Painted trim and crown molding seems more up to date. But you know how styles change! The stain vs paint is a personal preference. I think of stain as rustic and rugged and not formal at all. I would choose stain. Here are some rustic interior house ideas: http://www.houzz.com/interior-rustic-house

We also live in the country (kind of a "cow town") in Northern California, and all of my crown molding and baseboards are painted with a semi-gloss paint the same off-white as the ceiling, and some walls. I love it, and I wouldn't trade it for stained. Although I'm thinking the baseboards wouldn't show as much dirt if they were stained.......

I am also voting for painting the crown moldings to give a contemporary touch.

If you are at the dried-in phase, then you probably don't have your trim installed yet. My husband and I took this same "finishing it out ourselves" approach on our home. We love the beauty of wood grains and opted for stained. But, painting is a LOT cheaper, a LOT faster, and a LOT easier than staining.

Let me first say that staining is much more expensive because you have to purchase a higher grade of material to start with because EVERYTHING will show (knots, cracks, seams, etc.) Every joint has to be perfect or the job will look terrible.Even if you like a rustic style of wood where the knots and cracks are meant to show, the joints still need to be perfect. Caulking forgives a LOT when using painted trim. Wood putty can be used to cover nail holes, but not much else. There really is no invisible cover up for mistakes on stained trim. IF you are going use crown molding, I recommend hiring a professional and look at some of his previous work before hiring him. Check his joints! There are a lot of trim tricks experienced carpenters use to disguise wall and ceiling imperfections. There are no perfectly square rooms, corners, or true walls in construction.

How much time do you have,? It's a LOT faster to paint. Staining, done right, takes a lot of time. First, Sand your material well. If you use a soft wood, like Pine, then you MUST use a wood conditioner first or the stain will look splotchy. Then allow time for several coats of stain, sanding between coats, several coats of polyurethane or whatever protective finish you choose and sanding between coats of that.

If you choose to stain, try several samples first to make sure you get the color you want. We ended up mixing two stains to get the color we wanted. When you do the trials, make sure you do ALL the coats of stain and finish before deciding on one. You absolutely cannot tell what the color will look like from just using one coat, and it really does depend a LOT on what kind of wood you are putting the stain on.

Also, when to stain is another consideration. Most will say to stain after everything is installed. But you could stain before you put it up for some things like base, door, and crown molding trim. Then you can stain the cut joints with a small sponge brush and wipe with a cloth. The cut joints are cross-grain and so they absorb more stain in just one application. We have done it both ways. If you stain after the trim goes up, it is almost impossible not to get it on the walls and then it is hard for the paint to cover it, especially if using a light wall color. Also, it is a back breaker crawling on the floor to do the base trim. If you stain it before you put it up, then you can paint the walls first, without worrying with the trim (no taping off), and then nail up the pre-finished trim, resulting in a perfect finish between the trim and the wall. Of course, this means that you have to be very careful with the pre-stained pieces, but if you are a DIY'er, then you can control how the wood is handled. After it is up, putty the nail holes with stained wood putty, (you can also mix the wood putty to match your stain color.)



It sounds like a ton of work, and it is, but when you decide to stain, it's for the long term. The good news is that you can change wall colors as often as you want without having to paint the trim. A real plus if you have a lot of doors and windows.

Bottom line: It depends on the look you want and what you are willing to go through to get it.

j222b - not quite THAT rustic - finished wood, but stained. BUT bigv - I think you've convinced me to go with painted. I still love the look of wood trim, but don't think we're capable or have the time and patience to do it ourselves. And in South Texas to find someone who can truly do a good job (and not just SAY they can) is almost impossible! Maybe I can make it look unique with the type of trim or the size. I just want to add a special touch - character. Thanks everyone!