Chair rail.....

I have been itching to add chair rail somewhere in my house and I have been re-decorating my dining room lately so it was a perfect fit.  I don't have the "after" photos yet because I am still working on it but here's the chair rail photos.  This was actually a really easy project - definitely do-able during nap time.  :)  Give it a try!

First, measure and then measure again.  Start from a corner.  Cut your pieces and then tape them to the wall to make sure everything is fitting as it should. 






There are two trains of thought when it comes to placement of the chair rail on the wall.  The first is to place it 1/3 of the way up the wall.  The other is to place it at "chair height" thus the name "chair rail".  I went slightly above 1/3 of the wall - more in line with my chairs.  It is completely up to you though.  Tape it up and look at it for a while.  Nail the rail on with locking finish nails that are made for trim work.




 
 Here is the rail all cut and nailed up.  I wish I had a nail gun but I don't.  It would have been much faster that way.  Make sure you nail into the thickest part of the rail.  After it is up, go back and sink your nails in slightly. 
 
 







The next step is to fill the nail holes with caulk.  Then run a small bead of caulk along the top and bottom of the chair rail to make it seamless.  I like to go back with a damp cloth and wipe along the rail to take off the excess caulk. 





After the caulk is dry, tape off both sides of the rail and paint it. 










Don't leave the tape on very long.  As soon as you have it painted, pull it off.


 
There you have it.  The finished project.  As soon as I finish decorating the dining room, I will post pictures of that.  Chair rail is simple, easy and relatively inexpensive.  You can do it!