How to Update a Room With a Chair Rail (Dado Rail): Paint Ideas That Work

Should the walls above and below a chair rail be the same color? Should you paint the chair rail to match the wall, or just remove it? When updating a room with a chair rail, it can be hard to know what to do.

Chair rails were once a sign of a fancy-schmancy, 1990s or early 2000s home (along with sponge paint and plastic bag-stuffed valances). Nowadays, they’re a royal PITA for homeowners who want to update their rooms without removing the awkward trim dividing their wall in two.

A chair rail (dado rail) is a horizontal trim running the perimeter of a room approximately 36″ from the floor (standard from the 1990s). A newer chair rail installation might be closer to 40-42″ from the floor, but can depend on ceiling height (for proportion). That said, the words ‘modern’ and ‘chair rail’ are rarely in the same sentence; people aren’t installing chair rails these days – they’re trying to get rid of them.

When it comes down to it, how you update a room with a chair rail (as it relates to paint colors) depends on your home’s age and your style.

How so?

Old homes (the oldies but goodies from the mid- to early parts of this century and older) can pull off a two-color palette more easily than a home from the 70s, 80s, or 90s.

Why? 

We’ll get into that shortly.

As for homes built in the last 50 years, when updating them, the goal is to create a more modern look, one that’s more on par with what’s being currently built.

Modern homes don’t include chair rails – chair rail molding is outdated. So, if your home has a chair rail, the goal is to downplay it rather than accentuate it.

HOW TO PAINT WALLS WITH A CHAIR RAIL

The best approach to walls with a chair rail is the one that suits the home’s style and intentions – if it doesn’t suit your home, it won’t look good. It’s like me trying to wear wide-leg pants. I may think I’m at the height of style, but really, I look like a tree stump.

Let’s break things down into two sections: older homes vs. newer homes…

PAINTING AN OLDER OR HERITAGE HOME WITH CHAIR RAILS

If you have an older home, you can probably pull off a two-color or two-tone palette, whether your wood is stained or painted. Why?

Because the goal with older homes isn’t usually to make them look more ‘modern’. 

• Older homes with rooms that have chair rails often have other decorative moldings, and a great way to set off these moldings is with paint.
• Older homes also suit a two-color palette more than a more modern home because that’s what was done when the home was originally built (often with wallpaper) – it’s authentic and has a certain charm.

Here are some tips to help you choose the best color palette for your upper and lower walls…

• The darker color is usually applied to the lower wall, and the lighter color to the upper wall. If you have moldings on the lower wall, the upper walls can be any depth.
• That said, using a dark color on the top part of the wall can make a room feel more intimate (popular in dining rooms), but it can also weigh the room down and make it feel heavier if the ceiling is too low or the furniture doesn’t ground the space.
• One of the colors is usually a neutral, such as a soft warm white, cream, or beige.
• In heritage homes, the chair rail is often wood. In this case, you might leave it wood or choose to paint it the same color as the lower walls.

While this next one is probably a 1960s build (give or take), its hominess and intentions suit a two-color chair rail palette…

• Consider a two-tone palette (lighter/darker versions of the same color) or a two-color palette (e.g., cream and navy blue).

• Some homes suit a darker color on the lower or upper walls with a coordinated wallpaper as its partner!

While this next home has beadboard on the lower walls, you get the idea…

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By the way, I rely 100% on my Online Color Consulting clients’ photos for my blog. While I don’t have TONS of examples, I know you’ll find the images and info that I do have helpful. 

UPDATING A NEWER (1970s+) ROOM WITH WOOD CHAIR RAIL

Notice that the previous title starts with ‘PAINTING…’ while this one starts with ‘UPDATING…’.

And that’s a critical difference.

When painting an older home with chair rails, it’s often about picking colors that suit the HOME and its heritage rather than what’s trendy and modern.’ In a newer home (the last 50 years or so), the goal is usually to update and modernize it, using paint colors that suit today’s average homeowner.

And while a 1970s, 80s, or 90s home isn’t new, it’s the new kid on the block compared to some of the old fellas, and the goal is usually to make it look as MODERN as possible!

Generally speaking, to UPDATE your chair rail’d room, you’ll want to use 1 paint color on the upper & lower walls. The chair rail should match the trim in your room.

Breaking up your wall with two colors or tones can definitely add a more’ personal’ touch to your home, but personal doesn’t always mean updated. One color gives the most updated look.

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Are there exceptions? HELLS yeah. There are always exceptions, but for the sake of ease and appealing to all of you crazy masses, I like to appeal to the majority.

But for the minority (wink wink)…

A NEWER STYLE HOME WITH A TRADITIONAL VIBE

If you have a newer home (the last 50 years or so) with a chair rail but your personal style is more traditional, consider a two-tone or two-color palette (or just one color if you’re so inclined). Two colors or tones will be a polite nod towards the traditional end of things, as shown in this next dining room with wood crown molding, baseboards, and chair rail…

In this case, it’s not about updating your home, it’s about loving the home you have – and I’m here for it! 

While this next room has more trim than just a chair rail, the beige paint color has lower contrast with the wood trim. These homeowners love this look for their slightly Craftsman-style space…

PAINT COLOR TIPS FOR HOMES WITH CHAIR RAILS

Here are some of my favorite ideas for working with your chair rail, rather than against it…

CHOOSE A LIGHT PAINT COLOR

Assuming your chair rail is painted white, consider an off-white or light shade. This keeps the contrast between walls and trims low, so the chair rail isn’t as much of a focus. Here are some of my favorite off-white paint colors.

The darker your wall color is, the more it will highlight a white chair rail.

