chair rail

American  

noun

1. a molding on an interior wall for preventing the backs of chairs from rubbing against plaster.

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Etymology

Origin of chair rail

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

“I used peel-and-stick wallpaper, Tempaper & Co. paintable wallpaper and a faux flexible chair rail to transform this space. The floors are black-and-white checkered peel-and-stick vinyl. I wanted it to feel over the top.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2024

A skimpy stained chair rail can look unsubstantial and dated.

From Washington Post • Mar. 2, 2022

Elsewhere, he hung a small print under the chair rail.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 1, 2015

Install them floor to ceiling or only halfway up as a wainscot, then cap it with a wood chair rail.

From Time • Mar. 12, 2015

At his right, beyond a window, mounted a tall, austere secretary in waxed walnut; and behind him, under the white chair rail, bookcases extended across the width of the room.

From The Three Black Pennys A Novel by Hergesheimer, Joseph