Many people like to dress the walls above and below the chair rail differently. For example, you may wish to paint the sections of the wall different colors or wallpaper one section and paint the other, as shown above. You may also paint or stain the chair rail the same color or a different color as the background wall - it truly is versatile!

Traditionally installed to protect walls from chairs as they were moved away from the table, chair rails also provide both a decorative finish and a means to separate two different colors or finishes on a wall.

Generally installed at around 36 inches high, chair rail is very simple to install and can easily be handled by most homeowners. The material used is a strip of molding available at any home center. Simply match the style with that of either your crown molding or the overall style of your room.

Solution: You can install a chair rail to protect the wall and add a more polished look to your dining room.

Equipment list:

power or manual miter saw
level
stud finder
hammer
nail set
pencil
measuring tape
sliding T-bevel
paintbrush
drill
safety glasses

Chair railing is available in several different styles and is usually sold in lengths up to 16 feet.
Make a sketch of the room, and label each wall with the exact measurements. You can use this sketch when you make your cuts.

Place a chair against the wall, and hold a scrap piece of molding on the wall at the height at which the chair hits the wall. Mark a light line on the bottom edge of the molding, and then use a level to draw a level reference line around the wall.
Locate and mark the wall studs.
Prime and paint the molding.
Use a miter box to cut the molding to size. Most corners will require a 45-degree cut.

For wide or narrow corners, use a sliding T-bevel to determine the appropriate angle. After you determine the angle of the corner, divide the number in half for the angle at which you should cut the molding.

Before you begin cutting the molding, try cutting some test pieces and dry-fitting them in a corner to determine whether they will fit correctly. If the pieces don’t fit properly, adjust the settings on the miter saw, and try again.

Mark the stud locations on the molding. For larger molding, mark the top and bottom. Pre-drill pilot holes, and secure the molding to the wall with 6-penny finish nails. Leave a small portion of the nail head above the surface of the molding, and then use a nail set to recess the head below the surface.
Fill the nail holes with spackling compound or wood filler, and touch them up with paint if necessary.

Steps for Installing Crow Molding:-

Take measurements to get the linear footage needed to span the distance to be trimmed out. Add 10 percent to this figure for waste and mistakes.

Select the style and finish you want for your new crown molding. There are many shapes and sizes to choose from.

Pick a style that suits your decor and personal taste. The finish that you put on should be purchased and applied before you start any cutting and fitting.

Try to buy your trim in lengths that will need as few splices as possible. In some cases splices are unavoidable but the fewer there are the better the finished job will look.

Stain or paint to your satisfaction, allow it to dry thoroughly.

Doing trim work is easier and more accurate with a comfortable place to work. This should consist of a long bench set up at a comfortable height - this can be as simple as several long 2-by-4s laid out on top of saw horses. This will hold your miter saw (electric or manual) and support the trim as you work on it.

Cutting the needed angles for the corners of your trim is handled most accurately with a miter saw .

Set your work station where there is power readily accessible and plenty of light.

Working over your head is tiring and awkward - a solid working platform makes the work much safer and easier. Use a heavy plank and two sturdy sawhorses or rent scaffolding on wheels to use as a platform to stand on while installing the molding.

Chair rails is applied to a wall anywhere from 24 to 48 inches from the floor they are a beautiful accent to the room, running horizontally to form a wainscot look, while also protecting the wall from scuffs and dents from the backs of chairs.

Chair rail Molding can also be used as a Panel Molding to form panels on walls or ceilings. For larger Chair rails, use Casing with Backbands. Chair rail molding is available in MDF, Ultralite (lightweight MDF), Finger joint Pine (wood) and Polyurethane. All Chair Rail Moldings come primed.

Installing a wall sconce in kitchen, bath and hallway settings is a great way to provide general lighting and accent your current decor. Wall sconces come in a wide variety of styles and finishes, from traditional to contemporary.

You can add even greater functionality by installing a wall dimmer to control the lighting level from your new wall sconce. Wall dimmers are available in a wide range of decor colors and are easy to install. Match your new wall sconce lighting a LAMPS PLUS table lamp, floor lamp, or ceiling fixture.

Tongue-and-groove beadboard
Chair rail molding
Construction adhesive
Caulk and gun
Pry bar
Circular saw
Level
Tape measure

Measure up from the floor, mark the planned height for the wainscoting and extend the line around the entire area using a level.

Chair rails typically are between 32 and 36 inches above the floor, but you can adjust it if the height will be awkward with window frames.

Cut your first pre-finished tongue-and-groove panel to length. Apply a wavy line of construction adhesive along the back.

Position the board on the wall, align the top edge wit the level line and check that it’s plumb.

Apply pressure to the board with the butt of your hand to bond the boards with the wall.

Note: Wainscoting also can be installed with nails, but that requires locating studs, driving in nails and applying wood putty to the holes.

Repeat the process measuring and cutting the boards as you go to allow for uneven floors, and be sure to allow for a slight gap between each board for expansion in humid weather.

With the wainscoting complete, cut and adhere the chair rail to the wall along the upper edge of the beadboards and fill any gaps with caulk, and then paint or stain as desired.

Wainscoting will add warmth and elegance to any room in your home, and it will also protect your plasterboard walls from damage.

Our Crown Cornice — How We Install It

When choosing a moulding contractor, assume nothing, they are not all the same. Some do not apply the finishing touches like dap (caulking) required before painting. We meticulously dap where the crown meets the ceiling and walls. Other areas that would require dapping would be all inside and outside corners as well as butt joints (where two pieces are joined together).

All brad nails are 2″ (18 gauge) installed in pairs at 45 degrees approximately 16″ apart to ensure fastening into the studs. The nail heads are counter sunk into the moulding and are then sealed and can not be seen. A light sanding is then applied, and the moulding is now ready for it’s final coat of paint.

