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I am painting some things around the house and I am wondering what you think...
I do have nice trim around the windows and on walls (not chair railing or any kind of paneling, they are thick, but not wide, wooden, vertical, spaced stripes.) They are old but in great shape and I want to keep them.
They currently have some glossy varnish which I don't necessarily like, but it looks good with white walls, a nice contrast.
Do you think it would look good if I painted the walls some kind of taupe/light khaki and painted the trim white? Or just reapply with the same varnish and keep the walls white?
Also, the stairs are painted the same way. Should I paint them a lighter color or reapply the varnish, what looks better from a decorative point of view?
Without pictures - it's an even more difficult call.
As a general statement - if the wood is in very good condion and looks good = don't paint.
If the wood is dingy, not a very good color, or in bad repair - paint!
Well, as I have mentioned many times before, I am NOT a fan of white trim. I think the wood would look better. If it is gloss and you want it to be duller, just steel wool it a little and apply a satin coat, it will take the shine down a bit.
I had a 1920's colonial with the original trim. It was dark oak. I never really cared for it because it was dark. The moldings were very wide which I loved but since the house was small, the place felt like a cave. I fretted over painting it because they were original and I know how people feel about wood trim but it was my house and I couldnt take it anymore. I painted everything white and wow what a difference. The whole house brightened up and all the nay sayers that thought I was crazy agreed the house looked a lot better and had more charm. My moldings were heavily varnished so I had a lot of sanding to do before painting. I then had to primer it all before the paint went on.
I had a 1920's colonial with the original trim. It was dark oak. I never really cared for it because it was dark. The moldings were very wide which I loved but since the house was small, the place felt like a cave. I fretted over painting it because they were original and I know how people feel about wood trim but it was my house and I couldnt take it anymore. I painted everything white and wow what a difference. The whole house brightened up and all the nay sayers that thought I was crazy agreed the house looked a lot better and had more charm. My moldings were heavily varnished so I had a lot of sanding to do before painting. I then had to primer it all before the paint went on.
It's your home so you should do what you want to look at. It is just if someone is going to paint it then sell, it just seems like a waste of time.
But since you are the one living there, I absolutely agree with you.
I would do what I want to look at and not worry about selling sometime in the distant future.
Everybody tells me not to paint the trim if it is in good shape; it is beautiful (imo) and very thick, and I could just refinish the varnish, but I think it is going to look so much better on a lighter color.
I wonder why it is a common sense idea that trims should not be painted unless they are ugly...
I had old varnished trim in my new place and i ended up painting all white as well. Made it look a million times better. The woodgrain trim really is dated, but in the end it comes down to what you want to do with it.
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