Dado & Picture Rails

It's all about where dado rails and picture rails sit on the wall. A dado rail runs horizontally at about one-third of the wall height (around 900-1000mm from the floor) and was originally designed to protect walls from chair backs - which is why you'll sometimes hear dado rails called chair rails. These days, dado rails are mainly used to create two-tone wall effects by painting or wallpapering above and below in different colours. Picture rails sit much higher, typically 200-300mm below the ceiling, and were designed so you could hang artwork using hooks and wire without putting holes in the walls. Many Victorian and Edwardian homes had both dado rails and picture rails fitted as standard.

There's no strict rule, but the traditional approach is to position a dado rail at roughly one-third of the wall height. For a typical room with 2.4m ceilings, that works out at around 900-1000mm from the floor. If in doubt, go a bit lower rather than higher - fitting a dado rail too high can make ceilings feel lower than they are. For picture rails, aim for about 200-300mm below the ceiling line. This maintains the feeling of ceiling height while giving you that useful horizontal line for hanging artwork. If you're unsure about exact positioning, use our dado rail height calculator to work out the best height for your room.

For most rooms with standard ceiling heights, 18mm thick dado rails work well. If you've got higher ceilings or want the dado rail to be more of a feature, 25mm gives it more visual presence. As for profiles, our 330 dado rail is the most popular choice because it works in both traditional and contemporary settings. If you're after something simpler, Bullnose dado rails (sometimes called pencil round) have clean, rounded edges. For period properties, Ogee dado rail profiles tend to suit the architecture better. One thing worth considering is matching your dado rail or picture rail profile to your skirting boards - it creates a more cohesive look throughout the room.

It depends on the effect you're after. Painting everything the same colour - walls, dado rail, the lot - creates a calm, unified look and can actually make rooms feel larger because there's nothing breaking up the visual space. If you want the dado rail to be more of a feature, using a contrasting colour works well, particularly with two-tone wall schemes where you've got different colours above and below the dado rail. White dado rails on coloured walls is a classic approach, though it can look a bit busy in smaller rooms. A lower dado rail with a lighter colour above can also make ceilings appear higher than they are. For more inspiration, have a look at our modern dado rail ideas.

Start by marking a level line around the room at your chosen dado rail height - a laser level makes this much easier. Cut the dado rails to length with mitred corners for internal and external angles, then fix the dado rails to the wall using a combination of adhesive and nails every 500mm or so. The trickiest bit is usually getting the corners right, so it's worth doing a dry fit before committing. Older properties often have uneven walls, so you may need to pack out low spots with timber shims and use flexible caulk to fill any remaining gaps. Our dado rail fitting guide walks you through each step. Fitting dado rails on staircases is more involved because you'll need to calculate the pitch angle for correct mitre cuts - our dado rail stair installation guide covers this in detail.

Our dado rails and picture rails come in three lengths: 2440mm, 3050mm and 4200mm. Longer lengths mean fewer joints, which gives a cleaner finish - worth considering when you're planning your room. Dado rail and picture rail thickness options are 18mm or 25mm, and you can choose from unprimed (raw MDF), primed (one coat applied, needs undercoating), undercoated (ready for your final paint), or matte grey (pre-finished). All dado rails and picture rails are made to order in our Birmingham factory, so there's no warehouse stock sitting around. Standard delivery is free over £48 (inc. VAT) and takes 6-9 working days. If you need your dado rails or picture rails sooner, our super fast delivery option gets your order to you within 4 working days.

Two-Tone Wall Effects

Dado rails let you paint or wallpaper above and below in different colours, breaking up large wall areas. Picture rails add a horizontal line near the ceiling that changes room proportions.

Colour Breaks

Paint or wallpaper above and below the dado rail in different colours. Dado rails break up large wall areas and can make rooms feel more proportioned.

Picture Hanging

Picture rails let you hang artwork with wire and hooks instead of putting holes in walls. Useful for renters or if you change artwork frequently.

Period Properties

Many Victorian and Edwardian homes originally had dado rails and picture rails. Adding dado rails back restores the intended proportions and helps rooms feel more finished.

Staircase Angles

Getting continuous dado rail lines up stairs requires precise angle calculations. Use our dado rail stair angle calculator to work out the exact cuts needed.

Uneven Walls

Older properties often have irregular surfaces. Pack out low spots with timber shims and use flexible caulk to fill remaining gaps. Our dado rail fitting guide covers this in detail.

Corner Joints

Perfect dado rail mitres require accurate cutting and good wall preparation. Use a proper mitre box and trial fit before final fixing. Our mitre angle calculator helps get the angles right first time.