My husband is a professional painter and always comes home with little tidbits he picks up from different jobs.  He just finished working on a house that needed the entire interior painted and he had to deal with a chair rail.  The customer wanted the chair rail going all throughout the living room and dining room with two paint tones: one on top and one on the bottom.  Now chair rails can make a room look fantastic and give you the opportunity to use the two paint tones in one room, but if you are putting it in yourself or adding one to your home remodel project there are some things to consider.

First off, what the heck is a chair rail?  They are a type of molding that runs horizontally along interior walls of rooms where chairs are commonly placed.  This usually means dining rooms and kitchens, but they can be used anywhere.  The original purpose of chair rail was to prevent the backs of chairs from damaging plaster walls but are now used mostly for decorative purposes.  They are also used many times in conjunction with wainscoting (a piece of paneling placed between the baseboard and chair rail originally used to counteract cold and dampness).  Chair rails add a lot of character and interest to your home as well as give it a bit of a historical look, in my opinion.

So now that we know what we’re dealing with here, let me give you a few tips and tricks when dealing with these chair rails.  The main thing you want to realize is that it is best to know you want the rail prior to having someone come in and paint your room (or prior to your DIY project).  Having this decision made and informing your construction crew prior to the work will give them less of a headache and give you a gorgeous room in less time.  And speaking of construction crews, here are a few suggestions from my husband who just finished working with them:

1. If you are painting an entire room, put up the chair rails first before you start the painting.  Paint the rails with a paint sprayer and then paint your walls (cutting in along the rails). He recommends this for continuity purposes in newer style homes where most painting is sprayed.  However, if you have a craftsman home, an older style, where everything has been brushed in, then go ahead a brush the chair rails.  But spraying them will be easier, faster and give a smoother finish.
2. If you are putting the chair rails in your home yourself, it’s best and easier to attach them with an adhesive as opposed to nails. It will stick just fine and you won’t have to worry about the problems that can arise with nails.  By using nails, you have to be concerned with not only putting holes in you walls, finding studs and having to patch the nail head holes (sanding them for smoothness), but when you put a nail into the rails you need expert precision.  Otherwise ridges will be created and the wall will look wobbly.  If using a professional, they will know the best way for their expertise.
3. Lastly, take your time to do it right.  Because these rails will be only a few feet up from your floor, you and your guests will be looking at them forever.  You want straight paint lines as well as a straight and smooth chair rail.  This styling is gorgeous and you’ll want perfection.