How To End Chair Rail On Open Wall: Step By Step Instructions Of Ending Chair Rail On Open Wall

Step By Step Instructions Of Ending Chair Rail On Open Wall

A chair rail gives your dining room or other formal spaces in your home a timeless appearance. With the decorative trim, you have more freedom to mix and match colors and wallpaper patterns by selecting one color or pattern for the chair rail and another for the floor. Additionally, it prevents chairs from scuffing the paint and hitting your wall. A simple miter cut, a variation of the cut used when turning an outside corner with the chair rail, is needed to make an end or miter cap where the chair rail ends, such as when it meets window or door trim.

Step 1: Measure The Length Of The Wall

For the finest fit, mark a chair rail piece 1/8 inch shorter than the length of the wall. To join with an outside corner piece, cut one end of the chair rail with a miter saw at a 45-degree angle. If you are completing an interior corner, cope the end to meet another piece of trim.

Step 2: Miter Cut The Other End Of The Chair Rail

The opposite end of the chair rail should be mitered such that the long edge is on the outside and the cut edge faces inward toward the wall.

Step 3: Secure The Chair Rail Using 6d Or 8d Nails

Use 6d or 8d nails to secure the chair rail. To prevent splitting, drive nails into the top and bottom of the chair rail at least 1 inch from the edge. Hold an extra nail in place between the hammer and a chair rail nail. Give it a little tap to countersink the nail just beneath the chair rail's surface.

Step 4: Miter Cut The Chair Rail End Of A Leftover Piece

Miter Cut the chair rail end of a leftover piece. To create what is known as a miter cap, trim a tiny piece that is long enough to span the width of your chair rail. For instance, your final mitered end should be 2 inches high if the chair rail projects 2 inches from the wall. Utilizing a 45-degree mitered angle, cut the leftover trim as if you were going to shape it to turn an inside corner, with the cut side facing the chair rail's front. The trim is returned on itself when you do this. The small bit that results from this cut at the end is what you need. When making this cut, exercise extreme caution to keep your hands away from the miter saw's blade. Hold only the long end of the chair rail for safety and use the saw's guard to direct the short end toward the blade.

Step 5: Apply Carpenter's Glue

Apply carpenter's glue to the little end piece's inside cut side. It should be glued inside the chair rail that was nailed. Depending on the style of chair rail you are using, place it so that the outside corners meet to make a point or a straight finish. Painter's tape should be used to secure the piece for the duration of the night or until the glue is fully dry.