What are they called?

When you make a "box" on the bottom half of a wall with molding? They are usually below a chair rail. Sometimes people paint the inside of them a different color than the wall.

Second question: would it look weird to put them on the top half of the wall?

Re: What are they called?

wainscotting?

i dont think i've ever seen it at the top of a wall.

Re: What are they called?

Wainscotting ideas:

Using just paint and molding (no actual wood panels)


Wood panels with top railing different color:


Different colors:



I think when the "wainscoting" is above the chair rail, it's called "wall panels":

Re: What are they called?

its called picture frame molding. I've seen it on top. Looks nice, I prefer the bottom.

Re: What are they called?

Thanks everybody. This is what I am thinking of doing in DD's bedroom. I wanted to do a beige on the bottom half of the wall and pink on the top half of the wall with a white chair rail in the middle (which is already there). Then I wanted to do some of those picture frame moldings on the top and paint them brown inside. In each brown "frame" I'd put some sort of wall decoration.

Here is the bedding:


What do you think?

Message edited 10/26/2009 9:43:00 AM.