Norminn wrote:
I'm planning on putting in wainscoting in dining area, ......

Instructions I found somewhere mentioned using "spacers" on the
electrical receptacles to adjust for the panelling (1/4" thick). I
didn't find any at Lowes...is there another name for them? Hard to
find? Need electrician to install them?

You can use "electrical box extenders". They are cheap and they come in
various thicknesses, including 1/4 inch. Here is a link to Home Depot that
shows what they look like:

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/cata...l+box+extender .

You may have to buy longer electrical screws to re-attach the outlets if the
ones you have aren't long enough after you add on the additional 1/4 inch
box extenders.

That prompts another question...a few of the receptacles in the house
are loose, so that plugs slip out...can that be fixed or do we need to
replace them?

If different plugs fall out of the same outlets, the outlets should be
replaced. Got to http://YouTube.com and do a search for something like
"replace electrical outlet" and you'll see tons of videos that show how to
do it.