Dado Rail
/ ˈdeɪdəʊ reɪl /
Also known as: chair rail, dado moulding, wainscot rail
Definition
A dado rail is a horizontal decorative moulding fixed to a wall at approximately waist height (typically 900-1000mm above the floor level), dividing the wall into a lower zone (the dado) and an upper zone. Originally fitted to protect plaster walls from chair backs in Victorian and Edwardian dining rooms and corridors. The dado zone below the rail is often treated differently from the upper wall - with panelling, tiling, a contrasting paint colour, or wallpaper. Available in ogee, torus, ovolo, and plain chamfered profiles in timber or MDF. Fixed with screws into studs or plugged masonry, mitred at external corners.
In practice
Dado rails are most effective in period properties where they are part of the original interior language - fitting a simple dado rail in a Victorian terrace instantly reads as appropriate and restores character. In modern properties with lower ceilings (2.4m rather than 3m+), a dado rail can make the room feel smaller - the proportions that work well at 3m ceiling height do not always translate to modern builds. The alternative in modern interiors is a picture rail closer to ceiling level (typically 300-400mm below the ceiling) which creates a frieze zone above and adds height to the room rather than dividing the wall at a visually low point.
When fitting a dado rail in a room that will be wallpapered below the rail, the rail should be fitted before papering so the wallpaper can be hung up to the underside of the rail. If the rail is fitted over existing wallpaper, the join between paper and rail will be visible and difficult to seal neatly. Similarly, if the dado zone below will be tiled, the tiling should be completed first and the dado rail fitted at the top of the tiling to cap it. In bathrooms, the dado rail is often replaced by the top edge of a tile dado, with no separate timber moulding required.
See also