To get a dado rail?

[GreenSlimySnot]

House is 20 years old. Hallway is white bare balls and the stairs wall is huge (from ground floor skirting board to 1st floor ceiling). I’m thinking a dado rail will break it up a bit.

DH thinks I’m being unreasonable

Dado rail no, picture rail yes

They were all the rage in the 1980s, along with 'leaded' windows and rag-rolled walls in magnolia or peach

They're not a million miles from all the faux panelling that's happening now. Probably due a comeback

We've got a dado rail in the hall and I like it as it breaks up the coridor feeling of the space meaning more colour can be used without being overwhelming block colour in a narrow space. The stronger colour underneath is more resitant to minor scrapes than very pale colours, and the wood takes contact on behalf of the wall too.

The ceilings are too low to consider a picture rail.

I wouldn't go for the authentic 80s/90s look of complimenting floral wallpaper with a border though

On a house that modern, you could just paint up to the line if the dado rail in one colour and above it in another. Or even the same colour, but a gloss (if you're walls are smooth enough) or eggshell below and a mat above.

Could work as a compromise if DH doesn't want an actual do rail. There are plenty of images in Instagram or Pinterest that you could use to persuade him.

I think they look silly in modern houses. I wouldn't, personally.

But some pictures.

@LakieLady

I think they look silly in modern houses. I wouldn't, personally.

But some pictures.

I think that about panelling. Maybe op is ahead of her time and they're due a comeback.

What is the rest of the joinery like? It will look odd unless in context with a high skirting and cornice. What sort of moulding are you looking at? It’s unlikely to be sympathetic with the style of your house. But I work with old buildings and tend not to like fakery. If you already have a Victorian or Edwardian style interior then it will look less out of place.

If you do go for it, try to get one which is similar in the complexity of its mouldings to the rest of the joinery, so you’re not adding something strikingly different. And make sure it’s at the right height - they are actually chair rails, designed to stop you damaging expensive wallpapers by pushing chairs against the wall, so they need to be set at the height of the top rail of a hall or dining chair. Then you’ll have the right proportional division of the wall.

Dado rails are definitely making a comeback along with panelling. Not the dark mahogany with stripey paper underneath and floral on top though!
On a more modern house with smooth walls I'd go for the block painted sections instead though.

We did this, then removed it.

Get a bit of wood chip paper why you're at it.

All the houses I grew up in the 80s and 90s seemed to have either dado rails or wood chip.paper. my aunt's house had both, in one room..

Hate them. I'm a definite magnolia everywhere type hough so probably best ignored. 😁

I've always removed mine and I'm getting rid of picture rails in the next revamp. My house is 1930's. As suggested, look up modern ways to break up a wall.

I used to love them but not now, at least in modern houses. We are looking to by a house and it's amazing how many mod houses still have them. My first thought is always to rip them out because they look dated and just not quite right.

They're all over Instagram along with panelling. I think they can look really nice and do break up the wall well.

No, it’s something else to dust.

We had one in the narrow hallway of a Georgian townhouse where the stairs were really steep and the ceilings were really high, and it absolutely made sense there. Painting the bottom a darker colour meant that it was harder to see the scuffs of daily wear and tear while painting the top a lighter colour meant that the hallway still looked bright and fresh. Not sure how it would look in a modern house. It really depends on the proportions.

They’re dust traps (like the panelling trend), I’d get a painter and decorator in and have the walls painted with a lower darker colour and just a sharp line.
Google ‘colour blocking’, much more contemporary and easily changed in the future.

It’s your home, but it could take ain’t no the entire thing Magnolia and bright pink and frame a picture of your baby’s first nappy if you wanted.

If a dado rail makes you happy get one. Who cares if it’s out of the age period - panelling, faux wood floors, extensions, log burners. People renovate and out plenty of features not in keeping with their homes. The lovely thing about your house is that it’s yours.

@Ponoka7

I've always removed mine and I'm getting rid of picture rails in the next revamp. My house is 1930's. As suggested, look up modern ways to break up a wall.

You really shouldn't buy an old house if you're going to remove all its character. People like you make me so sad.

Just because a house is modern doesn’t mean it’s built in a modern style, so a blanket no you can’t have them because your house is modern is not taking into consideration the style the house is built in, my house is built in the heritage style and would suit a dado rail, if you want a more modern twist you could paint the wall including the dado rail the same colour like this picture, however I agree a dado rail would not suit a modern house built in a modern style.

@AmberLynn1536

Just because a house is modern doesn’t mean it’s built in a modern style, so a blanket no you can’t have them because your house is modern is not taking into consideration the style the house is built in, my house is built in the heritage style and would suit a dado rail, if you want a more modern twist you could paint the wall including the dado rail the same colour like this picture, however I agree a dado rail would not suit a modern house built in a modern style.

What do you mean by ‘the heritage style’? That’s a meaningless term, and has nothing to do with architectural style. Is it classical, Tudor Gothic, vernacular revival? Designed to look like a house from the 17th century, the 18th century, the 1930s? Chair rails only form part of the interior schemes of a specific period and style of building (albeit quite long lived) and that’s why I asked the question in my first post.

By all means do whatever you want to a modern house, but if you want it not to look out of place and in the wrong proportions, it’s worth finding out a little about historic styles before just adopting something which will stick out like a sore thumb.

@Tidlo - Me too. I didn’t realise people were still doing this. Picture rails in a 30s house are a definite plus, and unlike some features (fireplaces and doors) relatively difficult for later owners to reinstate without them looking obviously new.

Picture rails are really useful though!
And dado rails used to be- to stop furniture damaging the wall. Less important now I suppose.
I love old details.

I am fully aware what decor suits particular periods thanks very much, if you really want to know my house is built to look Victorian with the proportions to match, hence me stating in my post that my house built in a heritage style would suit dado rails, if I lived in a new build thatch cottage, beams would suit that build style but not my house. I was perfectly clear in my post that it depends on the individual house.

I wouldn't put in dado rails in a modern house. But then I'm not a fan of the faux panelling that's everywhere at the moment either.

You could still create the look you want by colour blocking with masking tape, one colour above and one below where the dado rail would be, but it would look a lot cleaner and and more modern.