Hi Suzanne
Great question! The most frequently used method of changing height, especially at a step or stairway transition on an outside corner is to create a vertical step down. Depending on the specific type of wainscot you’re using this can be tricky -especially if it involves creating a vertical miter on the outside corner.

Hi Lynne
I take it that you’re using the same color and the sheen is the only question. From your description, I’d use semi-gloss. Lately it seems the design aesthetic is getting away from using semi-gloss on large moldings like door and window casings and using semi gloss on small design elements. Like all such things there’s no hard-and-fast rule of course!

Thanks for posting all this useful information! We installed the chair rail with picture frame molding and it looks amazing. Now it’s time to paint everything and I’m not sure which finish I should use on the picture frame molding. The walls and molding have been primed. I painted the chair rail with a semi gloss and the walls will be an eggshell finish.What do I paint the picture frame molding with? Should it be a semi gloss or eggshell?

Hi Roy. This comes up all the time. I think you will find that the stiles on one wall don’t have to match the stiles on the other. But if that’s an important consideration for you, make the first panel after the inside corner as long as the hallway is wide.
This can become an issue if you have artwork frames to hang and you want them to be spaced to center on a panel or a stile.
Good luck with it!

Hi Jeanne. I can see why that might make the spacing seem too large. When I need to make decisions like this I often find it helps if I mock it up first. This can be as simple as using some blue tape to simulate the vertical lines in the corner.

Don’t cut drywall with a circular saw. That will create a ginormous amount of dust.