How to Use a Chair Rail

Measure the length of each wall. Write down the measurements.

Place the chair rail molding onto a work surface. Measure and mark the molding to the lengths required for each wall.

Cut each length of molding to size using a miter saw. Place the molding flat on the table of the saw with the back edge flush against the fence of the saw. Align the pencil mark with the blade and guide the saw through the wood as you make each cut.

Lay the cut molding sections on the floor in front of each corresponding wall. Mark the angles on the backside of each end of the molding. Outward corners will require a 45-degree angle cut so the long side is on the front side of the molding. Inward corners will also require a 45-degree angle cut so the long side is on the backside of the molding.

Adjust the miter saw to a 45-degree angle and cut the ends of the moldings to fit the corners of the room.

Measure up from the floor to the desired height for the chair rail at both ends of each wall. Mark the measurement onto the wall. Draw a chalk line across the wall, holding the ends at each measurement mark. Snap the chalk line in the center to transfer the line onto the wall. This is the location for the top edge of the chair rail.

Slide a stud finder along the wall just below the chalk line. Mark the location of the studs as the stud finder indicates.

Hold each molding section one at a time onto the wall so the top edge is in line with the chalk line. Hammer finish nails through the molding at each stud along the length of the wall to secure.

Set the nails approximately one-sixteenth-inch below the surface of the chair rail molding. Tap the head of the nail set with a hammer. You should have the point of the nail set centered on the head of the nail.