Picture Rail

[hollypop]

Can anyone tell me the correct height for picture rails in a Victorian house? Also how do you get around the problem of doors and windows in a room that are not of the same height?

 

[xerxes]

Are you restoring picture rails in your own house? Try to establish where the original rails were fitted (there may be traces of the original nail holes).

On the subject of doors and windows of differing heights: if the top of a window is higher than the line of the rail, the picture rail is butted against the architrave on each side.

If, however, you've got more than one door in a room and they are different heights, that's a bit more difficult to resolve.

 

[hollypop]

Yes I am restoring the picture rails in my own house, unfortunately the originals must have been removed in previous modernisation so no trace of them exists now, also most of the walls have needed replastering so this also doesn't help. I have read that they can be placed anything from 12-20 inches down from the ceiling. This seems a lot of variation. Also that in the very late Victorian period rails joined into the top of the door frame, not above. Really all very confusing, so hoped for more general agreement/ info on where they should go.

 

[xerxes]

I would agree that between 300 to 500 mm below ceiling height would be right for a very high-ceilinged room. Otherwise, level with the top of the door architrave seems right.

You could mock up a rail with suitable tape to see of the overall effect looks right.