#ONE COLOR WALLS WITH CHAIR RAIL HOW TO#

Another pretty option is wallpaper either above or below the moulding. Dual Tonesįor some beautiful contrast, try painting your walls one color above the chair rail and a different color beneath the chair rail. Paired with WainscotingĬhair rail is often paired with wainscot beneath it paneling placed on the bottom exudes classicism.

#ONE COLOR WALLS WITH CHAIR RAIL HOW TO#

Here are some ideas of how to use chair rail in your home. This moulding is quite subtle and breaks up a wall to create texture in a room. There are many different ways to use chair rail to enhance the look of a space. Keep in mind that chair rail should never be at or above 36 inches in height. This keeps the look proportional for the room. For example, in rooms with 8-foot to 10-foot ceilings, the moulding should be placed 28 to 32 inches high. What Height Should Chair Rail Be Placed At?Ĭhair rail moulding should be placed approximately one-third of the way up the wall.

Many period homes have this combination, but it has its place in modern homes as well. Chair rail moulding is commonly paired with wainscot paneling for a unified look. Wainscoting is wooden paneling that also wraps horizontally around a room to add more depth to a space. WainscotingĬhair rail is often confused with wainscoting, but the two are actually distinct styles of trim. A chair rail’s accompaniment, the wainscot, originated in the 16th century to keep out cold and damp weather. Shakers installed pegs into chair rail moulding to hang chairs so they could sweep and mop around the dining room.Ĭhair rail actually traces its origins to Ancient Roman and Greek architecture, used solely for visual aesthetic purposes to divide the wall into pleasing proportions. This is where the moulding got its name, since wall damage was typically caused by the back of a chair. Chair rails would protect the walls from any moving furniture to prevent it from hitting against the wall. Historically, this moulding was used as a protective barrier in high traffic areas. Today, chair rail is a decorative element, adding a lot of character and charm to a room, but in the past its use was mainly functional. They are commonly seen in dining rooms, living rooms, hallways, mudrooms and stairwells. Classic and sophisticated, these mouldings are found in most old-fashioned, century homes. Typically, chair rail is between 2 – 3 inches thick, measured from top to bottom, making it one of the skinnier types of mouldings.Ĭhair rail is very clean cut and streamlined for optimally straight proportions. It can be either painted or stained and finished. What Does Chair Rail Moulding Look Like?Ĭhair rail is a trim usually made from wood and horizontally attached to a wall, wrapping around the entire perimeter of a room.

In this article, we are going to cover the basics of chair rails, including their history, what they look like, and how they are used today. Chair rails are seen in both old and new homes. It will not overwhelm the room if anything, it unifies the space. Turn of the Century Millwork Cataloguesĭainty and timeless, chair rail moulding is always a wonderful addition to the home.Mouldings of the Georgian and Wren Period.Former President’s Homes and Government Buildings.Other Historic Houses of the Deep South.Historic Houses of Charleston, South Carolina.Historic Houses of New Orleans, Louisiana.Historic Houses of Natchez, Mississippi.Historic Houses of Williamsburg, Virginia.Historic Houses of the Western Reserve of Ohio.

One color walls with chair rail