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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not Applicable 
       STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    The embodiments disclosed herein relate to a wainscot wall panel system. 
         [0004]    Prior art wainscot wall panel system utilize adhesive to mount a plurality of panels to the wall. In particular, a plurality of panels may be adhered to the wall. Unfortunately, utilizing adhesive to mount the panels to the wall prohibits or reduces the amount of air that can flow behind the panels. Moisture may be trapped behind the panels which may cause mold to grow behind the panels and also warp the panels due to the uneven humidity between the front and back sides of the panels. The mold problem is particularly important to resolve in buildings where people will reside for long periods of time such as hospitals and schools. 
         [0005]    Prior art wainscot wall panel systems have attempted to mount panels to the wall without adhesive. However, the prior art has utilized excessively thick panels of about ½″ or more. This has a detrimental visual effect on the wainscot. 
         [0006]    Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved wainscot wall panel system. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY 
       [0007]    The embodiments disclosed herein address the deficiencies discussed above, discussed below and those that are know in the art. 
         [0008]    A wainscoting panel system disclosed herein may comprise a plurality of panels arranged in series of stacked rows and columns. These panels are mounted to a wall with a plurality of horizontal joints, bottom joint and wainscot cap which are attached to the wall. Each of the joints and cap may have at least one channel that receives one or more panels to mechanically attach the panels to the wall. No adhesive is utilized to secure the panel(s) to the joints or the wall. Air is able to flow behind the panels and mitigate moisture buildup. Moreover, this beneficially reduces the chances of mold growth or warpage of the panels. 
         [0009]    The embodiments of the wainscot wall panel system disclosed herein are a clipless system. Clips are not attached to the back side of the panels. Moreover, the panels are relatively thin. For example, the panels may be about ¼″ thick phenolic yet still be sufficiently rigid. This minimizes the thickness of the wainscot wall panel system when installed on the wall and improves its aesthetic appeal. 
         [0010]    More particularly, a wainscoting panel system for a wall is disclosed. The system may comprise a plurality of panels and a plurality of vertical and horizontal joints. The plurality of rigid panels may have a thickness of about ¼″ or less. The plurality of vertical and horizontal joints may be attached to the wall to mount the panels to the wall as rows and columns of panels. The vertical and horizontal joints may have channels. A width of the channel may be equal to or greater than the thickness of the rigid panels so that the entire panel can be inserted into the channels for mounting the panels to the wall. 
         [0011]    The panels may be fabricated from an eco friendly material such as phenolic sheets or other suitable material. The panels may be rectangular but may also have other configurations (e.g., octagonal, hexagonal, pentagonal, circular, triangular, etc.). 
         [0012]    The horizontal joints may be configured as a bottom edge joint. The bottom edge joint has a base. A plurality of screws may be screwed into the base and the wall for attaching the bottom edge joint to the wall. The bottom edge joint may also have front and rear retaining walls which define the channel that receives the panel. 
         [0013]    The horizontal joint may also be configured in the following manner. The horizontal joint may include a horizontal wall clip and a horizontal guide. This horizontal joint may be disposed between two stacked rows of panels. The horizontal wall clip has a base and an upwardly directed groove. The horizontal guide has a downwardly directed tongue which is received into the upwardly directed groove for attaching the horizontal guide to the horizontal wall clip. The horizontal wall clip and the horizontal guide collectively define upper and lower channels for receiving upper and lower panels for the purposes of vertically stacking the panels. The upper and lower channels defined by the horizontal wall clip and the horizontal guide may have a width which is greater than or equal to the thickness of the panels so that the entire panel can be inserted into the channel. The tongues and grooves may be attached in the following manner. The tongue of the horizontal guide and the groove of the horizontal wall clip may have ribs. The tongue may be loosely fitted in the groove. Silicone may initially be disposed within the ribbed grooves. The tongue is then inserted into the groove. The silicone flows between the ribs of the tongue and groove. After the silicone is cured, the cured silicone holds the horizontal guide to the horizontal wall clip. The upper and lower channels defined by the horizontal wall clip and the horizontal guide have a width which is greater than or equal to the thickness of the panels. 
