Chair Rail & wall panel installation?

The lovely Mrs_B embarked on a kitchen remodel last year, that is still in progress this year.

We now have wall tile that was custom cast by a small pottery for us in patterns that were developed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The tiles will be used to build a backsplash over the cooktop that I installed just after Christmas. The original plan was to then use a standard field tile above the custom tiles and tile up the walls to the ceiling. But now we have a new plan. Or is this ANOTHER new plan?

Anyway, just above the countertop will be a narrow band of these special tiles, above that she would like cherry panels that extend up 18" above the counter top, and that will be capped off with a cherry rail. The tiles will also be used above the cooktop. All of that will be in the kitchen area.

But yes, you knew there would be more . . . she wants to transition the cherry panels into the dinette and into the hallway.

So now I need to find cherry panels and have some cherry boards milled. Here is the question, what thickness cherry panels do I need for this? I'm thinking 1/4" would be sufficient? The baseboards, vertical stiles, and chair rail all have to be milled as well since the current baseboards will have to come off. I'm thinking of using 1x boards for all of this. Each board will have to be routed to accept the panel so the panels will be held in place by the rails/stiles. There will be a vertical board every 24"

1. Now here is my really big question, do I float the panels or do I use an adhesive to adhere them to the walls?
2. Really big quesiton #2, anyone have any suggestions (photos) of the detail of a chair rail so I can see how to finish off the top piece?

B_Skurka said:

The lovely Mrs_B embarked on a kitchen remodel last year, that is still in progress this year.

We now have wall tile that was custom cast by a small pottery for us in patterns that were developed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The tiles will be used to build a backsplash over the cooktop that I installed just after Christmas. The original plan was to then use a standard field tile above the custom tiles and tile up the walls to the ceiling. But now we have a new plan. Or is this ANOTHER new plan?

Anyway, just above the countertop will be a narrow band of these special tiles, above that she would like cherry panels that extend up 18" above the counter top, and that will be capped off with a cherry rail. The tiles will also be used above the cooktop. All of that will be in the kitchen area.

But yes, you knew there would be more . . . she wants to transition the cherry panels into the dinette and into the hallway.

So now I need to find cherry panels and have some cherry boards milled. Here is the question, what thickness cherry panels do I need for this? I'm thinking 1/4" would be sufficient? The baseboards, vertical stiles, and chair rail all have to be milled as well since the current baseboards will have to come off. I'm thinking of using 1x boards for all of this. Each board will have to be routed to accept the panel so the panels will be held in place by the rails/stiles. There will be a vertical board every 24"

1. Now here is my really big question, do I float the panels or do I use an adhesive to adhere them to the walls?
2. Really big quesiton #2, anyone have any suggestions (photos) of the detail of a chair rail so I can see how to finish off the top piece?

Click to expand...

Try joining over at Fine Homebuilding. I used to get the magazine, and there have been many articles regarding wainscotting and chair rail. Plus they have a forum to ask this type of question.

B_Skurka said:

1. Now here is my really big question, do I float the panels or do I use an adhesive to adhere them to the walls?
2. Really big quesiton #2, anyone have any suggestions (photos) of the detail of a chair rail so I can see how to finish off the top piece?

Click to expand...

I use finishing nails and tack the panels on top and bottom (which are then covered by the rail and baseboard).

There's a lot of options for the top rail. You can go to any decent lumber yard and take a look at their selection. Whomever is going to make the rail for you probably has samples as well.

Bob,
Are your existing cabinets cherry ?? Mixing different woods is a good way to bring down the value . I understand tying in the Dinette but why the hall way ???

I studied FLW in college ,have copied his designs and consider him to be maybe the greastest architect of all time . The man was a genius .

Do the tiles have a South Western flair design from the time he spent in the desert . I would love to see a picture .

Off subject a little , but did you know FLW designed the first module low income housing model ??? Projected cost at that time ended up being $6000 so it never developed .

I'll check in my "Architectual Graphics Standards" book and see if they have some Chair Rail or Rub Rail designs , I can send you .

If you search you will find companies that sell the panels pre-made in every conceivable size and wood. The woodworker that did a lot of work in our home no longer makes his own panels. He said that these are just as good and cost less than if he made them when he figures in the materials and labor. I would ask him where to get them, but I doubt that he would give out a trade secret.... Junk...

Al . . . our house was designed in 1912 by Walter Burley Griffin, who at the time was a partner of FLW in Oak Park. The house was designed to be built on a river ridge in Mason City, Iowa for a banker, but it was never built. It is one of the first examples of WBG's sleeping porch houses, which went on to become very popular in Australia. Griffin became the most famous architect of that nation and is credited for the layout of some major cities (I forget which ones). We found a pen & ink drawing of the house and had an architect do his best to recreate it for us. The upstairs is a long way from original, it originally had 6 bedrooms, NO closets and 1 bath. We have 2 baths, 1 laundry and 3 bedrooms up there.

The tiles we had made are from designs that are more typical of FLW's very late prairie period and into the scope of his Marin county projects, so I think they span several of his periods and would fit into many of his homes.

As to why we would take the panel into the hall, that is actually because the house is fairly open and the flow of the rooms just makes sense to extend the panels. We could easily not do it or we could do it. But we think it would actually look better do do it.

And yes, all of the cabinets in the house are cherry. Most are semi-custom cabinets, but we have some that were scratch built and based on FLW drawings, photos and take-offs.

Junk . . . the panels I need must be flat, no ogee or other detail. So something like a furniture grade 1/4" cherry plywood should be perfect. I think?

If you use panels, make sure that all edges and surfaces are sealed, so the expansion / contraction is kept to a minimum. Also, pre-finish them before hanging. The panels that I am familiar with just float on the wall. A small dollop of silicone could be used on the center of the panel to affix it to the wall while you complete the rest of the work if you want. That is how I attached the mirrors in our home. Every one is glued to the wall and then the finish moldings were applied afterward.. Junk.....

Wow Bob ,
I did not realize that your home design was that old .I just assumed it was a modern design . I understand the FLW connection to it now .

BigAl said:

I did not realize that your home design was that old .I just assumed it was a modern design . I understand the FLW connection to it now .

Click to expand...

We actually wanted to build a FLW house but couldn't find one that was oriented to the properties views. We had found the WBG house and set it aside but we kept going back to it. Our goal was not to build the biggest house or the nicest house but to build a house that we would use. We wanted a comfortable house where we used most rooms most days. What I find is that only the formal dining room goes unused. But as it is elevated 4' above the living room and separated only by a railing, we utilize the air space and the views of the dining room while we are in the living room (and visa versa). The foyer is actually quite unusual as it is the true hub of the house, and is open from the lowest level to the upstairs with "silk" trees "growing" up from the lower level to the main level. The walls were then painted by a muralist wtih bamboo and dogwood to tie the outside to the inside. The colors of the paints in the mural were then used in the dining room but in much darker variations.

The house is NOT at all fancy, it is very comfortable, and it accomplishes what we want. We have fewer rooms than many others, but our rooms are large and open to each other so the house has an open feel, but no so open that it feels too large. I suppose that is the magic of a good design? I love to sit in the living room alone, it is 20x26x12 and still it feels like a nice space, despite the fact that it is larger than most 2 car garages.