All the Trimmings
After buying all of the Colonial chair rail in New Hanover County, nursery for baby girl is finally starting to look like a room and not a hot mess— and with just three more weeks to go of the One Room Challenge, that is good news!
I was a little intimidated by this part of our nursery makeover project, but although it was time consuming, the installation was actually very easy. Also, I learned how to use a nail gun which was really fun and now my favorite tool!
We painted the lower & upper walls, added chair rail moulding and then used the same trim to create picture frame moulding with wallpaper inserts.
Installing Chair Rail Moulding
Supplies
Installing chair rail moulding is pretty simple if you have the right tools.
For this project you need:
nail gun (highly recommended)
pencil
Instructions
How high should chair rail be?
Chair rail typically runs about 32” above the floor, though this depends on how tall your ceilings are and what look you are going for. It is quite popular right now to install chair rail two thirds up the length of the wall and paint or wallpaper the upper third. We based our height off of our light switches so it would run just underneath of them and it worked perfectly (43” above the floor).
How to measure chair rail height
Once the height is determined, use your measuring tape to mark the desired height on the wall. Then using a 24” level as your line guide, draw a pencil line along the perimeter of the room (This step is essential for ensuring you don’t end up with sloped Fun House effect, unless of course that is what you are going for!)
Paint & Wallpaper Completed
3. Should you paint before or after installing chair rail moulding?
If you are planning to have two different finishes above and below your chair rail (let’s say, paint below and wallpaper above or two different paint colors), now is the time to do it. Use the pencil line as your guide and paint or wallpaper the upper and lower portions of the wall before moving on to the next step.
We used the natural wall break for our light switches to determine chair rail height
4. How to cut chair rail
Start in one corner and work your way around the room measuring each wall as you go to determine how much moulding you need. To create a smooth corner bend where the two chair rail pieces butt up against each other, use a miter box and hand saw to cut 45 degree angles where the corners meet. (I’ll be honest, my husband did this step for me because hand saws require more muscle and patience than I have at the moment!)
5. Use a nail gun to secure trim moulding
After your corner angles are ready, use painter’s tape to temporarily hold the moulding in place, following the pencil line you marked in step two. Use your nail gun to nail the moulding in place. I started with the ends and middle and then went back through to fix any gaps between the wall and railing along the rest of the trim board. (If your wood is bowed at all, you will need quite a few nails to avoid gapping.)
Mitered Corners with Rope Trim Detail
6. Fill in the Holes
Once all of your trim boards are tacked up, fill in the nail marks with a wood filler. (We ended up skipping this step because we added macrame rope trim to give the chair rail a coastal touch.)
7. Ta-Da!
That’s it! Your chair rail is installed and ready to be enjoyed!
If you complete your own DIY chair rail moulding project, send me your photos— I love seeing other projects!
And speaking of… be sure to check out the other One Room Challenge participants on the Weekly Update page or visit our sponsor Apartment Therapy for some excellent DIY articles and ideas!
Click here for my Amazon product list for this project. (I earn a small commission from sales that helps me keep this little blog up and running!)
Up next: Furniture Flipping— woot woot!
Until next time,
Lydia Fields, Seaside Styling & Organizing