Are you easy-going in nature, considering and enjoying most things simplistic or is your personality more
complicated and hard to define? Chair rails also possess their own personality and can be well-suited to
any kind of home, depending on the type you choose.
Chair rails come in all shapes and sizes from ornate to simplistic and plain. There are chair rails for two-
toned walls and chair rails can be painted, stained or remain natural. Okay, so how do you determine
which chair rail is best for you and your home? Here are some tips that may help with your chair rail
decisions.
Victorian homes lend themselves to chair rails with intricate carvings and if you want to maintain the
authenticity of a craftsman style home, you should stick to straight lines or dental molding – trim that
has blocks shaped like teeth. However, if your home is of a traditional nature, you have the freedom to
choose from simple to elaborate chair rail designs…whatever most suits your taste.
When it comes to chair rails, the wood and finish you choose can also make a difference. Craftsman type
homes fare best with deep stains and dark cherries; whereas white or cream paint and oaks and cherry
woods best compliment more traditional homes.
You can also opt for molding that is a single piece of wood or stack two different moldings together –
like wainscoting under a thinner strip of trim – to add more character to your chair rail choice. This
combination type chair rail works well in traditional, country and even cottage style homes.
Whatever you choose, chair rails can enhance your home with a unique beauty and persona that is “off
the rails”!
