How to Paint a Wall Chair Rail

Last Updated: March 29, 2019

A chair rail is a strip of railing that runs horizontally around a wall. It is usually a few feet (m) up from the baseboard. A chair rail is only a few inches (cm) wide. Chair rails are supposed to be at a place on the wall that a chair would hit against them if pulled back against the wall. You can paint a wall chair rail by following a few steps.

Steps

1
Purchase the paint you will use to paint the chair rail. You will need to decide what color paint you want to purchase and what type of paint to purchase. It is usually best to use semi-gloss paint. Most people use the same paint for chair rails that is used around window and door trim. The paint store can help you with how much paint you should buy.
2
Place a drop cloth on the floor under the chair rail. This will serve to catch any dust while you are sanding and drips of paint when you are painting.
3
Sand the chair rail to get it in good condition to paint. If there seems to be a lot of dust on the chair rail, you may want to clean it well before using the sandpaper.
4
Apply narrow painter's tape along the top and bottom edges of the chair rail. The painter's tape will allow you to paint a perfectly straight line. You can seal the edges of the painter's tape by going over the tape with a putty knife. You do this to keep paint from getting up under the tape.
5
Stir the paint very well in the paint can. Most paint stores will give you a paint stirrer for this purpose.
6
Use a 2 inch (5 cm) paint brush to apply paint to the chair rail. Check that the type of paint brush you are using works with the type of paint you use.
7
Dip the brush into the paint and wipe across the inside edge of the can to remove excess paint.
8
Apply the paint along the chair rail using long strokes. Apply the paint evenly and smoothly. It will not hurt if you get paint on the painter's tape.
9
Allow the paint to dry completely overnight. Carefully remove the painter's tape and discard.