URGENT: How high is your Dado Rail?

[Demented]

Believe it or not this is an urgent question. We are in the middle of decorating our hallway and DH wants to start splashing some colour on the walls. We have a victorian semi and want to have a dado rail put up in the hallway, until the joiner can come we just have to imagine where the dado will sit.

So the question is how high is your dado rail in your hallway, particularly if you live in a victorian property?

Many thanks in advance!

I thought this thread had an altogether different title at first glance

Help! He's slapping the paint on now!!! We have drawn a line at the same height as the banister but it looks too high!

Men!!!!!!!

LOL Suzy!

From floor to bottom of dado is 40 1/2 inches in our hall.

traditionally, aren't they supposed to the same height as the back of your dining chairs as their original purpose was to protect the walls from clumsy diners.
Could be wrong though.

Thanks Soupdragon, that is slightly lower than we were thinking. I have just found this (I always think of Mumsnet first, then Google ) and it confirms what we first thought that the dado should run at the same height as the banister. DH and I have just been talking about it and remember that our banister etc isn't original to the house, it is reclaimed from a far grander place, which is possibly why the dado looks too high. I think we are going to go with the height of the banister afterall, it seems to make sense. Panic off!

Thanks.

Still don't see why DH can't wait until the joiner comes out and puts the rail up first but I shouldn't discourage him!

Thanks mummysurfer, only just seen your post. We were debating that also. It is strange as there doesn't seem to be any evidence of there ever being any dado rails in the house at all only picture rails but the hallway/stairway is the only place we want to put one so will probably stick with the height of the banister.

You're right Mummysurfer. I think old chairs had higher backs though!

Ours is 37" (to the bottom) but it's not original.

Is the same height as the banister but where it goes horizontal again, top and bottom, doesn't necessarily line up with the skirting board.

Bet this helps a LOT!

Just measured ours in one of the bedrooms (Edwardian house) and the lower edge is 36 ins from the floor. Same in the hall and on the landing.