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

When updating a room with a chair rail (also known as a dado rail), it can be hard to know what to do. 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?

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.

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO UPDATE A CHAIR RAIL?

In most homes built in 1970 and after, the best way to modernize a wall with a chair rail is to…

a) Paint the chair rail itself the same color as the trim.

b) Paint the walls above and below the chair rail the same color.

However, given the varying home styles, rooms, and personal tastes, that isn’t always the best answer. In fact, sometimes there are better ways to work with a chair rail, including a 2-color palette, wallpaper, additional moldings, and more, which we’re looking at shortly. But first (or headfirst, you do you)…

WHAT IS A CHAIR RAIL OR DADO RAIL?

A chair rail (dado rail) is a horizontal trim running the perimeter of a room approximately 36″ – 42″ from the floor (standard from the 1990s).

The term ‘dado rail’ is more common in the UK (I love my UK peeps!) If you have a beautiful example, I’d absolutely love to see it! (kylie@kylieMinteriors.ca)

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

How so?

Old, historic homes with painted or wood chair or dado rails are my favorites. These 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, but a lot of it comes down to character and authenticity.

For homes built in the last 50 years, the common goal is to create a more modern look. A more modern, updated look is one that’s in line with current construction…and chair rail ain’t it.

Modern homes don’t include chair rails; chair rail molding is outdated for the average residential home.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

HOW TO PAINT YOUR UPPER & LOWER 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…

My client’s home shown above is 1990s with more vintage-style furniture. A room like this could potentially pull off a 2-COLOR palette, given the furniture’s style.

PAINTING AN OLDER OR HERITAGE HOME WITH CHAIR RAILS

If you have an older home with a dado or chair rail, you can probably pull off a two-color or two-tone palette. And this is true whether your chair rail is wood or painted. Why?

The goal with older homes isn’t usually to make them look more ‘modern’. Sure, you can, but more often it’s about preserving its character and charm, and enhancing its natural features. 

• Older homes with rooms that have chair rails often have other decorative wood or painted moldings. A great way to set off these moldings is with the right paint color.
• Older homes also suit a two-color palette because that’s often what was done when the home was originally built (paint or wallpaper) – it’s authentic and has a certain charm.
• Historic homes often have high-quality wood trim, moldings, floors, and doors. These old woods can be friggin’ glorious, and it’s fun to find colors that PLAY with them!

Again, if you have an older home with a chair or dado rail, I’d love to see it – the more examples the merrier! 

My next client’s home has gorgeous red grasscloth wallpaper with tan lower walls, trim, and built-ins…

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

• The darker color is often applied to the lower wall, and the lighter color to the upper wall. If you have moldings or wallpaper on the lower wall, the upper walls can be any depth.
• Using a dark color on the top part of the wall can make a room feel more intimate (popular in dining rooms). Keep in mind, it can also weigh the room down 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. You might leave it natural/stained or paint it the same as the lower walls.

The Best Paint Colors With Dark, Historic Wood

While my next client’s home is probably a 1960s build, its hominess suits 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). Warm off-white paint colors are popular and easy to coordinate with.

• Some chair rails suit a darker color on the lower or upper walls with a coordinated wallpaper. Whether you choose a dark blue-gray, medium to dark green, or a moody shade of greige, you can have a lot of fun with a chair/dado rail!

This next home has beadboard on the lower walls and wallpaper on the uppers – it looks amazeballs…

By the way, I rely 99.5% on my Online Paint Color Consulting clients, followers, friends, and personal files for photos for my blog. 

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

When painting an older home with chair rails, it’s often about picking colors that suit the home’s heritage and character, 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. To do this, you use paint colors that suit today’s average homeowner.

This next dining room shows a 1990s dining room with a thin chair rail…

In this case, my client’s best, most budget-friendly choice for updating this room was to paint the walls above and below the chair rail the same color.

Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray

While a 1970s, 80s, or 90s home isn’t new, it’s the new kid on the block compared to the old fellas. And while some want to keep it OG, 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 be painted the same color as the other trim in your room.

Breaking up your wall with two colors or tones can definitely add a more, ahem, personal touch to your home. Just remember, personal doesn’t always mean updated – 1 color above/below gives the most updated look.

5 Ideas to Update a 1990s Home

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…

I love that my client kept their dark wood trim, as it adds a homey, intimate feel. In this case, even if the home is 1990s, it really suits its 2-color palette.