         [0014]    At the top of the wainscot of the stacked rows of panels, a wainscot cap may be attached to the uppermost row of panels. The wainscot cap may include a horizontal wall clip and an upper cap. The horizontal wall clip may have a base and an upwardly directed groove. The upper cap may have a downwardly directed tongue which is received into the upwardly directed groove. The horizontal wall clip and the upper cap collectively define a lower channel for receiving a lower panel to finish the wainscot panel system. The tongue of the upper cap and the groove of the horizontal wall clip may have ribs. The tongue is sized so as to be loosely fitted in the groove. Silicone may be disposed between the ribbed tongues and ribbed grooves to hold the upper cap to the horizontal wall clip after the silicone is cured as discussed herein. 
         [0015]    Additionally, a method for installing a wainscot panel system to a wall is disclosed. The method may comprise the steps of attaching a bottom edge joint to the wall; attaching a first horizontal wall clip to the wall above and parallel to the bottom edge joint; inserting a first row of panels into a channel of the bottom edge joint; attaching a first horizontal guide to the first horizontal wall clip and capturing the first row of panels in a lower channel defined by the first horizontal wall clip and the first horizontal guide; optionally, adding at least one more row of panels and horizontal wall clip; and attaching an upper cap to the uppermost horizontal wall clip and capturing the uppermost row of panels in a lower channel defined by the uppermost horizontal wall clip and the upper cap. 
         [0016]    In the method, the steps of attaching the first horizontal guide to the first horizontal wall clip and attaching the upper cap to the uppermost horizontal wall clip may include the steps of providing a ribbed groove on the horizontal wall clip and ribbed tongue on the horizontal guide and the upper cap, the ribbed tongue is loosely fitted to the ribbed groove; disposing silicone into a groove of the horizontal wall clip; inserting a tongue of the horizontal guide into the groove of the horizontal wall clip; flowing silicone between ribs of the protrusion and tongue; and curing the silicone. 
         [0017]    The method may further comprise the steps of providing a vertical joint defining lateral channels; and inserting vertical edges of adjacent panels into the lateral channels. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]    These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which: 
           [0019]      FIG. 1  is a plan view of a wainscot wall panel system; 
           [0020]      FIG. 1A  is a cross sectional view of a horizontal joint of the system shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 1B  is a cross sectional view of a vertical joint of the system shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 1C  is a cross sectional view of a bottom edge joint of the system shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0023]      FIG. 1D  is a cross sectional view of a wainscot cap of the system shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an outside corner of the wainscot wall panel system; 
           [0025]      FIG. 2A  is a top view of the outside corner shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0026]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the outside corner of the wainscot wall panel system; 
           [0027]      FIG. 3A  is a top view of the outside corner shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0028]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the outside corner of the wainscot wall panel system; 
           [0029]      FIG. 4A  is a top view of the outside corner shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0030]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an inside corner of the wainscot wall panel system; 
           [0031]      FIG. 5A  is a top view of the inside corner shown in  FIG. 5 ; 
           [0032]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the outside corner of the wainscot wall panel system; and 
           [0033]      FIG. 6A  is a top view of the outside corner shown in  FIG. 6 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0034]    Referring now to the drawings, a wainscoting wall panel system  10  is shown. The system  10  may be mounted to a wall  12  without utilizing glue or panel clips so that air is allowed to flow behind panels  14  of the system  10 . This prevents warping of the panels  14  due to uneven moisture levels between the front and backsides of the panels  14  and prevents mold growth due to moisture that might be trapped behind the panels  14 . Also, occupants will not be exposed to toxic adhesive as in prior art systems. More particularly, the system  10  comprises a plurality of horizontal and vertical joints  16 ,  18 . These horizontal and vertical joints  16 ,  18  have channels  20 ,  22  (see  FIGS. 1A ,  1 B) that receive the panels  14 . Since glue is not used in the channels, air is allowed to flow between the wall  12  and the panels  14  to the space behind the panels  14 . This is shown by airflow lines  24 . (see  FIGS. 1A and 1B ). The panels  14  may be fabricated from a thin rigid sheet material such as phenolic or other like material being generally rigid at a thickness of about ¼″. Preferably, the panels  14  are thin (e.g., ¼″ thick) to minimize the space taken up by the wainscot wall panel system  10 . Also, preferably, the panels  14  are fabricated from phenolic so that the panels  14  can still be sufficiently rigid even though a panels  14  are only a ¼″ thick. The wainscot wall panel system  10  provides for a mechanical attachment of the panel  14  to the wall  12  and not a chemical attachment such as with adhesive to reduce the amount of toxic material used in buildings. Moreover, the panels  14  are clip-less. 
