Removed chair rail, now what?

Do you not want to have a chair rail any longer, or a division from the top to the bottom, like beadboard? If that is the case, sand the lind where the chair rail was and then you can paint your wall or wall paper as desired.

The walls look to be in pretty good shape, just fill in and smooth any rough patches, when dry sand them and the line where the chair rail was, sand that too, then you'll be ready to paint.

Taking a close look, it may be older rather than orange peel. However, if you are fine with the finish I would continue to fill in and smooth all the "bad spots". Rather than sanding with paper, I would use a damp sponge to smooth to the texture existing.

I would highly recommend using a tinted primer before painting, even if using a paint & primer in one. It will save you headaches in the long run and you won't use as much paint.

You will need to fill the holes and sand (with a random orbital sander) to get the wall smooth. There will be lines that where the paint colors are different other wise.

There is a product at home stores that will texture walls. It's in the paint section next to the popcorn ceiling texture stuff. The paint folks will know the variety and brand. Because you're working with such a small strip of wall, you won't need all the fancy stuff to blow it on an entire wall. Personally, I'd apply it with one of those sponge brushes or small rollers and see what happens. If the texture is too lumpy, then mask off your wall and sand the lumps down to match.

Because the wall color is so dramatic, I would prime everything or use a really good paint/primer for the room. Once it's completely painted, you'll never notice the patch job you did with the texture.

Best of luck!

Homax sells a can of texture. You can buy it at Home Depot or Lowes. It has a fine mist, which will match your walls. I have used it many times when repairing walls. Be sure to follow the instructions, and put plastic where you do not want to spray it.,

Hi Alyssa, You should have no problem painting that wall! Like you said, just sand down the raised parts until smooth and fill any holes and sand them. If the holes are large, fill them in stages so that the filler can dry. Also leave the filler a little more than needed because it will shrink as it dries. It will be better to sand off any excess than to have an indented hole (which will show when painted). You should have no problem tackling this job!

here is some info for you

https://www.semiglossdesign.com/remove-chair-rail

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=DChcSEwiBue68tqXrAhUOi1oFHbzhDc8YABAHGgJ2dQ&sig=AOD64_1Q_gUB4UeRYCGCMwQuSXG1FxGiaA&ctype=46&q=&ved=2ahUKEwibleK8tqXrAhVymeAKHU7UD38Q9aACegQIDRA7&adurl=

Hi, Alyssa,

If this home is older, the previous owner could have "stippled" the wall, which would create a more stiffly tipped finish. The orange peel effect may have been done via a wool roller. Are these walls plaster or drywall?

Do you know if the paint was oil based or latex? You might want to take very good close ups of the finish which can be enlarged (using a notebook rather than a smartphone) and visit a specialty paint store for more professional advise, to enable you to replicate the finish, after sanding.

It is orange peel. You used too much compound to patch the holes. Should have just used enough to fill the holes. You will need to sand. Then use a stiff paint brush and a little patching compound on the tip of the brush. Stipple the compound over the smooth parts to get the orange peel effect. A little trail and error to get it right.

Sand the area down as best as you can, then fill any holes or dents with drywall mud. Let dry, sand it down and add more mud if you need it. Once the area is nice and smooth, paint it.

You'll likely need to put on several coats on the darker part, if you are wanting to go lighter

There are some excellent posts by others so I will add just one thing. Home centers sell 2’ x 2’ pieces of drywall that you can buy to practice different techniques on until you get something you like. They are also cheap to buy. I’m including a link to Home Depot so you can see what I’m talking about. I want to be clear though. I’m not suggesting that you cut out any drywall. These pieces are strictly to practice on, kind of like how an artist uses multiple canvases for different paintings. The reason I’m suggesting you use these is so you don’t get a large buildup of paint on the wall from repeated attempts to make the repair. This would be nearly impossible to hide.

Forgot the link:

https://www.homedepot.com/s/Small%2520drywall%2520piece?NCNI-5

You should be able to smooth out the raised spots and paint the room with no problem. Use a good paint and primer to paint over the different colors.

An option to eliminating any texture is to skim coat the entire wall with drywall mud and sand. Then prime and paint. Another option is to get a textured wall paper designed to hide boo boos and then paint that.

Like some one else said, you need to remove the excess patching compound you have applied so that only the holes are filled. Hopefully you used something water soluble so that you can get it off with water. You are right. Don't sand it.

Get a spackle knife and scrape any thing off the wall that is sticking up then when done plaster the walls then sand them smooth then paint

it all depends what you like ... If you like to keep it simple then all you need to do is patch it , sand it and paint but you need to prime before

Can I ask what your outcome was how you fixed your wall what all you used? I am in the same exact position as what you have done.