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…

The Best Paint Colors With Wood Finishes

Even though my next client’s home has a high-contrast chair rail/wall palette, with the white window trim, shutters, and crown molding, it looks right at home…

ADD WALLPAPER ABOVE OR BELOW YOUR CHAIR RAIL

Adding wallpaper to a room with a chair rail is a great way to update AND add character and personality.

While it’s not as easy to see (we saw this room earlier), this next 1950’s home has a textured red, grasscloth wallpaper above the chair rail, and the lower walls are painted to match the room’s trim and built-in cabinet (Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan)…

The Best Non-White Interior Trim Paint Colors

AN AFFORDABLE 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, board-and-batten, or wainscoting.

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

Make your chair rail work WITH you rather than against you – moldings like these are modern, coveted features!

Here’s another 1990s or early 2000s home, this time with more traditional, dark red-toned furniture.

This room definitely leveled up with the lower moldings and looks gorgeous with its warm gray wall color.

MODERN CHAIR RAIL UPDATE IDEAS

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 with my limited abilities and 2 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? Do you understand it might never entirely go away (you could end up with a super smooth horiziontal line on your 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 thick (battens are often thicker than existing baseboards, although there are ways around that).

This dining room (below) has more charm than it would without its wainscoting. The white lower walls make this space look more intimate and add character to the otherwise pretty plain-looking walls (although I’d love another 6″ of it…that’s what she said).

Sherwin Williams Pavestone

With a little bit of skill (surprisingly, not a ton), you can make your chair rail into a beautiful feature.

In this next room, my client not only added wallpaper for personality. They also installed box molding under the chair rail, creating wainscoting, which is a timeless look…

Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White

This next home has beadboard (buy it in sheets at Home Depot) to fill in the gap between the chair rail and baseboard…

The Best Green-Gray Paint Colors

While some might paint the lower walls/trim a timeless shade of white, others add personality with a color like Sherwin Williams Evergreen Fog.

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

How to Update a 1990s Staircase

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

The above application looks a touch traditional. But that’s not a bad thing, as it also adds 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 box moldings for a wainscoting look…

The Best, Fool-Proof White Paint Colors

EXPERT PAINT COLOR TIPS FOR ROOMS 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 for your upper/lower walls. 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 to do this is to add moldings to the lower walls for a wainscoting/beadboard/etc look (shown below)!

The Best Richer, Golden Beige Paint Colors

WOOD CHAIR RAIL OR DADO 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. A happy medium can be 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.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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

ARE CHAIR RAILS OUT OF STYLE?

Chair rails are most definitely outdated. I’d love to tell you otherwise, but they aren’t coming back in style any time soon. I’ve worked on hundreds of new and 1 to 15-year-old homes this year alone, and not ONE single one has chair rail on its walls.

However, if you have a historic home, they’re not an issue; they can be an asset – a feature to play with.

SHOULD A CHAIR RAIL BE TRIM COLOR OR 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! 

As shown in the above dining room, a chair rail should be painted the same as the rest of your trim.

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. 

SHOULD YOU KEEP OR REMOVE YOUR CHAIR RAIL OR DADO RAIL?

It depends…

• If you have a heritage home and your trim and moldings are quality and beautiful, I suggest keeping them and working them into your design.
• Homes built in the last 50 years don’t always have the highest quality wood or painted chair rails, and often make a room look more outdated. While there are ways to integrate them into your design (as discussed in this blog post), removing them can be the point of least resistance for those who aren’t DIY-friendly. Seriously, though, adding some extra trim REALLY isn’t that hard, I swear!

Please consider how many layers of wall paint may be attached to your chair or dado rail. It can take a TON of work (fill/sand/fill/sand/fill/sand) to try and even out the walls – even then, sometimes there’s still a horizontal ‘ghost’ strip around the room.

SUMMARY

• 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 two-color chair rail palettes better than newer homes.
• The best solution for newer homes is to remove the chair rail.
• To update a room with a chair rail, consider wallpaper above or below the chair rail.
• Adding moldings between the chair rail and baseboard creates a board and batten, wainscoting, or beadboard look, which can give a room more character.

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

5 Ideas to Update Your 1990s Home

How to Update Your Home on a Budget

How to Update Your Kitchen on a Budget

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Updated with new content and images in 2026