I want to do the type where you have a chair rail and you make rectangles on the wall with moulding. Did you paint your wainscoting stark white? Or some tone of white? Or some other color?

Satin finish? Semigloss?

Anyone have pictures to share, or experiences to share?

Oh, one more question. Why can't we just lightly sand the texture off our textured walls? That's easier (and cheaper) than putting up board. I've sanded a lot of texture off prior to wallpapering in years past. So has anyone done it for this purpose?

Very pretty. I love florals!

I am in the process of doing the wall picture frame moldings in my dining room. A very good book to get is "Decorating with Architectural Trimwork" by Jay Silber. He also has very beautiful pictures. I picked up the book at Home Depot a few years ago.

Also there is a poster who posted pictures of her stairwell in the Best Projects of 2008 (I think that was the name of the thread). She has been very generous in answering questions.

I haven't gotten to the actual wall framing yet, because I decided to replace the baseboard molding first, then couldn't find what I wanted, and have ended up having to route some of the stuff myself. A real learning process, as I have absolutely no experience in wood working. DH has been a great help, although he can't understand why anyone would care about what their baseboards looked like!

Can't help with the wall question. I worry about lead paint on any wall that could have been painted before the 1970's, when sanding.

oceana, search under "jesemy" and you'll find great inspiration and details about doing a killer staircase. Or maybe that's not the right word, don't want any slips -- how about a dropdead beautiful staircase? No, that's not right either...um...a spring-happily-to-life-on-the-beautiful-flowered-carpet-staircase?

Yeah. That seems better :)

Thanks, Barb! I know it's prettier in person than in the picture... in real life the floral part and the pink doesn't jump out at you... but I am thinking maybe everyone else is thinking it's ugly and they don't want to say anything. sniff! :(

Thanks -- I'll look for that book next time I'm at the hardware store. Wow -- you're learning to use a router? Good for you! I should.

I hope you will post pictures on what you're doing.

Question... would that carpet look better with white on the lower walls? That means I have to carefully tape the edges of the new carpet and paint those side boards (are those called stringers?) white... and keep painting all the woodwork around there white, I guess... although the wood next to the FC really looks pretty. This has been weighing on my mind.

Flyleft, thanks, yes "Jesemy!" Oh dear... back to that Golden Triangle thing then, and I have NO idea how that relates to wainscoting. Haha on your staircase comments! I definitely do NOT want a "drop dead" staircase.

I do wish it photographed better. It looks just awful in the pic. But I'm also thinking it doesn't look good with the gold tone in the paint, that a tan tone would be better around it, or just plain white. ??? I am thinking white wainscotting and Navajo White above it. I did that in my last house in the family room and it was just elegant.

I hesitated replying until I read that you're considering painting the trim. Your stair carpet is lovely, and believe it would be gorgeous next to white woodwork. Was not going to say this 'cuz, dang, would have been so much easier before carpet went in, I know:>/ Still, painters do it all the time, so def. can be done. The results would be elegantly beautiful and very worth it, IMO.
The Silber book barb mentions is a Creative Homeowner book. We used 2 of these, Arch. Trimwork and Arch. details, both at Home Depot. All of The Creative Homeowner books have great photos.

Thanks, Leah! I'm going to Lowe's, so I'll see what they have in the way of books. I really love what Jesame did to her stairs and that's what I have in mind.

She scared me a bit on figuring out the angles, though. I'm going to look for an angle thingy at the hdwre store. Do you think if I ask for a "thingy" they'll know what I'm wanting? ;-)

Have no fear, the books mentioned will spell it all out for you with excellent photos....great resource. You can design your frames vertically or horizontally, in squares or rectangles, all for different effects. Can't wait to see the finished product!

I love your new carpet! I have always loved pink and green.

I have some photos of picture frame molding under the chair rail in my dining room, if that helps at all.

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

The carpet is beautiful and I like the wood sides.
We made angle thing for our stairs, if that's what you mean.
Make the pattern from cardboard, cut the wood with a jig saw, sand and stain or paint it.
Joann

Your stairs remind me of a lovely inn I stayed at in England a few years ago. The color are happy and fun and different from the beige that you see in many homes. ENJOY!

Oceanna...very lovely choice of carpet and I should think it go's with your Victorian decor well, but I am no pro. I also think it looks great with the woodwork but the wainscot will be cool too. Boy o Boy, things are gettin lively around their, the new dining table...lucky, lucky you!!

Oh, thank you! You're all making me feel better.

Daisyadair, your DR is just lovely! Thanks for the pics.

Deltabreeze, that's neat that it looks British. Well, that's what I thought. I didn't want it to look Ronald McDonald, nor did I want it to be just one more boring beige staircase.

Joann, what a great idea to make a cardboard pattern.

I got the wood/paint for the panelling today. I decided to cop out and do board and batten because it will be so much easier/faster, and still will look nice, I think. If it works, I'll probably go throughout the house with it. Or maybe with the boxes (but they're a bear on staircases).

Now I'm dreading painting those side boards white and trying to keep the white paint off the new carpet. Yikes! Has anyone here done that? I have a drop cloth and painters tape, and I also got a wide, oh, scraper type of spatula thingy I can stick down there to hold the carpet back as I paint I think/hope. Hints are welcome! Wish I'd done that when the carpet was off, but the installers would never have put up with that and I was afraid if I stripped the carpet earlier my dog would step on those stickery things and I'd have a vet bill. Oh well, huh?

