Jump to content

Menu

Painted over chair rails


Jaybee
 Share

Recommended Posts

So I have another new (to us) house question. In the family and dining rooms, there is a chair rail that has been painted over the same color as the walls. I think it looks rather tacky myself. We are no good at fixer upper tasks (beyond simple things like painting), and really want to get the house painted before we move in. We also do not need to hire out too many jobs. I'm afraid if we try removing the chair rail, especially after it has already been painted over, that we will end up damaging the wall and creating a much bigger issue. We could, of course, just paint over it again--that would be the easiest and quickest--and most of it will not be seen. Another option might be to paint the chair rail a satin finish white. I am not sure if that would look better or worse. ? Any ideas? Remember--NOT fixer-uppers here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think painting the chair rail white and the upper and lower wall the same color would make the rail standout too much.  You could paint it white (or any other color) if you plan to put wallpaper either above or below the rail. If you want to do both, put a larger print on the bottom portion and a smaller coordinating print on top.  An easier fix would be to paint both lower portion of the wall and the chair rail one color and paint a lighter shade on the upper wall

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I meant gloss--I wasn't thinking. I definitely do not want wallpaper. The kitchen/dining/family are kind of open plan--they run into each other, and the kitchen cabinets are white. Due to the color of the kitchen countertops and fireplace, I think the paint will need to be a light beige/taupe shade, so there would be some contrast, but not like there would be with dark colors.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All of our houses that have had chair rails have had the walls (upper and lower) painted the same color and the rails painted white. I find multiple wall colors visually unappealing (although I may be in the minority on that) but I do like all moulding and chair rails to "pop." So I favor a bright, clean, glossy white for those.

Edited by Pawz4me
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm wondering about a cream on top and beige on bottom--just a couple of shades darker, which might be a bit dated, but fits the house. But like Pawz, I don't want too many different shades/colors. I prefer to add most of the contrasts through accent pictures and pieces rather than the walls.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

What if you paint the chair rail a few shades lighter than the walls? It’ll look better without being too contrasty. 

I'm playing around with some ideas. There is a built-in bookcase that they painted green, and I don't like it that color. So I was thinking about a blue. But I do think I prefer neutrals in fixed parts of the house, so am musing over a light tan/beige for the walls, and a darker shade for the bookcase. And then had the thought that using that same darker shade on the chair rails might look nice. It's the opposite of what you suggested, but the concept is the same. I'd also already have the paint, because I will use semi-gloss for the bookcase.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, Jaybee said:

Same colors.  Most of it is kind of an ugly tan, with one wall a dark grayish blue. 

 

16 hours ago, Jaybee said:

I'm wondering about a cream on top and beige on bottom--just a couple of shades darker, which might be a bit dated, but fits the house. But like Pawz, I don't want too many different shades/colors. I prefer to add most of the contrasts through accent pictures and pieces rather than the walls.

I would paint the chair rail white so it stands out and then paint the upper and lower walls off the same color chip, but a darker shade on the bottom. So, when you go to a paint store and look at a paint chip, it usually has six or so colors of the same hue, but the uppermost is the lightest and the lowermost is the darkest. Pick one you like and use a light hue for the upper wall and a few shades darker for the lower wall. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, Quill said:

 

I would paint the chair rail white so it stands out and then paint the upper and lower walls off the same color chip, but a darker shade on the bottom. So, when you go to a paint store and look at a paint chip, it usually has six or so colors of the same hue, but the uppermost is the lightest and the lowermost is the darkest. Pick one you like and use a light hue for the upper wall and a few shades darker for the lower wall. 

As I'm working through this, I think I want to stay with one wall color because the area is kind of "busy" with various colors and textures. There is white in the kitchen, stonework on a wide fireplace wall and a shorter wall across the room, two different kinds of flooring, plus the countertops. Your suggestion is definitely what I would do in a room that needed more interest. I'm trying to tone down the interest a little in this one, ha. But I'm still keeping that option open.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...