Graphical Construction Glossary >> Woodwork. >> mouldings >> Dentil Mold

Dentil Mold

In woodworking and masonry. A carved mold consisting of regular square tooth-like blocks.

Picture Rail

A rail fixed between the dado rail and the cornice to hang pictures from.

Many of the mouldings that we still in use today derive from old patterns that are seen in architecture in general and in quite large sizes. They are seen in masonry and in wooden construction and I was lucky to catch this example in Tunbridge Wells in the UK.

These are placed over door heads in two adjacent properties.

Dentils are often seen on the outside facades of buildings, like here and often at the eaves or fascia. They take their name from the Latin for tooth.

Not so often seen are carved dentils in interior joinery trim.

In joinery a picture rail is sometimes known as a frieze rail. It is a wooden moulding fixed to interior walls at from say 2100 to 2700 or 7 ft to 9 ft high that in itself is a decorative feature. It has a hollow on the top edge that allow clips to be used to hang paintings or pictures from.

It may not be used to hang paintings at all, but it is used quite often to define the area above it known as the frieze. The walls may for example have wallpaper to the rail and then the frieze area could be painted to the same colour as the ceiling.

Not seen in new work much, but when they are they take the form of proprietary aluminium extrusions with sliding fittings to hang the pictures from. In many cases they are used to mount light fittings.

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"When we build, let us think that we build for ever."John Ruskin 1819-1900