ShareThisBy MATT FOX
Sunday, November 19, 2006
The holidays are right around the corner. Soon millions of American families will begin the season by celebrating Thanksgiving. They will be gathered around dining room tables piled high with turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes and that famous green bean casserole.
Is your dining room worthy of such a feast? If not, there's an easy fix, one that could easily be accomplished before your Thanksgiving guests arrive for the annual dining extravaganza.
My co-host, Shari Hiller, and I have decorated many dining rooms. One of our favorite ways to spruce up this often overlooked area is with the addition of chair rail.
A chair rail is simply a molding that runs along the perimeter of the room, dividing the walls in half. Chair rails were traditionally used to protect wall surfaces from dings.
They are not just functional, however. Chair rails also provide architectural interest in a plain room, and, when enhanced with wallpaper or decorative painting techniques, can be quite attractive.
If you've been thinking about a new paint color or wallpaper treatment, now's the time. Perhaps you'd like to paint the room two different shades of the same color, making the bottom section several shades darker than the top. Maybe a faux painting technique is more your style. A combination of wallpaper and paint is also a possibility. Whatever your choice, completing it before you begin the chair rail project will make both projects a bit easier.
The first step in creating a chair rail for your dining room may be one of the most time consuming. Since there are numerous styles of chair rail molding available at your local home store, don't be surprised if it takes a while for you to choose a perfect molding for your room.
To determine how much molding you'll need, measure the linear footage needed for the perimeter of the room. Add an additional 10 percent to allow for mitering and any mistakes. Unless you have an unusually large room, you probably will be able to purchase trim in lengths that will not need to be spliced.
Choose your pieces of trim carefully, making sure the pieces are not warped or twisted. It is also best to avoid any lengths with knotholes or other rough areas. Sand the trim, and then stain or paint the wood to match your room decor.
The next step is to determine the desired height of your chair rail. Chair rails are traditionally installed 32 inches above the floor, but you may decide on a different look for your dining area. Once you have chosen a pleasing height, use a level to draw a reference line around the walls at this height.
Use a miter box to cut your trim to size. Most corners will require a 45-degree angle. It's always a good idea to make a few practice cuts on scrap wood before you begin your actual project.
Although the chair rail trim is not especially heavy, it's still a wise choice to anchor the trim to the wall studs. Using a stud finder, locate the studs in the walls. Lay the molding on the floor and transfer the stud locations to the trim.
To avoid splitting the wood, pre-drill pilot holes. Secure the trim to the wall with finish nails. Use a nail set to recess the heads of the nails. Fill any nail holes with wood fill and touch up with stain or paint.
If your dining room could use a little sprucing up before the holidays, why not consider the addition of a chair rail? The installation will only take a few hours, but the results will bring pleasure for many years to come.
(Matt Fox and Shari Hiller, authors of "Matt and Shari's Great Weekend Projects (DRG Publishers), also appear together frequently on HGTV. For more on Matt Fox & Shari Hiller, visit www.hgtv.com or www.mattandshari.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)
