Types of Chair Rail Moulding Material

Wood

• Wood chair rails have been in use since chair rails originated. They are made from both hard and soft wood species such as oak, mahogany, walnut, pine, cedar and redwood. Wood chair rail moldings come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and can be plain or detailed with embossed designs. Wood chair rails are typically pre-primed and ready for painting or staining to make installation easy.

Polyurethane

• Polyurethane chair rails are lightweight and versatile. They can be used indoors and outdoors. Like wood rails, you can cut, nail, glue or fill polyurethane rails to make installation and customization easy. The noticeable difference is that polyurethane is a lighter material to work with in comparison to wood. Polyurethane chair rails are also structurally sound and will not warp, expand or rot.

Hybrid Resin

• Chair rails are also made from hybrid resin products that contain a blend of wood. As a result, hybrid resin chair rails are heavier than polyurethane railings, but not as heavy as solid wood chair rails. The extra weight can be advantageous if the chair railing will be in a high traffic area and subjected to being bumped by furniture or even people. Like polyurethane railings, hybrids are consistent in appearance and eliminate the “surprises” of knots and glitches that wood chair rails sometimes present.

MDF

• MDF is the acronym for medium density fiberboard. It is a composite material made from wood fibers glued together under intense heat and pressure. The result is chair rails that are heavier than polyurethane and resin-based rails, and with the same capability for painting, drilling, cutting and gluing. MDF rails are not as heavy as wood rails, but noticeably heavier than polyurethane and resin rails.

Wood Finger Joint Chair Molding

• Wood finger joint chair molding is made from pinewood. The key difference with finger joint molding is that it has been processed to remove defects such as knots. The result is chair rails that have a smooth, consistent look in comparison to wood. The only visible marking is an interlocking join produced during the manufacturing process. However, the join is barely visible once stained and undetectable when wood finger joint chair molding is painted.