How to End a Chair Rail

A chair rail is a strip of molding that runs along the top of wainscoting, making a visual divider between the paneling of the wainscoting and the wallpaper or paint on the wall above. If someone pushes a chair against the wall, the chair rail also prevents the back of the chair from scraping the wallpaper or wallboard. In modern homes, a chair rail is as much a decoration as a practical barrier, so it needs to look aesthetically pleasing where it butts against the trim around windows or doors.

Tape measure
Hand saw and miter box or table saw
Sandpaper
Finishing nails

Instructions

- 1
  Measure how far the chair rail will stick out from the wall, using a tape measure. Do the same for the trim around doors or windows that it will butt against. Where the chair rail will end against trim that sticks out farther than it does, cut the chair rail off square on the end with a handsaw or table saw and position it against the trim. Sand it if necessary and attach it with finishing nails as you normally would.
- 2
  Saw the chair rail just long enough to fit up against door or window trim that's not as thick as it is. Hold the chair rail in place and trace a pencil line vertically across the end, using the door or window trim as a guide, so you have a mark showing how far the chair rail sticks out beyond the trim.
- 3
  Saw the chair rail at a 45-degree angle so it bevels back from the trim, starting at the pencil line, using a handsaw and a miter box or a table saw set at a 45-degree angle. Sand the saw cut to remove any rough edges, if necessary, and attach the chair rail with finishing nails.

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Carpentry