Hanging Picture and Dado Rails

Source:  BBC Homes, Lifestyle, DIY

Thursday 27^th May 2004

Skill Level: Basic

Duration: 1/2 day

Picture and dado rails are right back in fashion these days. They break up big expanses of wall and give you the opportunity of using different decorative finishes above and below them.

You can of course also hang pictures from a picture rail, instead of banging nails into the plaster.

Tools you will need:

filling knife

instant-grip adhesive

mitre box and tenon saw

pencil

picture or dido rail

sandpaper

spirit level

tape measure

wood filler or coloured wood stopping

Mark a horizontal line
Use your pencil, spirit level and a length of the moulding you’re using to draw a horizontal pencil line right around the room at the appropriate level. Cut a 45-degree mitre on one end of the first length of moulding, using a mitre box and tenon saw.

Position
If it won’t reach the next corner, simply apply a little instant-grip adhesive along the back and press it into place, aligning it carefully with the pencil guideline. Then butt-join the next length to the end of the first.

Stick the next length in place
If the moulding is long enough to reach the next corner of the room in one go, measure the distance, mark it on the moulding and cut a second mitre facing the opposite way at this point. Then stick the length in place.

Repeat
Repeat the process on the next wall, butting the mouldings up against door or window frames. When you get back to your starting point the last length will finish with a mitred end to meet the mitre of the first length you fixed.

Open joints
Fill any open joints with a little wood filler, and sand smooth when it’s dried.

Reinforce where necessary
If you want to hang heavy framed and glazed pictures or mirrors from your picture rail, reinforce the instant-grip adhesive with a screw driven in every 1 m (3 ft 3 in) or so.

Screw in place
Pre-drill and countersink the holes in the rail, mark the fixing positions on the wall and drill and plug the holes. Drive the screws once you’ve stuck the rail in place.

Picture rails
A picture rail has a curved top, so you can hook S-shaped metal picture hooks over it and then hang your pictures from them. They look best 450-600 mm (18-24 in) down from the ceiling.

Dado rails
A dado rail is just decorative moulding. Its original purpose was to stop chair backs damaging the plaster and is often called a chair rail for this reason. Dado rails sit around waist height – typically 1 m (3 ft 3 inch) above the skirting boards.