Everybody has their own taste. And white baseboards are so common nobody even notices it. Now if the house was a craftsman style, I too would be upset the beautiful wood would be painted.

Home Depot? Yes, you can buy cheap, and you can get Anderson windows too.

And vinyl siding comes off just as easy as it went on. But many people put it on because of the constant hassle of painting the house.

Yep Im referring to craftsmans and early 1900s 4squares and anything that was still being built with the old growth timber that used to cover most of North America. The deep rich shellac tones of the wood are the perfect complment to the deep rich colors commonly used at that time.

Once you start getting into 30s-40s-50s wood starts being not so special (although I would still ask why does it have to be white - and with the range of easy to use stains available now you could get some really lovely grays and neutral tones - doesn't have to be brown - that leave the grain visible while concealing dings/dents - once you put that white paint on it goes deep into the grain and may not be removeable).

Actually my observation is that what seems to retain most value are the houses that were a) built pretty well to begin with and b) either were meticulously restored to original and/or had updates that were very creatively and expertly done to harmonize with/reflect the original esthetic.

The cheap flips and shoddily done DIYs really do lose value I think - I think people perceive and react negatively to architectural mishmash and visual chaos, whether or not they have the language or understanding to tell you why.

Unfortunately in my price range I'm seeing more of the latter than if I had another 100-200 K to spend. My only hope is to find a small grandma house that was cared for and only had a few minor alterations over the years like 1960s paneling maybe and circa 1980 kitchen cabs. But as time goes on there's less and less of those.

Sure people can and do have their own tastes but these forums are full of people fretting about "resale value" - all Im saying is to give some thought to the possibility that your esthetic choices may also affect "resale value."

Personally, I don't like natural wood trim and would always lean towards painting it. Fortunately most of my pre-Civil War house has always had painted trim.

The colors are white, cream, tan and grey, in various layers and in different rooms.

L

I for one like white trim because it is light and cheery. I understand your desire for original quality wood trim as I read your rant I thought it is out there but it costs more. Your second post confirmed that it is available but out of your price range. Is it possible it was out of the budget of some previous owners as some trim becomes so worn that it is much less expensive to just patch and paint white.
I believe this is also why many people put vinyl siding on their house, it is a financial decision.

I for one like white trim because it is light and cheery. I understand your desire for original quality wood trim, as I read your rant, I thought it is out there but it costs more. Your second post confirmed that it is available, but out of your price range. Is it possible it was out of the budget of some previous owners as some trim becomes so worn that it is much less expensive to just patch and paint white.
I believe this is also why many people put vinyl siding on their house, it is a financial decision.

Most of the houses in my town here in VT were built anywhere from 1830 to 1875. A couple still have decedents of the original owners still living there.

A couple houses also date to the late 1700s.

The houses are updated on a regular basis. They have to be. And if that means painting the woodwork or replacing it, so be it.

Do you want an original kitchen too?

Look, you can take the paint off the wood. You can bring back the natural wood you want so much with a bit of effort. But if you want it already done, be prepared to open your wallet.

I don't think the trim on my 1920s house is original. It's definitely white. While I think original wood trim looks great, I think in my house it would look too dark.

I wouldn't paint it if I had it, but I don't mind shiny white trim either, after moving out of a 1940s house where the windowsills grew mold and were gray even after cleaning.

I stripped all the woodwork in my old 1920s house. In the upstairs hallway there were at least 25 layers of paint including: pink, aqua and mint green. While I too prefer natural woodwork (stained and polyurethaned), white paint isn't the worst thing that can be applied to woodwork.

Whatever house you buy, kashka_kat, you can strip and stain the woodwork yourself. Don't let painted woodwork deter you from buying a house that suits you in every other way.

See how different we all are?.... I CAN'T STAND woodwork any other color. I actually enjoy the challenge of keeping it pristine.

This post was edited by redcurls on Sun, Oct 20, 13 at 23:32

"...I REALLY hope you meant "descendants."
Otherwise... ewww!..."

Dang computer! It doesn't know how to spell!

Hi. OP, I really hope you find your darling grandma house. I have a 1920s bungalow. It gets a lot of natural light, and I like various shades of soothing white paint on the trim to enhance the brightness--Antique White, Swiss Coffee, colors like that....it enhances the charm. My bedroom and study are a soft sage green. The off-white trim seems to go well with it.

I've actually got the decedents of the early owners living here on my farm. But fortunately they stay out of doors, and underground in their cemetery plots.

L.

My house is 100+ years old and had the trim badly painted white. I stripped it all and it is beautiful. I have no illusions that ours will stay stained after we go.