         [0035]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 1C , an edge joint  26  along the bottom edge of the bottom most row of panels  14  is shown. The edge joint  26  is attached to the wall  12  with one or more screws  27 . The edge joint  26  may be an extruded part fabricated from aluminum or the like. The screws  27  may be attached to a base  90  of the edge joint  26 . The base  90  and the retaining wall  30  may be offset from each other so that the panel  14  is gapped or spaced away from the wall  12 . The gap between the panel  14  and the wall  12  may be about ⅛″. The edge joint  26  additionally has a leg  92  which further adds stability to the edge joint  26 . The leg  92  is supported by the wall  12 . The edge joint  26  has front and rear retaining walls  28 ,  30  which define a channel  32 . The channel  32  receives the panel  14 . The edge joint  26  is an extruded part and preferably runs the length of the width of one or more of the panels  14 . Preferably, the edge joint  26  runs the entire length of the bottom most row of panels  14 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . The edge joint  26  is preferably leveled horizontally and mounted closely adjacent to or abutting the ground  34 . After the edge joint  26  is mounted to the wall  12 , the panels  14  may be inserted into the channel  32 . The edge joint  26  additionally has a deflector  36  located above the channel  32  to guide the panel  14  into the channel  32 . The deflector  36  is curved inwardly so that the deflector  36  guides the panel  14  into the channel  32  despite any minor misalignment of the panel  14  to the channel  32 . The edge joint  26  additionally has a curved surface  94  which also helps to guide the panel  14  into channel  32  despite any minor misalignment of the panel  14  to the channel  32 . The channel  32  defines a width  96 . The panel  14  defines a thickness  98 . The panel  14  may have a snug or a loose fit within the channel  32 . In other words, the thickness  98  of the panel  14  may be equal to or slightly greater than the width  96  of the channel  32 . As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 1C , the front retaining wall  28  is exposed and visible and provides an aesthetic bottom trim to the bottom most row of panels  14 . 
         [0036]    After the bottom row of panels  14  is installed, the horizontal joint  16  is mounted to the upper edge of the bottom row of panels  14  as shown in  FIG. 1A . The horizontal joint  16  may include a horizontal wall clip  38  and a horizontal guide  42 . The horizontal wall clip  38  is attached to the wall  12  with one or more screws  27 . The horizontal wall clip  38  may also be an extruded part and run the entire width of the wainscot (i.e., the row of panels  14 ). One or more screws  27  are distributed along the length of the horizontal wall clip  38  and are used to attach the horizontal wall clip  38  to the wall  12 . In particular, the horizontal wall clip  38  defines a base  100 . The base  100  has a plurality of holes distributed along the length of the horizontal wall clip  38 . One or more screws  27  are inserted through the holes and secured to the wall  12  to attach the horizontal wall clip  38  to the wall  12 . The horizontal wall clip  38  and the horizontal guide  42  collectively define the lower groove  20 . In particular, the horizontal wall clip  38  has a retaining wall  102 . The horizontal guide  42  has a front retaining wall  104 . The retaining wall  102  of the horizontal wall clip  38  and the front retaining wall  104  of the horizontal guide  42  defines the lower channel  20 . The horizontal guide  42  also has front and rear retaining walls  104 ,  106  which define the upper channel  20 . The horizontal guide  42  is attached to the horizontal wall clip  38  by way of a tongue and groove connection. In particular, the horizontal wall clip  38  may have a ribbed groove  44 . The horizontal guide  42  may have a ribbed protrusion  46 . The ribbed protrusion  46  is narrower than the ribbed groove so that the ribbed protrusion  46  loosely fits within the ribbed groove  44 . To attach the ribbed protrusion  46  to the ribbed groove  44 , silicone is disposed in the ribbed groove  44 . When the ribbed protrusion  46  is inserted into the ribbed groove  44 , the silicone flows between the ribs of the protrusion  46  and groove  44 . After the silicone is cured, the silicone grabs the ribs of the protrusion  46  and groove  44  to hold the horizontal guide  42  and the horizontal wall clip  38  together. The upper channel  20  of the horizontal guide  42  receives an upper row of panels  14 . Additional horizontal joints  16  and panels  14  are stacked upon each other until the desired height of the wainscot has been achieved. 
