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Natural or painted?

Started by chasd60, Mar 20, 2005, 08:50 PM

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chasd60

Just wondering what most of you prefer? I have been doing a lot of "sweat equity" remodeling and used an awful lot of wood. I like the look of wood. I especially like the grain and knots in the wood. The campers I have owned have a lot of wood or wood look-alike textures. I have noticed that most homes I go into have hardly and visible wood and everything is painted.
 
 Which way is your home interior? Wood or paint? Which would you prefer?
 Is it painted because it came that way or did you build and paint?
 
 I think the trend was natural wood years go then it went to paint. It seems that wood floors have made a big comeback though.
 
 A lot of people on these boards have seen the bar I built in my house, usually a place to sit using the laptop or paying bills and an XMAS party. http://userpages.prexar.com/chasd/bar.html
 
 DW is gone to Florida with her sister from last Wednesday til this Wednesday so I have enlisted the help of one of my sons and we are installing laminate floors in the dining room, bar room and living room as a surprise for her return. I had to trim out 2 windows and put a lot of v-matched pine on the walls too. My house was built in the 1840-1850's.
 
 My son and I were having a discussion about the work I/We do in our house. I told him a lot of people tell me I am lucky because I know how to do this work. I realized that I DON'T know how to do this work when I attempt it. I am not afraid of trying to do the work and taking 3X what it would for a skilled person and that is how I learn.
 
 I'll have some pics of the recent work pretty soon.
 
 Anyone else not afraid to dive right in to unknown territory?

ForestCreature

Apprehensive , yes....afraid, no....
 We are about to undertake the dreaded bathroom redo, from the floor up.
 The great debate to keep the tub or change to a large shower stall hasn't been settled yet, and our target start date is coming up fast.
 What scares me the most is what it'll end up costing.
 
 We like the natural wood look too. Everything was painted when we moved in many years ago. I started to strip all the woodwork, got almost all the way around the living room only to find 2 different woods. Someone did a poor job of patching the woodwork at the baseboards. The origonal trim is the hardest maple we have ever encountered.

GeneF

I guess it depends on the look that you want.

We recently redid ds's room.  Painted the walls a cranberry color and the trim a white for a sharp contrast.  Hardest part was matching the accessories such as the curtains and the bedspread.

We are planning on doing our living room next month.  Getting rid of the wood panelling that has been there for 30 years.  Plan on painting the walls but leaving the trim natural.  We also like the wood look.

Our kitchen has wood triim and the cabinats are wood also but kitchen area has wallpaper and the dining area has painted walls (close to the color of the wallpaper) and a border along the ceiling.

Just go with what you are comfortable living with.  Afterall, you are there all the time.  Guests are there for only a few hours.

sully349

Ive been doing woodworking for years and its my impression that if you like the great outdoors, that stained or natural wood is the best look. Painted surfaces remind me too much of a "quick fix". I recently redid my hallway. I put in wood flooring then took raw knotty pine boards, cut them to wainscoating length and stained each piece individually to match the floor. I also made my own floor and ceiling trim. I used chair rail to top off the wainscoating. In one section I built in a bookshelf out of oak but stained it to match the rest. The top half of the wall is painted a "grass green" I wasn't sure just how this was all going to look when finished but I love it!!!! When my wife began to hang the old picture frames on the wall I didnt like the way they looked, so I made my own frames out of pine and stained them to match.  OK, it took me awhile to do this project(6weeks) but the compliments I get and the warmth of the hallway are a great reward. Now my wife wants me to continue on with the scheme and redo the livingroom and dining room. To me nothing beats the look of stained wood with the grain and knots for all to see.

SpeakEasy

Quote from: chasd60J
 Anyone else not afraid to dive right in to unknown territory?

Yeah, I'm there. I dive in and learn by doing.

I put a hot water system in my popup a few years back. Did all the plumbing and electric for it by my own design. I love it, and I'm proud of it.

 ;)

luvourjayco

We have been restoring our home that was built in the 20's one room a year for the last 7 years. The woodwork (chestnut and cherry) has all had the layers of paint removed and has been refinished. We have the beautiful crown mouldings around the doors and windows.
Its too bad that the original hardwood floors on the main floor were not salvagable but we are putting in 'clic' flooring that is manufactured to look like the original wood floors.
It is truly a labour intestive job but the rewards have been outstanding.

cyclone

I grew up in a home where the woodwork was natural.  I love that look.  The woodwork in my house is painted white; which does contrast well with the paint.  My kitchen cabinets and the fireplace mantle (and surround) are stained wood.  Several homes in my neighborhood have painted both in an attempt to "update" the look.  I cringe every time I see that.  Most of my furniture is oak; several pieces hand-built by my dad.  So, I guess my house is a mix of both.  On the wish list for projects we would like to do is adding wood (or laminate) flooring.  When you get that all finished, Charlie, just head south.  ;)