How can I make a bamboo wainscot for a room in my house?

Half rounds are best. The most efficient size is 1.5" diameter. Smaller is more time consuming and you need more material. Larger diameters get pricy because the cost goes up by the square of diameter.



To finish the top of the wainscotting, you have several options. You can cut the bamboo so that there is a node and septum at the top and do nothing. You can use a piece of wood molding with a groove that just caputures the half-round (in the case of the 1.5" dia the grove would be only .75" deep and easily done with a router.) You can use another half round and place it horizontally over the vertical tops.



If you go the molding route you can use a piece of molding at the bottom and hence capture the half rounds at top and bottom and use no fasteners on the vertical half rounds at all. There may be an occasional loose one that is a little smaller. You can foam it in place or shim it with a piece of shingle that is below/within the molding and out of sight.