         [0037]    The horizontal wall clip  38  may have features similar to the edge joint  26  described above. In particular, the horizontal wall clip  38  may have an inwardly turned deflector  40  which guides the wall panel  14  into the lower channel  20  to account for any misalignment between the panel  14  and the lower channel  20 . Moreover, the retaining wall  102  is offset from the base  100  so that the lower channel  20  may also be offset from the wall  12  and provides a gap between the wall  12  and the panel  14 . The upper groove  20  is vertically aligned with the lower groove  20  so that upper and lower panels  14  provide a flat facade of panels  14 . However, it is also contemplated that the upper and lower grooves  20  may be offset from each other so that the panels  14  can have a staggered effect. 
         [0038]    As each of the panels  14  in the row of panels  14  are mounted to the wall  12 , vertical joints  18  may be inserted between laterally adjacent panels  14 , as shown in  FIG. 1B . The vertical joints  18  have opposing vertical channels  22 . These opposing vertical channels  22  are formed by respective front and rear retaining walls  48 ,  50 . The front and rear retaining walls  48 ,  50  are sufficiently wide to receive the entire width of the panel  14 . The panels  14  fit snuggly to slightly loose within the channels  22  and do not form an air tight seal so that air is allowed to flow between the panels  14  and channels  22  and reach behind the panels  14 . The same is true for channels  20  and  32  discussed above. The panels  14  may have a snug fit with these channels  20 ,  32  and still allow air to flow between the panels  14  and the channels  20 ,  32  to reach behind the panels  14  to mitigate warping due to uneven moisture levels between the front and back sides of the panels  14 . 
         [0039]    The left and right most panels  14  may be fitted with the edge joint  26  in the same manner as discussed above in relation to the bottom edge of the bottom most row of panels  14  (see  FIG. 1C ). On the upper end of the wainscot, a wainscot cap  52  (see  FIG. 1D ) may finish the upper edge of the upper most row of panels  14 . The wainscot cap  52  may comprise the horizontal wall clip  38  and an upper cap  54  that finishes the upper edge of the top row of panels  14 . The horizontal wall clip  38  may be attached to the wall  12  as discussed above in relation to the horizontal joint  16 . The upper cap  54  may be attached to the horizontal wall clip  38  via a tongue and groove  60 ,  56  with silicone as discussed herein. The retaining wall  102  and the front retaining wall  58  collectively define channel  59  and receive the panel  14 . 
         [0040]    The left and/or right sides of the wainscot may terminate at a wall or midway on a wall. The panels  14  on the left or right sides may be finished with an edge joint similar to the bottom edge of the wainscot shown in  FIG. 1C . It is also contemplated that the wainscot may have other edge finishes such as when the wainscot turns an outer corner shown in  FIGS. 2-4A  or an inside corner shown in  FIGS. 5-6A . 
         [0041]    Referring now to  FIGS. 2 and 2A , the outside corner may connect two perpendicular walls  12 . Other angles are also contemplated. The outside corner may be protected by a corner guard  64  and cap  72 . The corner guard  64  may comprise two bases  66  which mount the corner guard  64  to the walls  12  with one or more screws  27 . The corner guard  64  may be an extruded part fabricated from aluminum or another similar material. The corner guard  64  may extend a height of one or more of the panels  14 . One or more screws  27  are attached along the height of the corner guard  64  on the two bases  66 . In the middle of the corner guard  64 , a ribbed groove  68  may be formed. The ribbed groove  68  may receive a ribbed protrusion  70  of the cap  72 . The ribbed protrusion  70  may be held within the ribbed groove  68  by lining the ribbed groove  68  with silicone and inserting the ribbed protrusion  70  therein. The silicone flows between the ribs of the protrusion  70  and the groove  68 . After the silicone is cured, the cap  72  is retained to the corner guard  64 . During use, personnel and equipment may bump and damage the cap  71 . When damaged, the cap  72  may be easily replaced. The protrusion  70  is pulled out of the groove  68 . The old silicone is cleaned out of the groove  68  and fresh new silicone is disposed in the groove  68 . A new cap  72  is then placed on the corner guard  64  by inserting the protrusion  70  of the cap  72  into the groove  68  of the corner guard  64 . The silicone is allowed to cure. The corner guard  64  may have end arms  86 . Nubs  88  on the end arms  86  may regulate lateral movement of the panels  14 . The ribbed groove  68  is formed with the end arms  86  and is aligned to the corner of the walls  12 . The corner guard  64  may have ledges  106  that support the panels  14  from being bowed inward when hit by pedestrians and equipment that may pass along the hallway in which the wainscot is installed. The ledges  106  are offset from the bases  66  to provide for the gap between the wall  12  and the panel  14 . Air is allowed to flow between the panels  14  and the corner guard  64  since glue or adhesive is not used to mount the panel  14 . This mitigates warping of the panel  14  due to uneven moisture levels between the front and backsides of the panel  14  and mold growth. Also, occupants of the building are exposed to less toxic materials. 