I do like white trim as well. White trim looks good with almost every wall color, stained trim is much harder to coordinate with.

I have noticed when looking at home decor publications that almost every room pictured has white or light trim. I very rarely see stained trim in books or magazines unless it is something that publishes Craftsman style homes.

The popularity of white trim induces sellers to paint their trim and real estate agents to recommend it.
Diane

In our case it was already painted an ugly poo brown... so we just painted it white to make it look nicer!

That said, in the areas where it WASN'T painted, we didn't paint it. :)

This post was edited by thatgirl2478 on Tue, Nov 5, 13 at 14:22

Four years ago, we bought this house, built in 1968, and 3/4 of it was painted white woodwork. The kitchen, dining room and hall, they hadnt gotten to yet, thankfully. The trim is actually a very good quality for being built in 1968 and I loved the dark stained woodwork. Hall side doors are also stained, but interior doors were all painted white too. I have been slowly painting all the white painted trim, a very dark charcoal, which I do like, but, sure wish they had left it alone. We actually offered less on the house, because of the painted woodwork. I like white woodwork in someone elses house, but, I hate it in mine.

After a lot more looking at listings, I'd like to revise my original post to read: painted woodwork - well ok, if you must.

But stop ripping out the original wide wood trim and replacing with ugly thin strips of wood! And how about getting replacement windows (if you must) that actually are sized to fit the openings - what a concept.

The thing is, I think people respond positively to visual cohesiveness and architectural integrity ( and in an early 1900s house that would mean generously sized woodwork, big windows, etc.) whether or not they have the language or awareness to say why, It seems like the houses that languish for months (in all price ranges) are the ones that have been severely remuddled - eg they put in teeny tiny windows so the house starts looking more like a shed or a bunker than a house.

Cat, interesting that you considered the condition of your wood trim when making an offer. I think I'll get cost estimates for the milling of wide width pine trim and have that be part of my calculations about whether to purchase a house or not (I can do my own installation). Actually I think there's some ready made wide trim that's veneer over particle board that isn't too terribly expensive. Yeah, I guess we all have our must haves - for some of us visual cohesiveness is important.

I just spent a few years stripping old paint off the woodwork in our 1923 home - a job from Hell! I would never paint over good, solid old woodwork again.

Recently, we looked at a brand new house being built. Some of the baseboard was still on the floor, not yet installed. It was made of thin plastic, reinforced with corrugated cardboard! That's why I prefer old houses. You may have to restore, but underneath, you don't have crap.

DH stipped all the old paint of the oak woodwork in first floor of the house and it was gorgeous and easy to care for. I would oil it every two years. The white painted woodwork upstairs was horrible. It stops looking fresh and clean in no time when you have kids and dogs. I also don't like painted wood interior doors for the same reason.

Peel Away - pretty good stuff - finish off with Zip Strip and steel wool.

Here is a link that might be useful: Peel Away Paint Remover.

Actually if the original layer of shellac is still there under the paint it's very easy to remove via heat gun (just melts like butter) and finish off with denatured alcohol. If shellac has been removed prior to painting its a nightmare - paint gets in the pores of the wood which may not be possible to get out

Just finished our search for a new home and couldn't agree more! We saw so many beautiful, old homes that have had their souls ripped out by flippers. Everything in these houses looks the same. If you've seen one, you've seen them all. We finally settled on a '70s ranch that had been a one-owner and was still all original. Now WE get to decide what to change and what keep!

A lot of trim in homes is paint grade and was never intended to be seen natural or stained. That's all some people know.

Thats very true, and that's fine - no complaints there. Venting was about circa early 1900s old growth wood with beautiful grain that was originally shellacked but then painted .... for whatever reason. I know of at least a few instances where it was at the urging of their realtor who thought it was good for resale.

Obviously people have a right to do whatever the heck they want to their houses but as a possible buyer, I have the right to my opinion about it!

I agree -- in a 100 year old home with gorgeous old wood trim, I'd work with it. Entire rooms -- as in plural rooms, that were all wood panels and trim I might find overwhelming, but you remove that, if you must, with care and find it a new home or purpose, not paint over it.

I used to live in St Louis where there is a huge stock of old houses, many built right after the St Louis World's Fair. Many of these houses are loaded to the gills with very old, very dark woodwork - LOTS of very old, very dark woodwork. Much of it has shellac that has darkened over the years. I've known many young couples who have bought such houses and agonized what to do with all that heavy, very dark wood. Some have stripped it, re-stained it and refinished it - it's an enormous job and having someone else do it has an enormous cost. Many ended up painting a great deal of it white. Those that painted did lighten up these dark, very heavy old houses.

