happen. This barn architect (or, “barnchitect”) used bold orange trim and wainscoting to create a fierce contrast that also makes the building easier to see in rough weather. 

6. Gone Rustic, Be Back Later

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Steel wainscoting is often derided as cheap or tacky, but this home’s exterior proves it can be quite beautiful. This material is a great choice for people who want to add a deeply rustic, Western touch to the outside of their home. 

7. Shingles And Steel

Image Source: https://loopnet.com/

When people think about wainscoting, the last thing people usually they usually think about is shingles. That belongs on the roof right? Not quite! This look actually helped unify the appearance of the home in a cute and quirky way. 

8. Mix It Up

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Rule number one of architecture: there are no rules. Here, we see not one, but two different types of wainscoting used around a home’s outside. This gives the home a more varied look that still remains rustic, but just a little less ordinary. 

9. Lighten Up

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Did you ever notice how many architects use wainscoting to deliver a darker splash of color around a home? This Southern architect was able to do the opposite. The lighter color of the wainscoting helps make the home look larger and more inviting. 

10. Keeping It Craftsman

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Craftsman homes are incredibly popular right now, and one of their key features is wainscoting. Wainscoting helps frame the home, giving it a handmade look that is focused on keeping things artisan. 

11. Framing A Garage

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Wainscoting can offer a gorgeous way to add a little “fence” around the exterior of any home, but did you know you can use that same material to help frame your garage. Here, we see the wainscoting add a frame to the garage by surrounding the door, all while continuing the pattern it had. 

12. Just Around The Pillars

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Wainscoting doesn’t have to stay around the side of the house to add a stylish flair. If you want to add a twist on this concept, just use wainscotting around pillars and support beams, the way that this home has it. 

13. Bricked Up

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During the middle of last century, architects would often “split” homes by adding wainscotting of one stone type to the bottom of a home, then adding bricks to the top. This remains a fairly popular choice in many parts of the country. 

14. Low-Profile

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Want to channel your inner McMansion? Check out this popular trend dating back to the 2000s that still remains hot today. A low-profile concrete wainscoting exterior helps make your home look structured without it looking too rustic or dated. 

15. Hidden Basements

Image Source: https://allurausa.com/

Can you see the wainscoting here? No? Well, this is one of the better wainscoting ideas for people who want to hide a basement or a garage on a hill. The wainscoting is stone, which blends into the hilly area that the back of the house is perched on. This makes the home look more level. 

16. Feeling Rusty

Image Source: Pinterest

Rare as it may be, rust can actually be a style choice. Or at least, faux rust can be a style choice. Here we see rusty wainscoting adding a pop of much-needed color to a modern home. The results are bound to elicit a “WOW!”

17. Inverted

Image Source: metalbuildinghomes.org

Most people assume that metal is a major wainscoting material, and it’s true. But, what happens if you have a metal building? It’s simple. You add stone wainscoting to add a little more curb appeal with a modern twist.