         [0042]    Other embodiments of the outside corner are also contemplated. By way of example and not limitation, referring to  FIGS. 3 and 3A , the outside corner is identical to the outside corner shown in  FIGS. 2 and 2A  except that the cap  72   a  has a different configuration. The cap  72   a  has a sharper corner compared to the cap  72  shown in  FIG. 2A . The third embodiment shown in  FIGS. 4 and 4A  does not have a cap  72 . Rather, the corner guard  64  has end arms  86  with nubs  88  that regulate the lateral position of the panels  14 . The panels  14  can slide laterally in channels  32 ,  20  and  59 . The end arms  86  limit the lateral movement of the panels  14 . 
         [0043]    Referring now to  FIGS. 5 and 5A , an inside corner is shown. The inside corner may have an inside corner guard  74  and an inside cap  78 . The inside corner guard  74  may have two bases  76  that are used to mount the inside corner guard  74  to the walls  12 . The inside corner guard  74  may be an extruded part fabricated from aluminum or a similar material. The two bases  76  may have a plurality of holes which are used to mount the inside corner guard  74  to the walls  12 . In particular, one or more screws  27  are inserted into the holes and used to attach the bases  76  of the inside corner guard  74  to the walls  12 . The panels  14  are disposed between the inside corner guard  74  and the inside cap  78 . To mount the inside cap  78  to the inside corner guard  74 , the inside corner guard  74  has a ribbed groove  80  which receives a ribbed protrusion  82  of the inside cap  78 . Silicone may be lined within the ribbed groove  80 . After the protrusion  82  is inserted into the groove  80 , the silicone flows between the ribs of the protrusion  82  and the groove  80 . After the silicone is cured, the inside cap  78  does not fall away from the inside corner guard  74 . If the inside cap  78  is damaged, personnel may remove the inside cap  78  by pulling the inside cap  78  and breaking the silicone bond between the protrusion  82  and the groove  80 . The inside corner guard  74  may additionally have ledges  106  which support the panels  14  to mitigate against inward bowing of the panels  14  in the event that the panels  14  are hit by a pedestrian or object. The ledges  106  are offset from the bases  76  to provide for a gap between the walls  12  and the panel  14 . 
         [0044]    Other embodiments of the inside corner are also contemplated. By way of example and not limitation, an alternate embodiment of the inside corner is shown in  FIGS. 6 and 6A . In particular, the inside corner guard  74   a  shown in  FIGS. 6 and 6A  does not have an inside cap  78 . Rather, the corner is exposed. The inside corner guard  74   a  may be attached to the wall as discussed above in relation to  FIGS. 5 and 5A . 
         [0045]    The edge joint  26 , horizontal joint  16  and the wainscot cap  52  may be leveled horizontally so that the stacked row of panels  14  are parallel to each other. The channels  32 ,  20  and  59  of the edge joint  26 , horizontal joint  16  and the wainscot cap  52  allow the panels  14  to be shifted to the left or right to vertically align the panels so that the panels may have a checker board pattern. The panels  14  may also be vertically offset from each other to provide for different patterns. One or more shims  108  may be used to level the depth of the panels  14 . As shown in the figures, one or more shims  108  may be disposed between the bases  90 ,  100 ,  66 ,  76  and the corresponding wall  12  to adjust the depth of the panel  14 , as needed or desired. The shims  108  may have a through hole through which the screws  27  are inserted. The shims  108  may be located directly underneath the screws  27 . 
