What is the difference between wainscoting and chair rail

Chair Rail Designs Chair rail comes in a variety of styles, widths, and profiles. Installing Chair Rail Chair rail is one of the easier home improvement accents to install. Measure the length of walls to be railed to determine how much chair railing is needed. Near the corner of each wall, you will need to measure from the floor up to the height at which the chair rail will be installed and make a mark.

Use a snap chalk line stretched along the wall between two corners at that height to mark the chair rail placement. A laser level can also be used to mark that line. Measure the length of the wall to be railed, and cut railing to that length. Use a stud finder to identify stud locations and be sure to nail into the studs when installing the chair rail. For a polished look, use finishing nails. When installing wide railing, use two nails per stud, making sure that they are nicely spaced one directly above the other.

If there are spaces where the wall is not perfectly flat, which creates a gap between the wall and the chair rail, or if you need to clean up a corner join, use painters caulk to fill in the gaps before painting the rail.

Check out the video below to learn more about preparing trim for installation. Take your home from ordinary to extraordinary Stop in one of our four showrooms to speak with our friendly and knowledgeable sales team. Call Concord Call Santa Clara Call South San Francisco Wainscoting is usually a complete piece of paneling usually wood. Either way, baseboard installation is the type of project a contractor should see in person before determining an accurate estimate. It's a tough job to ballpark over the phone.

It is best to paint the lighter or warmer color on the upper portion of the wall to create a more open feel to the room. The chair rail and other trim should be painted in a neutral or light complementary color. If the ceiling is 8 to 10 feet tall, opt for a chair rail that's approximately 3 to 4 inches wide. Select a chair railing that's 5 to 7 inches wide if your ceiling is taller than 10 feet.

A narrow chair rail may appear thin and indistinguishable in a room with vaulted ceilings. In a room with a foot-high ceiling, the chair rail should be 30 inches off the floor.

Although it's pretty widely accepted that a chair rail was, at times, used to protect the wall from chair damage in cramped dining rooms some say that Shaker chair rails were used to hang up dining chairs in order to sweep the floor.

Installing wainscoting may seem like a complex job, but DIY wainscoting is an approachable option for beginners. Search for:. What are chair rails? Where should a chair rail be positioned on a wall? What color should a chair rail be? What are picture rails? Helena, CA. Where do you install a picture rail? What color should a picture rail be? Above: A chair rail with a plate rail installed along the top, for displaying art. When it comes to wood paneling, one size does not fit all. But they do have some important differences.

The term wainscoting actually refers to a style of paneling rather than a specific material. In addition to wood wainscoting, tile and vinyl options are available. Wainscoting itself is commonly built using beadboard, with a strip of chair rail on top to create a cap. Now on to beadboard.