I must admit I have never seen board and batten done below a chair rail. Is it possible you mean beadboard?

I think you will find there are many people who have done a two-tone paint treatment like that. But perhaps if there are going to be many imperfections in the wall, the better thing would be to paint the whole wall the same color, rather than draw more attention to it, and just paint your chair rail in your trim color for now.

Beadboard is not necessarily a gloss finish, by the way, so don't be concerned about that.

Good luck with everything. It is never as simple as we anticipate, is it?

Unless you have a very large room, white below and dark above tends to make a room "lean in"....that is the top dark part of the walls will appear nearer than the bottom part.
I would paint both parts the same color and perhaps do a bit of faux texturing on the part below the chair rail.
Linda C

In my 1913 dining room, I have the original stamped tin below the chair rail. I wanted the tin to stand out and not be the same color as above the rail. I struggled with what color to paint it but finally decided on an off white with yellow undertones that is a different white than the trim. Above it and on the ceiling is a Laura Ashley gold.

les917: yes, people have done a faux B&B using an existing chair rail just by adding in some vertical lattice pieces. Maybe pseudo-faux B&B is a better term?

Linda: I understand what you are saying, but I like the look like in the picture above. I'm wondering if I can get the same feel without the texture. But I have noticed most people seem to prefer the darker color on the bottom. I like the opposite in pictures, but maybe in real life I won't?

marita40: That room is lovely! I wonder if a similar feel can be accomplished without the texture (tin).

I'd say Marita40's beautiful room is a great "mockup" of just what yours would look like, since the texture of the stamped tin doesn't show on here.....not on my screen, anyway. So that's what yours would look like! Good 'nuff until you can get the woodwork done, imo...if you like marita40's. I must disagree with linda re small rooms. We have 3 bedrooms and a den...all about 16X12 ish, and they all are white below the chair and color abov, with white crown gorgeous...imnsho! :>) Just go for it!

I've also done this, both with picture frame molding below, and without. I think it looks great, and I agree that it does not make the room appear to lean in. Here is my living room with just white (no picture frame molding below). Hard to see because furniture is up against wall, but hopefully you get the idea.

{{!gwi}}

I always like to see white beadboard/wainscoting at the bottom half of the wall.

Great, glad others think it will work and/or have done it. Thanks for the picture! I'll start with just white walls and hopefully can add trim some time in the future.

Our dining room has chair rail with white below. There is picture frame moulding placed on the lower wall so it looks like expensive wainscoating.

In other areas of our home we have beadboard below the chair rail that is painted white with a color on the top half of the wall.

I definitely think that white below the chair rail works just fine.

"It brightens up a room so much to have white below! I actually think it makes the room open up and feel larger, not lean in -- especially for smaller rooms. "

I agree completely. White on the bottom half is a very classic, finished look to me. I don't understand les's reply, since I have only seen B&B BELOW a chair rail. I think it will look good white until you get around to the faux B&B treatment, but lovely when you get time to finish it.

I don't think the finish of paint will matter much, but wainscoting/B&B/other wood treatment is typically done to match trim (which is slightly glossy, right?) My hubby did a wide beadboard & chair rail in a couple rooms.... when it was just a flat, white primer, it still looked good :)

Last weekend I bought paint for my dining room. I love the color, but in the back of my mind I question if it might be too dark. These pictures have provided another option. If I feel it IS too dark, I think I'll try to mimic the moulding shown by dawnp! Thanks!

You're welcome Amj!

I have white below in my very small sitting room~ I don't feel that it makes the room look smaller or more closed in at all.

Here it is in my DR as well:

Good luck with your makeover and don't forget to share the outcome~ :)

Wow, you guys have such pretty homes. Even once I'm done I don't think I could share pictures.

I have done white below in my last 2 dining rooms. The first was a green above and this house has a chocolate brown above. I absolutely love it. I also did a board and batten treatment in my upstairs hallway with gray above and I love it too! I definitely like the look of color above/white below.

I like a lighter color below a chair railing too. Beautiful homes!

All of these pictures are beautiful!

I painted our family room with white satin below the chair rail and love the results! The top half of the wall is Benjamin Moore's Rodeo. I also painted the fireplace white to match.

We are in the process of doing this in our sitting room (SMALL living room). The paint above will be a sandy beige. We've already done this in a bedroom with blue above. A semi-gloss white is so easy to keep clean, take a Magic Eraser to or do touch-up painting on.

Here is a site with DIY B&B that might give you more info. I think for now you could paint the bottom white and add white boards when you are able to. I really like the look.

Here is a link that might be useful: How to B&B

So glad to see these posts, as I've been wondering how it would look to paint white below the chair rail in my dining room. Looks like a great decision!