         [0046]    The panels  14  may be fabricated from an eco friendly material such as phenolic which is wood chips held together by resin. Other materials are also contemplated so long as they can be self supporting and withstand impact at about a ¼″ thickness. The panels  14  may initially be provided in sheet form then cut to size. The panels  14  shown in the figures are shown as having identical thicknesses. However, it is also contemplated that panels  14  of different thicknesses may be mounted to the wall in different patterns to provide for a different aesthetic look. The panels  14  are also shown as being rectangular. However, it is also contemplated that the panels  14  may have other shapes such as octagonal, etc. so long as they have upper and lower ends that are parallel to each other and can be inserted into channels  32 ,  20  and  59 . Additionally, each of the panels  14  may be fabricated from different materials in a unique pattern to provide for a unique aesthetic look. 
         [0047]    The bottom edge joint  26  and the wainscot cap  52  are shown as extending across the entire row of panels  14 . The vertical edge joint  26  extends the entire height of the stacked rows of panels  14  and abuts against the bottom edge joint  26  and the wainscot cap  52 . The horizontal joint  16  is also shown as extending across the entire row of panels  14 . The end of the horizontal joint  16  abuts the vertical edge joint  26 . Vertical joints abut respective wainscot cap  52 , horizontal joint  16  and bottom edge joint  26 . Other configurations are also contemplated. By way of example and not limitation, the vertical edge joint  26  and the vertical joints  18  may extend along the entire height of stacked rows of panels  14  while the horizontal edge joint  26 , horizontal joint  16  and the wainscot cap  52  abut the vertical edge joint  26  and the vertical joints  18 . 
         [0048]    The edge joint  26 , horizontal wall clip  38 , horizontal guide  42 , upper cap  54 , vertical joint  18 , outside corner guard  64 ,  64   a,  cap  72 ,  72   a,  inside corner guard  74 ,  74   a  may be extruded out of aluminum or other suitable material. Other materials are also contemplated such as steel, plastic, etc. These components can be extruded in the shape shown and cut to length as the situation dictates or as desired. The components  38 ,  26 ,  64 ,  64   a,    74 ,  74   a  may be attached to the wall  12  with one or more screws  27 . These components  38 ,  26 ,  64 ,  64   a,    74 ,  74   a  may have a plurality of holes along their lengths. The screws  27  may be inserted into the holes and secured to the wall  12  to attach these components  38 ,  26 ,  64 ,  64   a,    74 ,  74   a  to the wall  12 . 
         [0049]    The system  10  described herein was described in relation to mounting of the system  10  to a vertical wall. However, it is also contemplated that the system  10  may be mounted to a wall oriented at a different angle such as skewed or horizontal (e.g., ceiling). 
         [0050]    The wainscot wall panel system  10  discussed herein does not utilize glue or adhesive to mount the panels  14  to the wall  12 . Rather, the panels  14  are received in channels  20 ,  22 ,  32  or  59 . Since glue is not utilized to mount the panel  14  in the channel  20 ,  22 ,  32  and  59 , air is allowed to seep through the backside of the panel  14 . This equalizes the moisture or humidity levels between the front side and the back side of panel  14  to mitigate warping of the panel. Also, mold growth is mitigated and less toxic material is utilized. 
         [0051]    The various embodiments disclosed herein include tongue and groove connections. However, it is also contemplated that the same embodiment may be modified so as to have an reverse configuration such as a groove and tongue connection. 
         [0052]    The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention disclosed herein, including various ways of forming the various extruded components. Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments.

Summary:
The wainscot wall panel system may comprise a plurality of panels which are mounted to a wall. The plurality of panels are mounted to the wall with a plurality of horizontal joints including but not limited to a bottom edge joint and a top edge joint and one or more intermediate or middle horizontal joints. Each of the joints are attached to the wall and used to mount the panel to the wall. In particular, the joints may have panels which mechanically receive the panels so that no adhesive or chemical attachment methods are necessary in order to mount the panels to the wall. This reduces the exposure of toxic chemicals to the occupants of the building and permits air to flow behind the panels, thereby mitigating the creation of mold.