Chair Rail Height Myths - Do’s and Don’ts

[@fineartlifestyling]

I read your article and now saw this video. Both are exceptionally well explained with reasonable common sense and historical evidence. Thank you! Such a great and informative short film.

[@StayPositive050]

I didn’t understand the chair rail is to make the room feel taller. The model behind you really does have that effect. It is so elegant. I don’t think 1/3 would ever have that effect, in any room of any height. Thank you for the video.

[@bighands69]

Your options are low rails or using wall panels. If you use a chair rail it can make the room look really small or unnatural.

[@ColeSpolaric]

Moral of the story, it's not a chair rail, go with what looks good

[@JonathanGrandt]

But it is. Don’t get too confused by one man’s opinion.

[@robertkane8187]

I'm not sure how any of this would make sense for me? My window stool is set at 30" from the floor and the center of my door rails (2 panel door) and handle set are at 36" from the floor. Therefore if I installed chair rail at 32" (8' ceiling) it would hit my window casing right on top of the window stool and approximately 1" below the bottom edge of the door panels center rail. I think in both cases it would make it look like you tragically missed your mark. if I install at 36", the chair rail will run horizontally through the center of all the door rails and centered with the door handles and give me at least a few inches of space between the top of my window stool and the bottom of the chair rail. Is installing the chair rail 4" higher than it should be really going to make the room look much shorter? Holding a piece of chair rail up on the wall at 36" still looks like a third to me (or close enough to not notice) and I've been a trim carpenter for decades. Oddly enough I've never had even one single customer ask me for chair rail or wainscot of any kind so I'm unfamiliar with the rules. Other than a 3 paneled door "most" paneled doors 2,4,5 etc. have the handle bore centered on one of the door rails usually around 36" give or take. I think it would look "unifying" if the chair rail was installed with the door rail/ handle set in mind. And paying attention to window stool/apron trim if you have it. I don't even know if this is a question or a comment anymore...🤔

[@CheeseBae]

In a normal-sized residential room, I use the rule of thirds. Set the rail at 1/3rd or 2/3rd the total height of the room, depending on what you want. 1/5th the height of the room is waaaaay too low in an 8 foot room. When I ask a layman where they'd like the chair rail set they instinctively place it at about 1/3 the height of the room. In a room with super tall ceilings you can get away with 1/5th.

[@CheeseBae]

Also, you want to keep in mind the proportions used in the classical orders are meant for the exterior of grand stone buildings! You don't have to follow the proportions exactly with interior wood finishes. In fact, carpenters have know and did that for ages. If you follow the classical proportions exactly in a normal residential interior they look waaaay too heavy.

[@bighands69]

@@CheeseBae Classical orders were used on smaller properties including villas. There is a scale for everything. Classic revival period or Neo classical is different because that tended to be used on grand country homes and large town houses. So there would have been town houses in say London that would have been narrow but tall but the rooms would still have a good size of floor but have a very high ceiling in some incidences up to 20 feet tall.

[@deniseisherwood6934]

I am considering a chair rail as a decorative feature in my dining room. My ceiling height is low - 90", What would be a good height to the top of the chair rail so it doesn't shrink the height of the room?

[@bighands69]

I think wall panelling would be a better option. A lot depends on the style of your home which I would think is probably post WW2 or a conversion done on an older property. Wall panels can be used on very low ceilings and was used in that fashion traditionally. SO you can find medieval low ceilings with wall panelling. Do not rush into anything it would be better to have nothing than to have something that is not just right.

[@rockytopwrangler2069]

...OOPS ,, used to be a finish carpenter many years ago, for many years,, installed miles of chair rail ,, at ...36" ... am I bad ?? .....lol..

[@HellenCW]

What if there’s a bunch of windowsills ar 36” in the room ? Is it ok to go below that ?

[@MrWookie1981]

Where do you place the chair rail or height of wainscot when the room has two significantly different heights such as an entry way with an open staircase? The open to above are could have 20 foot ceilings and the not open could have 9 foot ceilings. Do you go with the smaller height and add detail above independently?

[@Hakaze]

Nice to know!

[@Clark-Mills]

Editing a bit rough but the content was excellent.

[@victorbaker4585]

Thank you for the information. Yes, nonhuman flying saucers are real.

[@f.thomassimpson8496]

30-32 inches. They are just saved you 10 minutes of your life.

[@MotherFynest]

Is that the top or the bottom of the chair rail?

[@Hakaze]

Top

[@mh199987]

Wow this is wayyyy too low! To each their own!

[@amanberhe2201]

No, it is 1/3

[@CybekCusal]

Heighth? WTF is that? I'm so triggered rn.

[@markrice3019]

ja ja

[@WelshRabbit]

Me, too (ducking). For years, I used to say "heighth" as well until a client who was an "elocution coach" to some moderately big-name celebs got on my case and insisted that it rhymed with "tight, bite, and right." She also lectured me there's no coat in "wainscot." You can sleep on a cot but wear a coat. She said wainscot rhymes with "pot, sot, and got." As for the height wainscotting, at least I won't have to pull out my old dog-eared and annotated volumes of Andrea Palladio's "Four Books of Architecture" and Colen Campbell's "Vitruvius Britannicus."

[@chriscleave2173]

If you respond to this, please know I will be buried in all I thought I had done. 💀

[@stem6661]

Idgaf. I bought chairs that will be in my house. They keep scratching my wall. I'm putting the rail to protect the wall. It's function over fashion for me.

[@timothydillon6421]

1st world problems

[@kurtvonfricken6829]

It’s great to live in the United States. We can worry about such things.

[@bighands69]

If more countries copied the US they would have the same problems.