It's a true conundrum - live with it dark and heavy or paint and lighten it but destroy all that original wood. I have no idea what I would do - it's just not a simple choice in many instances.

As for painted woodwork not being suitable for dogs and children, well, that's just ridiculous. There have been houses for centuries with painted woodwork and they also had dogs and children. The problem is that new tract houses use cheap acrylic paint, throw on one coat over the pre-primed wood and call it a day. A good paint job done with oil based paint will last decades, is fully scrubbable, and is always a good choice. I've had as many as 8 pets (dogs and cats) in my house over the past 33 years, as well as children and now visiting grandchildren. My woodwork looks just fine and the only part that has been repainted was that which was damaged when a 2nd floor pipe burst 18 years ago.

A good paint job using high quality oil base paint does not come cheap, but it's well worth the expense as re-painting woodwork is a nuisance. Do it once and do it right. As for all that stained woodwork put in tract houses...well, it turns orange over time and is truly heinous.

You make good points. SOMetimes there is too much of a good things -- and often the oils in the products used on the trim, painted or stained, are often the headache years down the road. When I bought this house, it had something in the pale mauve range on the walls with yellowed painted white trim. That yellowed oil base white trim is my least favorite of all. Well, close call between that and trim painted with flat wall paint.

Darkened old shellac is easilly removed/lightened/freshened with steel + denatured alcohol - then another light coat of shellac or something.... and your good for another 100yrs. Easy - but that's assuming its just shellac. Your mileage may vary if theres paint or polyuerathane or something globbed on top of it. I will admit that sometimes they used a heavy resinous varnish instead of or i n combination wtih shellac which can be a bit harder to remove but still.... when you consider prep for a good paint job (not just slapping it on) the effort to remove /repair original shellac is often pretty comparable.

Current Resident, you and I speak the same language. I looked for over 2 years for an old home that hadn't been ruined. Couldn't find one which is why we decided to build.

Agreed. And what also really needs to stop is painted brick!! Why would anyone take an exterior substance as low maintenance as brick and paint it? I have seen some good paint jobs that stood up over time, but I've also seen a heck of a lot of not-good jobs, and paint peeling off brick just looks...cr*ppy.

I agree peeling painted brick is ugly, some brick houses are equally ugly. People who don't like dark red, orange or any kind of brick want it painted, I don't blame them.

Well I blame them! Ordinary house paint ruins brick. There is a bldg across the street painted 15 yrs ago which is currently a peeling mess- I looked closer and a lot of the brick underneath is crumbling and spalling terribly - after only 15 yrs. Breathable stains or mineral paint- OK, if you must. Non breathable vinyl paint or oil paint which trap moisture and cause damage- no. Why people insist on ruining their own property is beyond me. If someone doesnt like brick houses, an easy fix is: dont buy one.

Beautiful wood should never, ever, ever be painted any color. If you want to paint wood, then paint the cheapest pine wood.

Do not like white baseboards at all! They always show the dirt.

My view, let people who own the house decide what they do with their property.

I’m deeply disheartened by the landfill quality everything of modern times. So difficult to find (and afford) true craftsmanship.

That said, I adore white. I think it’s my true love. No grey thanks. No beige thanks. A nice warm white goes with everything. But I also love COLOR, so white is simply the backdrop to hot muddy the waters.

I have a lot of stained glass and it gets along well with white.

I have had two experiences with this issue.

1. When we moved into a 1924-era condo in Hyde Park, Chicago, all the oak woodwork was painted various ugly colors. This was 1985. One room, we decided to "spruce up", and the easiest way to do this was to carefully remove all the woodwork (baseboard, doors, etc.) and take it to a local company which would strip them all, by immersing them into a large tank. Although it was expensive, the results were much better than we could have done. We finished them "naturally". Before we could do more, we moved away because of a job transfer to the house we have now.

2. In 1989, We moved into an 1895 house on Long Island. The woodwork had been painted white, but on the second floor, it was all crackled, probably because of poor preparation. We lived with it for 32 years, until a few months ago when we decided to sell it and, on the recommendation of our RE agent, we had one of the rooms professionally repainted, including the woodwork. It looks much better, but not perfect. If I were going to stay (!), I might have repeated what we did in Chicago, but I'm not sure there is a place which does that locally.

Of course people do what they want with their property. No argument here. And, people looking at houses for sale will have opinions on what they see. Both things are true!

I know of at least 2 instances where wood was painted ONLY because the realtor selling the house advised the seller to do it. The seller had lived with and liked the wood for many years. Its THAT mindset which Im questioning. Why not let the buyer decide what they want to do with it.