DON’T PAINT THE BOTTOM WALLS WHITE

There’s often the temptation to paint the lower walls white, especially when the chair rail is white. Don’t do it, it’s a more dated look. The only way this updates a home is by adding moldings to the lower walls, incorporating the chair rail into a board-and-batten, beadboard, shiplap, or wainscoting application. THEN, by all means, please paint the trims and that lower wall the same white color (as shown below)!

WOOD CHAIR RAILING

If you have a wooden chair rail and don’t plan to remove it or paint it, consider the contrast you want.

• Cool colors like greens, blues, and grays with those undertones can accent the warmth of the wood, making it look stronger.
• Often, the best approach is a moderate depth, warm paint color. There can be a happy medium found with colors like greige and taupe, but they usually need a bit of body and depth.

The cool toned paint color ENHANCES the warmth of the wood chair rail. If you love your wood, well, you’re all good, but for an updated look, lower contrast is best.

AN EASY CHAIR RAIL UPDATE IDEA

While sometimes the best thing to do is take it off (the same thing my hubby says to me), my favorite way to update a chair rail is to convert it into beadboard. However, others opt for board and batten or wainscoting – skill-dependent.

That’s right – it’s time to enhance your wood.

This is a great way to make your chair rail work WITH you rather than against you – moldings like these are modern, coveted features!

1. Do you have the skills to add additional moldings? I don’t have many carpentry skills, but I can handle a simple chair rail upgrade with my limited abilities and two left hands. Plus, there are SO many great how-tos on Pinterest.

2. If you remove the chair rail, will there be a thick layer of paint butting up to it, leaving a ledge around your room? Are you prepared to sand THE LIVING HECK out of this horizontal line, but still possibly never make it entirely go away (or end up with a super smooth area to your more orange-peel texture upper/lower walls)?

While the bathroom above is likely an original installation, you can do the same by adding beadboard between your chair rail and baseboard. This can work better than board-and-batten if your existing baseboards aren’t very thick (battens are often thicker than existing baseboards, although there are ways around that).

Here’s a gorgeous chair rail upgrade…

SOME CHAIR RAIL UPDATE INSPIRATIONS

In the world of decorating and design, visuals make all the difference. The following rooms show upgraded chair rails and wainscoting/board-and-batten ideas for inspiration.

This next dining room has way more charm than it would without its chair rail and wainscoting panels. The white lower walls make this space look more intimate and add character to the otherwise pretty plain-looking walls…

Sherwin Williams Pavestone

This next photo is the perfect example of updating a simple chair rail, except this time, it’s going up the stairs!

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There’s a good chance that the top molding in this next dining room was originally a simple chair rail. By adding wainscoting-style moldings and painting the trim all one color, the chair rail went from dated to amazeballs, including beautiful blue-green walls…

Notice how many rooms with chair rail or lower moldings, look even better with crown molding, too. 

Remember, you don’t have to go overboard. This next living room is a great example of a super simple DIY…

• The homeowners added a narrow horizontal molding approximately six inches beneath the chair rail.
• They painted it ALL the trim color, which gives it a ‘wainscoting’ look without the cost/labor of doing the full-meal deal…

You can see how the above application looks a touch traditional. But that’s not a bad thing, as it also adds personality and visual interest with its crisp, clean contrast.

All it took was one THIN piece of horizontal molding and some white paint (+ blood, sweat, & beer). 

Here’s another beautiful room with what could’ve previously been chair rail, and has box moldings for a wainscoting look…

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

If you didn’t get an answer to your question, you might find it here…

ARE CHAIR RAILS IN STYLE OR OUTDATED?

Chair rails are most definitely outdated. I’d love to tell you otherwise, but I don’t see them coming back in style any time soon.

Chair rails tend to make a room look dated and older, even if it’s a newer home – yes, your 2026 home could look 1990s.

WHAT COLOR SHOULD A CHAIR RAIL BE – THE SAME AS THE WALLS?

I rarely recommend painting a chair rail the same color as the walls. Sure, it will blend in, but it will look like you’re trying to hide it – yet like my passion for Ryan Gosling, white wine, and Cornuts – it’s not very well hidden.

If you don’t love your chair rail, don’t paint your walls a dark color like this. These guys decided to lean in, and that’s cool, too! 

Your chair rail should be painted the same as the rest of your trim, no matter its color (usually white in a satin finish).

Schlong story short, unless it’s wood (no pun intended), your chair rail should almost always be the same color as the rest of your trim, NOT your walls. 

WHAT COLORS LOOK BEST ABOVE & BELOW A CHAIR RAIL?

If it’s a painted white chair rail, the best, most modern colors are in the off-white range. These light colors are low contrast with white trim, making the chair rail look less obvious.

As for below the chair rail – the same color as what’s on top – assuming your home was built after 1970 or so. If you have a heritage home, ooooo, those glorious old wooden trims are a whole different topic!

SUMMARY (TL;DR)

• If your home was built after 1970, consider painting the same color above and below the chair rail. Keeping this a light, low-contrast color will help the chair rail blend in.
• The chair rail is usually painted the same color as the trim.
• Heritage homes often handle tw-color chair rail palettes better than newer homes.
• The best solution for newer homes is to remove the chair rail.

So there you have it: some great paint color/layout options, as well as one of my favorite chair rail ideas. Have you done something wild and wonderful with your chair rail? Want to show it to me? I’d love to see it! In the meantime, check out these blog posts…

RELATED POSTS

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Get the best paint color & home update advice with Kylie M’s Online Color Consulting! 

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN A LOOONG TIME AGO. UPDATED FOR FRESH AND RELEVANT CONTENT FOR 2026!