Then I get to sand off all the bumps on the lower part of the wall. THEN and only then I can build my wainscotting. I'm really excited to see it. Oh, and I'm going to repaint the whole entry, take the yellow out of the tan. It's a pale tan with as little red and yellow as I could find. That's a horrid painting job because it's 2 stories up over stairs in some places. So I'll be using a pole a lot. I think/hope it will be gorgeous when it's done.

As for tips on next to carpet painting: Isn't there a painting forum, or how about poster called "paintchips"? Once was a painter called Michael, "brushworks, I think. You could try to call out to them for this. You're going so quickly I'm guessing you're related to renofan! Be careful and rent a scaffold if the long pole doesn't work. No ladders up that high! As for board and batten, we l;earned it doesn't much matter what you do, the added wood work is such a plus, whatever! Can't wait to see:>)

I love your stairs! I never thought of a floral carpet for my stairs. Who made it? I think that just went in my book of ideas when it comes time to replace ours.
It is not hard to keep paint off floors and carpet, you just need to make sure you use a dropcloth and tape it down securely so it doesnt come off.
The hardest part is the plastic is slippery to walk on especially on stairs. We have done it a couple of times so jsut take care. I also put paint in a smaller can so I am not walking with a whole open gallon.

Oceanna, that carpeting if very, very pretty. And personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with the wood trim!!! In fact, I wouldn't paint it!

But I think maybe what others see is yellow walls (or are they tan with a yellow hue?) next to green/pink/blue carpeting and that throws it all off. I would first leave the natural wood alone, then try painting the lower part of your walls (up to the handrail) in white and then a very light blue or light green (in the same family as your carpet color) in the section above the handrails.

You just put down those gorgeous wood floors! Gosh, I wouldn't be too hasty in covering up the natural wood trim on your stairs. :)

Now that's just my two cents and yep, when we get ready to redo our stairs, I'm going to look for a pattern! It looks great! Congrats!!!

Leahcate, I remember Michael. Is Paintchips a professional painter? The problem is I need to get right next to the carpet, kind of like painting a baseboard without removing it. Tricky stuff. I have a ladder that goes on two stairsteps at once -- but it's really heavy. I don't know how to get scaffolding. Renofan finishes jobs, bless her -- let's see if I finish. I know I'm good at starting. hehe I have one chair done, 5 to go, but it's such a high seeing them done that I'm hoping that will carry me straight through to completion. Then this job.

Cooperbailey, the carpet was made by Milliken for residential use. http://xweb2.milliken.com/candr_public/ and http://www.millikencarpet.com/Americas/Residential/Carpet/Pages/default.aspx. I found this at a carpet remnant place, so you might want to look around. I couldn't afford to have the stairs covered in fancy wood and buy a runner, a look I love, so this was the next best for me. At least this way I didn't have to sit on the stairs sanding them and pulling thousands of staples. That was my other choice -- yuck. I saw this and it just made me smile.

I thought about the slipperiness today as I stood in the store with a plastic drop cloth in hand -- I could see me flying down the stairs. So I will just cover a few inches out from the wall, not the whole step.

I love your idea of just taking a small container of paint.

I still remember the day my young son spilled an entire gallon of paint into my sofa in the living room, over the carpet. Yikes that was a fun cleanup (not). We were running out the door with it asap as it was dripping across the floor. I turned the hose on it in the patio. lol!

Barb, I'm enjoying that book. Thanks so much for recommending it.

Today I got the inner stringers on both sides of both staircases (7 steps up, 6 steps down) all primed. I skipped the tape and dropcloth, and just used a 10" wide thing like a putty knife, as a shield. That worked out fine.

I also primed the front door inside, all the baseboards in the vicinity, front door trim, sidelight trim, flat bannister, and my hair. Didn't finish the basement door and through the laundry room, but I can do that later. To those of you who suggested I turn all that trim white -- you were right! It's going to look a LOT better.

Now I'm trying to do measuring and designing of what I'm going to do. So far, I don't know what I'm doing so I'll read the book and hope that helps.

Oceanna- no no no- you need to cover the whole staircase with the drop cloth! If you are careful with putting it on fitted somewhat and dont get the cheapest grade it tears too much.
Don't wear just socks( whoops!) wear sneakers.
There is a tool that is wide and kinda like a spatula that you hold at an angle at the joint between the floor and the wall. It may even be for working with dry wall. It just looked like it would do the trick for me.It pushes down the covered carpet and allows you to get a straight bead with the paint brush. You do this all along the floor.
Always have a damp cloth to wipe up paint booboos.
And take off shoes everytime you step off of the dropcloth so you dont track paint through your house.
I don't do scaffoldings either. I am sure paintbrushes will have even better methods of how to proceed.

Painters say NEVER to use plastic as "drop cloths". Plastic is for covering windows while you paint and chandeliers and things. Plastic is too slippery to walk on and tears. Dripped paint on plastic stays wet and you end up stepping on it no matter how careful you are. (Don't aks me how I know this.) Painters use heavy canvas. Paint drips hitting heavy canvas "dries" and you do not have that problem. At least use a canvas drop cloth for under the area you are paintng and cover the rest in plastic and just move the canvas around.

You can rent scaffolding but it is expensive. Do you have a church or something similar, who would let you borrow theirs or charge a small fee? I think in such a confined area you should do a ladder through.

It sound like you are really enjoying the project and can envision the results already. The white trim is going to really reflect light and make the area seem brighter.

That is a very pretty carpet. Floral was a good choice to go with the Victorian flavor of the furnishings.