Don't remove the dado!

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Don't paint everything white please. It can look so gloomy. You did say you want "something fresh looking in the hallway but with a funky design."

Jane

Thank you for your comments, we went with pale green in the end at the bottom and white at the top. We've left the carpet alone for now as we have other jobs that need the money. Also we've been told due to the shape of our stairs we can't get a striped carpet fitted unless we buy double the amount and there will be a lot of waste. I've attached pictures of what it looks like now, I know there is still a lot to do (paint the door for one thing) but what do you think so far?

I'm trying to add photos but it doesn't seem to be working?

Ooh hang on, I think I have it now!!

I think that looks great - really fresh. I like dado rails - you have the opportunity for using 2 colours if you like, or just sticking to one. The green and white you have used work very well, and really brighten up the space.

I have just revisited this item and a thought has struck me. If you are intending to do the whole house room by room then it occurs to me that the hall should be the last area to do - simply to save tears. While you alter all the other rooms you will be carrying all materials and tools through the hallway - and of course that will increase the wear and tear factor, along with dings and scrapes from long and large bits of materials and furniture.

I don't know the layout of the house, nor how badly other rooms need sorting out but I would start with rooms you actually use rather than simply pass through. Kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom. In fact I would suggest sorting the living room first before you get so moved into it that vacating it to work on it would be problematic. The kitchen and bathroom don't tend to attract the amount of clutter and furniture that living rooms collect, so are easier to clear to basics to start work on. During this process your hallway may well end up being a makeshift store for materials while work is going on.

Cazie6, with care you can still sand the rails. You can use masking tape (check it is not too sticky as some tapes will pull paints on removal) and even hold/prop a shield in place to protect the wall while you sand the rail. The shield can be a thin bit of plastic such as one of those thin plastic kitchen chopping sheets. Anything smooth enough not to mark your wall paint and thin enough not to cause part of the rail to be left unsanded. Of course you need to move carefully and hand sanding will be better than machine sanding on a rail.

If you consider that painting or varnishing will always amplify any imperfections, then clearly opting not to sand first will cause a poor finish. You don't necessarily need to sand to bare wood (depending on what you will be using) but sanding smooths the surface over all and roughens it on a micro level so that your new coating can key well to the surface.