Fit a dado rail to a dot-and-dab plasterboard wall — HomeGraft

Fit a dado rail around a room by identifying each wall's construction and using the right fixing for solid, stud and dot-and-dab walls.

AB-01Mark the rail height around the roomDecide on your line, typically 900-1000mm up from the floor, about a third of the way up the wall. Use a spirit level to draw a level pencil line right around the room, checking into corners as you go. Use masking tape at intervals to hold the line steady while you mark it, especially over doorways.

1 each · Spirit level

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

1 each · Pencil

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

1 roll · Masking tape

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

AB-02Work out what's behind the wall all the way roundA dado rail often crosses more than one wall type in the same room, so check each stretch separately along your line. Tap the wall: a solid, dead sound means masonry or dot-and-dab with dabs close together, while a hollow, drum-like sound between a regular line of screw heads or plasterboard joints means a timber or metal stud partition. Run a stud detector or magnet along the line to find the studs, then drill a small pilot hole at a proposed fixing point — timber dust means a timber stud, fine grey swarf means a metal one. On older houses, a slightly springy but solid-sounding wall under wallpaper is often lath and plaster.

1 each · Stud and cable detector

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

1 each · Small magnet

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

AB-03Check for cables and pipes before you drill anythingCables and pipes can run almost anywhere in a wall, not just in the usual safe zones, so run a cable and pipe detector along your whole marked line before drilling. Detectors can still miss cables that are deep, in metal conduit, behind metal-backed plasterboard, or hidden by a metal stud frame that confuses a cheap detector — so treat every mark as if something could be there until proven otherwise. Find your stopcock now, usually under the kitchen sink, and check it turns freely so you can shut the water off fast if you hit a pipe. If you have any doubt at all, isolate the circuit at the consumer unit before drilling, and turn off the water at the stopcock before cutting into anything that could carry a pipe.

1 each · Cable and pipe detector

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

AB-04Cut the rail to length with mitred cornersMeasure each wall along your marked line, including into internal and external corners. Cut external corners at 45° mitres using a mitre saw or mitre box, and mitre or scribe internal corners for a tighter joint on uneven walls. Cut lengths slightly long and trim back for a snug fit rather than cutting short.

4 each · MDF dado rail (2.4m length)

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

1 each · Mitre saw or mitre box

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

1 each · Tape measure

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

AB-05Mark fixing points on dot-and-dab sectionsOn dot-and-dab walls, the plasterboard is stuck to the brick or block behind with blobs of adhesive (dabs) roughly 300mm apart, leaving a 10-30mm gap in between. Mark fixing points every 400-500mm along your line, choosing spots that land on a dab where possible by tapping gently for the more solid sound. You'll be drilling through the plasterboard and the dab into the masonry behind, so you need a long fixing at each point, not a short one.

1 each · Masonry drill bit

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

10 each · Long frame fixing screws (80-100mm)

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

AB-06Mark fixing points on timber stud sectionsWhere your line crosses a timber stud partition, mark the centre of each stud — usually spaced 400mm or 600mm apart, in line with the screw heads you found earlier. Fix here with an ordinary wood screw straight into the timber; you don't need a wall plug in solid wood. Where a fixing point falls between studs, use a hollow-wall or spring toggle fixing rated for the weight of the rail rather than skipping it.

12 each · Wood screws (40-50mm)

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

AB-07Mark fixing points on metal stud sectionsMetal stud partitions are common in flats and anything built or refitted since the 1990s. Mark the centre of each metal stud, found the same way as timber — but a pilot hole here brings out fine steel swarf, not dust. Fix into the stud with a self-drilling metal-stud screw or a metal-specific hollow-wall anchor; never use a plain plastic wall plug or an ordinary wood screw, as both strip straight through 0.5mm steel. A dado rail is light, so a standard metal stud fixing holds it fine — but never rely on a metal stud for anything heavy or anything that pulls away from the wall, such as a TV arm or a basin; those need a timber noggin fitted between the studs instead.

12 each · Self-drilling metal stud screws

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

6 each · Metal stud hollow-wall anchors

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

AB-08Mark fixing points on solid masonry sectionsIf a stretch of wall is solid brick or block with no plasterboard on it, mark fixing points every 400-500mm along the line. You'll drill directly into the masonry and use a wall plug here, so no long fixing is needed.

12 each · Wall plugs (suit 40-50mm screw)

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

12 each · Masonry screws or wood screws

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

AB-09Mark fixing points on lath and plaster sectionsLath and plaster is thin timber laths nailed across the studs and covered in a few millimetres of lime plaster — it's more fragile than modern plasterboard and can crack if you drill or screw carelessly. Find the studs behind the laths the same way as a timber stud wall, and always drill a pilot hole first to reduce the risk of cracking. Fix into the stud itself wherever you can, not just the lath, as a screw into lath alone has very little to hold onto.

1 each · Fine pilot drill bit

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

12 each · Wood screws (40-50mm)

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

AB-10Drill and fix the rail in placeHold the rail against your marked line and check it with a spirit level before drilling anything. Working along the rail, drill and fix at each marked point using the correct fixing for that stretch of wall — wood screw into timber studs, metal stud screw or anchor into metal studs, wall plug and screw into masonry, and a long fixing through dot-and-dab into the masonry behind. Run a bead of grab adhesive along the back of the rail as you go for extra strength, and wipe off any squeezed-out adhesive straight away.

1 tube · Grab adhesive

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

1 each · Cordless drill driver

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

AB-11Fill mitres, joints and screw holesOnce the adhesive has cured, fill the mitre joints, any gaps at internal corners, and every screw head with flexible decorators' filler or wood filler. Leave it to dry fully, then sand smooth with fine sandpaper until you can't feel the joints under your fingers.

1 tube · Flexible decorators' filler

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

1 pack · Fine sandpaper

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

AB-12Prime and paint the railApply a coat of primer or undercoat if the rail isn't pre-primed, then two coats of your chosen finish, usually satinwood or gloss to match the skirting. Cut in neatly along the wall above and below the rail with a small brush and leave each coat to dry fully before the next.

1 tin · Wood primer/undercoat

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

1 tin · Satinwood paint

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

1 each · Paintbrush

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

AB-13Clear up and check your workRemove dust sheets and vacuum up dust and offcuts, especially around the drilled holes. Run a hand along the rail to check it's firmly fixed all the way round, and turn your water and electrics back on at the stopcock or consumer unit if you isolated them.

1 each · Dust sheet

Buy:ScrewfixB&QToolstationAmazon

Some links may earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Save this as a project

Back to all guides