Does anyone have any tips on installing a decorative chair rail?

Im redoing a bedroom as a play room for our son, and want to install a decorative chair rail to help break up the room & paint colors. How do I go about measuring for the amount of wood Ill need and what about the corners? Do they sell corner pieces? Anyone know if Home Depot will custom cut the wood for me? I appreciate your advice...Im new at this & am determined to complete this project on myown without my husbands help (he doesnt think I can do it!)

Answers:
OHHH,This is going to need more than one page.Okay,Home Depot and any other harware store only carries stock trim,this is a material some artist decided would be the thing for the year.Decide on a design,it may take several peices to build it but with all the options out there it is posible to make your own.Just try a little of this and a smidg of that untill you find something you like.Now measure from the floor up, the heigth of the rail(usally 32-34 in.) Measure this in both corners of the wall,levels are nice if the floor is 100% level,but in fourteen yrs I've never seen that!The inside corners should be cut to an outside 45 deg. bevel,meaning the cut starts in the middle of the wood tapering towards the back.Outside corners get what is called an inside cut,the cut starts at the end of the board tapering in.If you use a corner block you will not miter you corners,but even a full peice should be cut square on both ends (factery's are out for numbers not presision), this ensures a tight fit.With all your peices cut to size and you have done a dry fit time to nail them on,I use 18 guage brad nails min. 1 and a half long.If you do not own a compressor and brad gun get a smooth face narrow head hammer, something comfortable to you.DO NOT use glue,all work in your home should be treated as though it will be coming down next year,because it might be!Just use the proper nails and it will stay for a long time, as long as you find the studs.Each wall should be treated as though it is a full peice of trim,meaning one wall one 16 ft. peice of trim, if the wall is longer than that it counts as two or whatever.This will with luck provide you with more than enough trim for mess ups and to finish the room. Use sandable wood putty to fill the nail holes and the seams. There are a few CRAFTSMEN who still will make custom trim,but this a dying art and is very expensive,usally exceeding ten dollars a foot.I wish you the best of luck with practice you will be fine,just remember it takes yrs of practice to make a carpenter.Good Luck
The spell check is messed up excuse my spelling

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