# colors of crown molding and chair rail



## dolphin800

Wanted to know if it was ok to paint crown molding and chair rail the same color but not the same color as the walls and ceiling. I am painting the ceiling white, the walls blue and I wanted to incorporate a tan in the room. would painting the crown molding and chair rail tan be ok? thx


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## sausagefingers

More than ok, you SHOULD paint them a different color. There is no point in even putting the stuff on your walls if it's going to be the same color as everything else. You should do the baseboard the same color as the crown and rail too.


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## Dana11

Don't need to match them with the wall match colors all your furniture. 


Dana


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## almasu

absolutely not!!! unless you are never selling the house or plan to repaint it later. 

I live in an older house with beautiful thick molding everywhere, but thoughtless previous owner decided to paint the molding in most rooms blue. It is a VERY personal taste and I HATE it! HATE IT! It is a painstaking and time consuming job to repaint and if you don't have the time, patience or resources to sand down every piece, it looks like old molding under heavy paint. 

Think of resale value before doing something as unconventional. I for one would never again buy a house with colored molding.


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## Vikki Foley

You can paint the crown and chair rail a light tan but I would not darker than 70 LRV (light reflectivity value). The ceiling can go a white (or off white) and drywall above the your blue color. 

The point is to have *contrast* between the millwork, e.g, crown and chair rail, and the dry wall colors, e.g, ceiling and walls.

Happy painting!

Vikki Foley


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## vsheetz

For resale and wide appear, I would do the ceiling in a color a few shades lighter than the walls - walls and ceiling using a flat finish. And all the moldings (crown, base, chair, case) a white using SW waterborne enamel in semi-gloss finish.


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## Deedle

It doesn't sound like you are painting for resale so I say GO WITH WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY! If you want to add tan into the room, your idea is a great way to do it. I agree that the baseboard, chair rail, and crown molding should all match but it's fine that they are different from the walls and ceiling. Definitely make sure the ceiling is a matte finish or it will reflect any and all imperfections.

Tan can be a tricky color so make sure you compare paint chips with the blue you are using and even paint a sample to compare. I have found "tan" can end up looking a lot GREENER or YELLOWER than you intended if you're not careful!


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## Italgrl

*I agree, they should be a different color.*

Something neutral, something elegant. You don't want to be trendy with molding. 

Mine were stained a dark stain when I bought the house. I thought I would paint them white, but my interior decorator friend talked me out of it.


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