I think so, especially in the living room. In my dining room it would have damaged the walls too much to remove it so I just painted it the same color as the wall, but used enamel.

Well if the Property Brothers said it, it must be true!

I dont think it is really out of style. I do believe it is timeless, since it was put into houses many many years ago,and all the years in between. I dont personally like it, and would remove it. However, I might be able to live with it in a dining room, never a living room. To me, it makes a room look chopped up., and small.

They are not out of style. But, it costs labor and materials to install them. Most builders look for areas to cut expenses and this is one of them. Mass design is driven by cost. Do what you like and what you want.

Personally, I've never liked the look of two different colors on the wall. I'd rather have the same color on upper and lower. But, that's me.

I'm wondering why it matters to you?

Dated, outdated, trendy, fashionable, au courant....what difference does it make? If you like it, then like it. If you don't like it, then don't like it.

These types of questions confuse me, a bit.

The way I think about is, do the chair rails go with the look I want. I have a modernist Mediterranean style house in Norther California. Chair rails would not go well with my walls of glass and lack of ornamentation. In a different house, chair rails would look wonderful. If you want a contemporary look (the Property Bros' style,) ditch the chair rails. If you have a traditional house with millwork, consider keeping them.

PS I think it's easy to get confused by all the choices we have and the rapid turnover of styles. I have very strong opinions about how any room looks except bathrooms. When I have to deal with remodeling a bathroom, I get confused and can't quite sort out what is on trend, versus what is classic, versus what I like for real vs what I like because I have seen 10,000 images of that thing.

My house is contemporary, so no crown moulding, fancy baseboards or chair rails. It's not that these things are "dated" but that they don't work with the clean simple lines of my house. On the other hand, the absence of these things would look odd in an English country home. Go by the style of your house, not by the dubious wisdom of the Property Brothers.

As others have said, it all depends on the style of the house. Back in the late eighties I saw a lot of this in my area:

I tend to view the above look as from another era and not necessarily in a good way. The look below (actually wainscoting) has a decidedly classic feel and seems to add a richness to a space. Skimpy chair railing can look cheap IMO, but could perhaps be reworked into wainscoting if the look is desired.

IdaClaire yes! That is what I meant by dated. Wainscoting is different than a chair rail.

All the new builds in my area have chair rails in the DR. They are not dated in these homes. And, as others said, it’s according to your style. I love mIne.

A chair rail serves a great function if you have a tight dining room and want to protect expensive wall paper from getting damaged by chairs or traffic gouging it. If you're just doing painted walls and don't have that issue, could remove but they wouldn't bother me enough to do that. I like the look of a two tone room if it has high enough ceilings. I have a high ceiling bathroom and have print wallpaper only on the top of the wall and solid color wallpaper with a velvet finish below. I like that look, since a whole large wall of either the color or the print would be too much. But in a dining room I might feel differently.

If they are just new plastic wood ones I would remove but if they are solid old wood, I would not, I would just work around them though, not have them dictate my whole approach.

In answer to your question:

No, if its in context of a historical house or one designed to have historic or traditional features.

Yes, if its just that cheap skimpy stuff from home depot, tacked on everywhere and anywhere for no apparent reason... or to give a fake country or vintage look to a house that isn't country or vintage.

The question should never be "is it dated" but "is it good design."

Question is, do you like the chair rail molding? Don’t worry if a style is in or out. It’s your house, your the one living there and your the one paying the bills. I’m 71 and it took me years to figure that one out. I personally like it. When we remodeled the dining room a few years back I put them on the wall and painted them black. I deliberately put them a little lower than they usually are placed. Dining room window was low.