I think many people just do the molding rectangles on top of the drywall. Painted in a semigloss, the whole lower wall gives the look of wainscoting. You could put thin paneling on the lower wall first, but I think you'd probably have to remove the existing chair rail beforehand and run the paneling under it, then reinstall (a lot more work for probably not much better results than just the molding). You can even by preassembled rectangle moldings at Lowes in two or three different sizes. Custom is cheaper and might look better as you can plan the dimensions just right, and all you need is a miter saw or box to cut the molding and a brad nailer to attach it (or construction adhesive).

We did it in our DR....we already had the chair rail like you. I measured out what size boxes I needed - keeping the windows in mind & the distance between the chair rail......box ......and baseboard so it would all be even.

We used a pneumatic brad nailer, filled in nail holes & caulked. I bought chair rail that was already primed. I used the same paint I use for my trim thru out the house.
Here is a before photo...

Here is a pic during....before I installed the moulding I primed & put one coat of paint on the walls. (Sisal rug is gone b/c some little black & white dog thought it must have smelled like grass & thought he was going "potty outside!")

And here is an after....
{{!gwi}}

My DH made the cuts for me but I did everything else and I did like that nail gun!!

Smiles:)

Yah, we did it.

We had chair rail and baseboard; we attached the picture frame molding directly to the wall, then painted the whole thing in gloss white. It looks just like actual wainscoting.

There is a great thread on this somewhere with diagrams on how to space and size the picture frames. Maybe someone can help you find it.

Ditto as mclarke, except that our contractor is working on it right now.

Would you guys think the same thing would look good in the FR with TV and sofas ? I'm right now debating between this, beadboard paneling or just a chair rail for the FR. Is there a norm that FR's should or should not have this? I'm confused. Any advice would greatly help, thanks.

Our contractor did the measuring and cutting and then nailgun to the wall. Our painter came up with the idea of the colors. This is the music room. The color above the chairrail is Belgian waffle a really pale yellow....the 2 other colors are on the same paint sample strip. Hope this helps.

{{!gwi}}

Trailrunner, it looks beautiful, very nice color scheme. Not sure if we can play around with colors like this on panels, but this is one of the advantages that I see with the frames. I have to start thinking my FR in this way and make a decision soon. Thank you.

Hmmm, do you think trailrunner's paint scheme would work with stained woodwork (paint background color, stained frames, and different color inside the frames)? I don't want to paint all my woodwork, but do like the look of the panels.

Here's a link - scroll on down to Magnaverde's post and he explains just how to do it right!

Here is a link that might be useful: picture frame molding

ajsmama, I've been looking at lot of pictures lately for this and I haven't seen any with stained wood(at least so far) so don't have a good idea. But I think it might really depend on the colors you choose.

THANK YOU vcheethi! It is a little hard to see the true creamy yellow and then the other 2 colors. But it really looks great IRL. The adjacent foyer is also the Belgian Waffle--upper color so it all ties together. Here are a couple more pics. We put an extra mirror( from our master bath) behind the glass shelves and then painted the side walls. I have some of my turned bowls in there. I love the reflection. I can also take more pics if it would help anyone.

ajsmama: I think the stained wood would look great with the right paint colors. If you either stain another piece of wood to take "shopping" with you or take a piece of your molding that you pop off I bet you can find earthy colors that will really look good. FYI the Olympic Brand piants at Lowes have these great color family folders that I use. I get the paints made in BM but the color family folders are better than any other brand that I have found. What are the other colors in your den? Also since it is a den I think you can get away with a more rustic earthy look. PLease do post colors and wood color etc on another thread so we can all see. I think it would be great fun to see something less formal done in this way. c

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

Here is a site with very useful info on frame width, height and how many etc HTH!.

Here is a link that might be useful: installing picture frame moulding or Appliques