What are Chair Rails?
There are some decorative details in modern homes which originally served a non-decorative purpose, such as the horizontal strips of molding known as chair rails. Chair rails, or chair rail molding, runs along the interior walls of many rooms, especially dining rooms, kitchens and other areas where chairs are commonly placed. The original purpose of chair rails was to prevent the backs of standard chair from damaging plaster walls. Chair rails are often used in conjunction with another once functional but now largely decorative detail known as wainscoting. Wainscoting features large panels installed over the lower section of a wall, with chair rail molding positioned between 24 and 48 inches above the ground for additional protection and visual interest. Some homeowners now install chair rails by themselves without the wainscoting, then either leave the wall a single color or paint the lower section a darker color to simulate wainscoting. Installing chair rails is not the most difficul
