Chair Rail Design Ideas

This page contains some ideas for building chair rails by stacking 2 or more separate trim molding profiles to simulate historic designs and create new ones. Included are narrow and wide chair rails as well as designs for a display shelf and wainscoting cap.

Two–Piece Stacked Chair Rail

This chair rail design is easy to build by stacking a small, milled rail profile on top of a backer board. As an alternative two, one–piece baseboards or door casings can be used as the backer.

To install this profile the back board is nailed to the framing first. Use 2 to 2½in finishing nails to fasten it to the wall studs along the center, so the holes will be covered by the top molding piece. Nail the top piece to the backer board using shorter, 1 to 1½in nails.

Apply caulking where the two pieces of trim meet and fill the nail holes with painter's putty.

Three–Piece Chair Rail Design

This chair rail is built using a backer board, a stop bead profile and half–round bead molding. The half–round can be single pieces or simulated with a one–piece reed. This design, like most combination moldings, can be changed by using different trim profiles for one or all members.

To install this design, nail the backer board to the wall framing first and then assemble the stop bead and half–round using wood glue and nails. Use caulk and putty to finish the installation.

Victorian Chair Rail Design

The rounded finish on the back band and top molding used in this chair rail design creates a Victorian style trim.

To install this design the 1x4 is nail to the framing with 2 or 2½in nails. Shorter nails are then used to attach the back band and the half–round to the 1by. Caulk is used at the joints between the trim pieces and the nail holes are filled before painting.

Reed Chair Rail Design

This chair rail is built using a one–piece reed profile and 2 pieces of panel molding along the top and bottom edges.

The nails are driven at the top of the arch in the profile to make filling the holes easier and less noticeable in the finish. A thin coat of wood glue is used at to the contacting edges of the molding and nails are driven into the framing. Caulking shouldn't be needed between the trim pieces in this design.

Ledge Chair Rail Design

This design is created using a large piece of bullnose, a one–piece baseboard or door casing and a cove molding.

This profile can be installed flat against the wall, as a chair rail, or set out to cap wood wainscoting in a dining room or ceramic tile in a bathroom. A wider bullnose bead will probably be needed when covering thick materials. Install the baseboard first and then add the bead and cove.

Plate Rail Molding

This is similar to the design above but with a groove cut along the top of a large piece of back band to serve as as a stop for displaying decorative plates and similar tchotchkes. The tail of the profile is created using a large piece or rake mould.

Build this profile by nailing the rake to the framing and then setting the back band along the top. Nail the top piece into the lower piece using 2 or 2½in finishing nails. Caulk shouldn't be required at the molding joint but the nail holes should be filled before painting.