This is the term for the trim work that is done around the wall about the height of the back of chairs. It originally was done to protect walls from being scraped, scratched or damaged by a chair leaning against it or other furniture pushed against it, such as china cabinets, etc. On larger wall spaces Picture frame molding is applied to break up the large expanse of space and add to the decorative effect achieved by molding. The bottom trim on a wall is known as baseboard and the top trim on a wall is called crown molding. Chair rails and crown molding can be enhanced (more expensive) by mounting several styles of the trim material so that it is wider and more architecturally interesting. The following websites have picures. HTH a little. Awatts Also see: www.plastervisions.com/products/chair_rails