In a basic room I usually keep trim the same color; wainscot, door/window casing, cabinets and and crown. In a small half-bath, especially with a dark color it's an "it depends" answer. Depends on sight lines, lighting, how much "trim color" versus "wall" or "non-trim" color. So..."it depends" means I really can't give you a definitive answer on this and thus I'm tossing the paint swatches back into your corner, as it's really dependent on your space. It can be done. Nothing wrong with doing it. But it depends... If you need to break things away and use other colors, often times the cabinets will be the first to be broken away, either through necessity or design. A different finish (stain for example) or a different paint color. Next will be the crown. Black can be difficult in a small room because it eats light. It can be used, often to dramatic effect. But it devours lumens. I'm all for strong colors...or strong "non-colors" depending on how you view black. My office is painted black; black wainscot, black window/door trim, black crown, black floor-to-ceiling bookshelves on one wall, and black file cabinets and high wall cabinets on two other walls. The upper walls are beige or cream-ish cork with a bit of cranberry red in them. But it's larger than a half-bath. But the beauty of paint? Things that don't quite work the way we envisioned can be repaired with a gallon of our next best guess at design happiness.

Do a search for wainscoting--there are lots of different styles including beadboard. The link below is just one example, you can find better examples of the various styles. Here is a link that might be useful: wainscoting

Moonkat, wow, it looks like you're making just great headway. I hope you're not overdoing it as I know overhead work is hard on you, especially on the neck. Ouch! If you have one of those seed-filled u-shaped neck pillows, you can put it in the microwave (for 1-2 mins, no more) just before bed and fall asleep with it wrapped around your neck. Yum. I do that every night all winter long. I'm so happy you got a sander you really like. The right tools make a huge difference to getting the job done -- or even wanting to. Hmmm... I ordered on the 26th, and the due date is "January 30, 2009 - February 4, 2009." I ordered through amazon.com but it's coming from the same place yours did. I am eager to see it - lol. ~~ Laurie, yes you can buy a kit (from http://www.elitetrimworks.com/home.php) but I was just doing my own thing and sort of copying the photo. I have a chop saw and I really like it, though I'm super careful with it because it could take off a finger in a blink. ~~ Helene, oh you did wallpaper over it. I am hoping after my mudding and sanding that my walls will be fine under the wallpaper. But I don't think they're good enough to do that other kind of panelling with the little boxes, at least not yet. The longer wall got super torn up from removing those boards. I like the idea of doing it horizontally. that could save time, too. I'll keep it in mind. ~~ Well, everyone, I am trying to decide if I can make the walls look good enough with the beadboard wallpaper, since the other way is so much work and I'm wearing out. What do you think? If you had a split entry, would you do beadboard panelling on the walls? Or opt for something more formal at your entry?

We had a pipe burst last month and the resulting mitigation work meant that our humidity levels were dry as a bone, even for our Upper Midwest winter climate, for several weeks. I've noticed larger exposed seams in our board and batten, wood floors, and other areas. I've worked with painted woodwork in the past, and, like Jaysmom, I wouldn't use primer as part of a temporary fix. If it bothers you that much, just fill the seams with paint. But, you know, wood floors, moulding, and other wood millwork are going to expand and contract with humidity levels. As eandhl notes, this is proof positive that you have the real deal!