Meaning & use
dado rail
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Meaning
nouncountableBritish
A horizontal strip of wood or molding fixed to an interior wall at about waist height, originally to protect the wall from chair backs.
Grammar: Countable noun: 'a dado rail,' 'two dado rails.'
Patterns
- fit a dado rail
- install a dado rail
- above/below the dado rail
The dining room has a dado rail that divides the wall into two sections.
We painted the wall below the dado rail a darker shade of blue.
He fitted a wooden dado rail to protect the plaster from the chairs.
Word forms
| plural | dado rails |
|---|
Common combinations
- fit a dado rail
- The carpenter fitted a dado rail along the hallway.
- above the dado rail
- The wallpaper above the dado rail is striped.
- below the dado rail
- They paneled the area below the dado rail.
- wooden dado rail
- A wooden dado rail adds a traditional touch.
Synonyms and how they differ
- chair rail
- The American English term for the same feature; use 'chair rail' in US contexts and 'dado rail' in British contexts.
- picture rail
- A similar horizontal molding, but placed higher on the wall and used for hanging pictures, not protecting against chairs.
Word family
- dado noun
- The lower part of an interior wall when decorated differently from the upper part.
Commonly confused: dado rail or picture rail?
dado rail vs picture rail
A picture rail is higher up and meant for hanging pictures; a dado rail is lower and protects the wall from furniture.
Practice
What is the main purpose of a dado rail?
Choose one answer.
A dado rail is a horizontal molding originally designed to prevent chair backs from damaging the wall. Shelves, pictures, and wires are not its primary purpose.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dado rail”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.