Pole Barn Wainscoting: Styles, Materials, and Cost

Pole barn wainscoting is that contrasting band of paneling around the bottom of a building’s walls, and it’s one of the simplest ways to make a pole barn look finished instead of plain. It’s part style and part function, protecting the most abuse-prone part of the wall while adding a sharp two-tone look. Here’s what to know about pole barn wainscoting styles, materials, and cost.

What Is Pole Barn Wainscoting?

Wainscoting is a band of siding, usually 3 to 4 feet tall, running along the base of the walls in a different color or material than the rest of the building. On a pole barn it does two jobs at once:

• Looks: a contrasting wainscot gives the building a designed, two-tone appearance that ties into your overall metal building colors.
• Protection: the lower wall takes the most abuse from mowers, gravel, splashback, and equipment, so a tougher or darker band down low hides wear and shrugs off dents.

Popular Wainscoting Styles

Wainscoting is mostly about color and material contrast. Common looks include:

• Dark base, light walls: a classic combination, like a charcoal or brown wainscot under white or tan walls.
• Stone or masonry look: a stone-textured wainscot for a higher-end, residential feel on barndominiums and shouses.
• Wood-grain wainscot: a barnwood or cedar-look band for warmth and character.
• Matching trim: tie the wainscot color to the roof or trim so the whole building reads as one design.

The two-tone look pairs especially well with a modern farmhouse barndominium or a monitor or gambrel style building.

Wainscoting Materials

Most pole barn wainscoting is simply steel panel in a second color, the same durable painted steel used on the rest of the building. That keeps it low-maintenance and long-lasting. For a more upscale look, some owners use stone veneer or a masonry base, which costs more but adds a lot of curb appeal to a home or barndominium.

What Pole Barn Wainscoting Costs

Steel wainscoting adds only a modest amount to a build, since it’s a second color of the same panel you’re already using. It’s one of the highest-impact, lowest-cost upgrades you can make to a pole barn’s appearance. Stone or masonry wainscot costs more, both in materials and labor. Either way, deciding during design is cheaper than adding it later.

Adding Wainscoting to Your Building

Because pole barn wainscoting is a color and panel choice, the best time to plan it is up front, when you’re choosing your building’s overall look. A builder can show you how different wainscot colors and heights play against your wall and roof colors on a pole barn, metal building, or barndominium.

Steel Structures America builds pole barns and metal buildings with wainscoting and custom color schemes across the Northwest and Intermountain West. Give us a call at (800) 833-9997 or request a free quote to design your look.