A Clean, No Mess, 1 day Installation

One of the advantages of MDF mouldings, unlike plaster, is that the walls and furniture do not have to be covered or draped. If your house is under construction, the cutting can be done anywhere. If however you are living in the house, we ALWAYS cut our wood outside, in the garage. The fine MDF dust would otherwise take days to completely vacuum out.
All wood, including MDF shrinks a little. To minimize the effect of this shrinkage, which causes unsightly cracks, Elite Mouldings installers use a specially formulated MDF glue, exclusive to us, on all our joints.

This virtually eliminates service repairs due to shrinkage

In addition, to avoid joints in the seams (which may not show up for up six mouths, we glue a back brace (see photo) behind ALL our seams. Which why we can offer our warranty. Bracing the back also allows us to make seams disappear.

The Right Glue is Everything

We don’t use either white or yellow wood working glue because both of these glues remain slightly flexible, even when they are fully cured. that means, in time, they allow the MDF wood fibers to slip a bit. Manufactures call this “creep”. The solution is to use glues that cure rock hard so that creep isn’t a problem.

Another thing to consider is that MDF is far more fibrous that solid wood and using water-based glues tends to cause “swelling” at the joints. The solvent base glues do not swell up the joints, allowing a virtually invisible seam

Click Here for more information of installing cornice

Crown moldings are supplied in 8 foot (2.4 m) lengths. They are made of primed polyurethane, have a density comparable to white pine, and accept any latex or oil-based paint finish.

We recommend the use of Designer Miter Blocks for all crown molding installations. Using the blocks eliminates the need to cut miters, match patterns, and to correct molding alignment at each joint. The External Miter Block can be used to create an elegant self return wherever it is necessary to end a run of crown molding such as when windows or doors extend to ceiling height.

Before applying adhesive to the pieces, it is best to cut and fit the entire room. Start by deciding where to place designer miter blocks. Add divider blocks to your layout so that the distance between any two blocks is less than a full length of molding.

For the best results, blocks and molding lengths should be fixed in place with an adhesive caulk as well as nails or screws into studs and joists. We recommend using a premium paintable, siliconized or super latex, latex adhesive caulk. It will fill any seams left between the molding and the wall or ceiling due to their unevenness and cleans up with water. One 10-1/2 fl oz (300 ml) tube of latex caulk is enough to install about 25 feet (7.6 m) of crown molding.

Complete the installation of all designer miter blocks first. This will allow you to cut molding lengths slightly long and spring each length into place snugly against the blocks. Caulk should be applied in a continuous 1/4″ (6 mm) bead around the edges on the top and back surfaces of each block. Fasten the blocks in place with two or more trim head drywall screws.

With molding lengths, apply caulk, again in a continuous 1/4″ (6 mm) bead, along both the wall and ceiling bedding surfaces of the crown molding. If the piece abuts blocks or other lengths of molding that are already fixed in place, apply an epoxy or polyurethane (PL) adhesive to the ends of the molding.

Spring the molding into place. Use trim head drywall screws to fasten it in place. Any remaining voids can be caulked. Excess caulk can be removed using a wet cloth.

To complete your installation, fill the screw or nail holes using a clean, wet putty knife and a sandable non-shrinking latex filler (spackling). Filled holes should be primed before painting for the best results.

Materials:

Beadboard paneling, Hammer, Finishing nails, Tape measure, Level, Circular saw, Primer, Acrylic paint, Paintbrushes, Cap molding, Shoe molding, Safety glasses, Miter saw, Nail set, Sandpaper

Before you start, acclimate the sheets to the environment where they will be installed for a minimum of 48 hours.

You should begin the installation in a corner. Loosely fit a panel against the edge of the adjacent wall and trim if necessary to make the sheet plumb.

Note: Apply a minimum 4 mil. vapor barrier under the beadboard paneling when installing on below-grade walls.

Leave an 1/8″ gap at the corners and around cutouts and door and window openings. Leave a 1/4″ gap at the top and the bottom of the wall for expansion.

Nail the panel into the wall studs, placing the nails 6″ apart and 3/8″ from the edge of the panel. Place nails 12″ apart at intermediate areas of the panel.

Note: When nailing the panel to the stud, use casing, finishing or paneling nails that allow a minimum of 1″ penetration into the wall stud. Use corrosion-resistant nails for protected outdoor applications.

Drive nails into the underlap of one panel and nail the overlap of the next panel separately. Continue the process until all the beadboard panels have been installed. And cover the corner and floor gaps with moldings .

Tip: Drive the nails flush with the underlap or use a nail set. For interior applications allow 1/32″ between panel edges for expansion. For exterior applications allow 1/8″.

Note: If cutting the panels with a circular saw or saber saw, cut the wood face down and sand or rasp the rough edges.

Give the beadboard a more finished look with a cap and shoe molding and apply primer to all surfaces.

Tip: Use a miter saw to cut the cap molding in the corners.

Lastly, apply two coats of acrylic paint and you’ll have attractive new walls that will last for years to come.

The Wood-Haven beadboard ceiling planks are designed with kitchens and baths in mind, because they can spruce up a stained ceiling or add architectural interest to a small space. “Choices in ceiling decor aren’t just limited to white gypsum drywall.

Cabinetry is an obvious showcase for beadboard’s charms. A number of manufacturers have added a bright, white door alongside darker glazes and finishes. The beadboard panel on the Nantucket door from Quality can be mixed with plain white door and panel styles for a more varied or contemporary look.Beadboard in the bath is a fitting counterpoint to the “luxury spa” trend. Traditional paneling imparts an unfussy appearance behind simple fixtures.