Newbie to the site, and I've searched for these questions with no luck. My wife and I want to install playbead paneling w/chair rail in a nursery. I have 2 questions...what do we do around the window? It's a new house, and there is moulding under the window, but not on the sides. Would I cut a piece of the chair rail and install vertically along the two sides? Also, what about the electrical outlets? The plybead is 1/8 of an inch thick (I think), and I'd assume you'd take off the faceplate and then just put it back on over the paneling, but those screws are too short. Do I just use a longer screw or pull the electrical outlet out a bit first?

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

Welcome to the forums

I assume your window is wrapped with drywall instead of the tradional wood trim. I would either case out the window with wood or wrap the paneling around the edge of the window.

The elec outlets should be reinstalled with box extensions. Both Lowes and Home Depot sell them as well as elec supply co. If you just used a longer screw the plate would not fit flush with the switch or plug in.

 

Thanks for the quick reply...you're right, it's it's drywalled. If I wrapped the plybead around the corner of the window, the blinds may not fit. By 'casing out the window', do you mean nailing in some trim/mold?

 

I could never find box extensions as short as 1/8th inch. Instead, notice that the sockets have little ears above the screws that hold them in the box. If you make the opening in the plybead just clear the screws the ears will catch over the plybead. The standard screws should be long enough to reach the extra 1/8th inch. If your sockets don't have ears big enough to make this work look in the electrical dept. of your hardware store. They make sockets with extra big ears for this purpose.

While your in the electrical dept. get some sheet metal box extensions to fill that gap. Many fire and building codes require the gap be closed with metal to the face of the wall.

If you'll describe your window situation a bit more it will be easier to make suggestions. How high is the bottom of the window? What kind of trim is on the bottom of the window? How high is your top rail to be? Does the top rail have a rabbet?

 

Jan2...there is moulding and a ledge under the window, no moulding at all around it. A standard chair rail will be used to top off the plybead. My question is what to do along the side of the plybead where it meets the window opening. I'm thinking just a thin, standard moulding that would run vertically from under the chair rail to the window ledge. Not sure if that's any clearer. It's a new house, widow sunk into the wall about 3 inches.

 

It sounds like your chair rail will be above the bottom of the window. Since the window isn't cased, trimed, I would think treating it like a picture framed window might work. As your chair rail approaches the window cut a mitered corner so the rail turns 90 degrees down. Make another miter so it turns and passes underneath the window. Then two more miters to bring the rail back up and continue. That would give you a nice finished look.