My advice is USUALLY to paint woodwork, but yours is good quality and in good condition, and part of the historical value of your home. Try to work with it for awhile as once you've painted it you can't go back...

Have you ever seen American Bungalow magazine? Might have some inspiration for you.

The wood you have is quite pretty. I'm usually a fan of painting door/trim white but in your case, it does seem a bit "sinful" to paint the wood in your 30s home. Perhaps you can just paint the frame(s) white? Wood trim and doors CAN look beautiful. Search Houzz photos "dark wood doors and trim" and you'll see beautiful spaces with natural wood doors. How you style your home and paint color choices make a huge difference.

The black may also be a combination of stain and, dare I suggest it, decades of soiling. In the same way that floors can be refreshed, so can cabinetry and trim. A designer might encourage you to spend a fortune replacing all of that original woodwork and cabinetry with something new (and expensive) but I would get a lover of old houses in to take a look and make suggestions. Future owners will love you for it if you can keep as much of the original as practical and workable.

There is not much finish to the woodwork; no gloss at all. Are the black streaks normal and can they be removed? The woodwork is just dreary to me and begging for some kind of refresh...yes, I know the natural woodwork is part of the historic value of the home, but I'm not sure that buyers appreciate that. I've seen a lot of old historic homes with updated white woodwork that looks great. At my last house (1912 built) the oak woodwork had beautiful dentil molding and the thought of painting it wouldn't even enter your mind. But this home's wood trim doesn't stand out as particularly beautiful..doesn't seem a shame to paint. In fact, the prior owner painted the trim in the kitchen to match white cabinets, which now presents a dilemma because we are going to knock down a kitchen wall which means white kitchen woodwork now next to the natural wood in the dining room. I guess I want someone to give me permission to paint it all white or a compelling reason not to.

It's beautiful! Please don't paint it. Part of what makes it special is its richness and absence of gloss. A future owner who appreciates older homes will thank you one day.

Built in the '30's, it is probably a good quality wood if not cherry. Painting it will be a lot of work.
A lot would depend on the wall colors and other decor. You might only do the trim and baseboards but leave the doors. Cover a doorframe with wide light color masking tape to see if you like the change. Light curtains that cover the window frames could soften the dark wood around the windows. You might try adding lighter colors in easier to change things first. Brightening the wall color may work for you and be easier.

I would probably paint the trim around the windows first.
Then decide about the painting the trim around the doors.
I would not paint the doors because the one you show is beautiful.

My sister has a bungalow built in 1936.
She had all the woodwork and doors painted.
She said that it was her house and that was what she wanted.
I kind of agree.

kltro,if you are interested in keeping your 1930s home's character, visit this site, these people are experts at saving older homes and not into all the trends. https://www.wavyglass.org/index.php

I suggest a couple easy things to help you decide what to do: measure a door, take the photos to a door and window shop, preferably one you will use in remodelling. Ask for prices for a new solid cherry door (it will be custom) and a new paint grade birch door, same style as what you have. The other thing you can do is to change your lighting. Put the maximum wattage permitted in each fixture. Try a new LED bulb with "warm white" 2700 degree color temperature in one fixture, too.

Sorry, but I agree with your friend. This is high-quality woodwork, much more valuable intact than painted.

You might also consider refinishing any oak hardwood floors to a natural, unstained color. That will lighten up the house quite a bit, even in winter.

Your woodwork is gorgeous, but looks like it could use a good cleaning, and a couple of coats of poly to bring back the beauty of it. Do what Al Fortunato says as he's one of the pros around here who knows all there is to know about wood.

Here is a similar dilemma link that may help. I posted some of my favorite photos of rooms with dark Wood and a bright, vibrant feel. Wallpaper and accessories with color and texture are what you need, not white trim like every cheap tract house in America. http://houzz.com/discussions/2741760

Bright, fun, stylish.

I would say the tired look is not the woodwork, although I would agree that the low gloss is not very appealing. I think they wall color is very dated. it looks like your house has a case of Beigetiss. The cure for it is a fresh coat of color, and paint the ceiling in a different color too. some tinted white.

Address the home's lighting if you feel that the wood makes it dark. Start with the obvious remedies to the actual problem rather than ruining something irreplaceable.

Another vote to not paint. The woodwork is beautiful.

That woodwork is gorgeous. Once you paint it, there is no going back and it will actually require more maintenance -- re-painting. I would freshen up your woodwork as suggested above, with a good cleaning and some new coats of poly. Also, not sure if it is just the photo, but your walls have a brown hue to them, perhaps, lightening up the walls with a warm white, such as Benjamin Moore linen white (CC-912) or white down (OC-131), would add some new life to your room.

That woodwork is gorgeous. Once you paint it, there is no going back and it will actually require more maintenance -- re-painting. I would freshen up your woodwork as suggested above, with a good cleaning and some new coats of poly. Also, not sure if it is just the photo, but your walls have a brown hue to them, perhaps, lightening up the walls with a warm white, such as Benjamin Moore linen white (CC-912) or white down (OC-131), would add some new life to your room.

I vote not to paint. Your wood trim and doors are beautiful. Clean them up and apply something to protect them. T would be a shame to paint plus more maintenance in the future.

The Old House Dreams website has a forum - answers can be slow, but there are some old house experts over there that might give you some guidance on getting the woodwork to look its best. http://www.oldhousedreams.com

Do Not paint-the black streaks are because of the way the wood took on the stain. Generously rub lemon oil on all woodwork. Also check top of door to see if there are those black streaks and if so, apply rubbing alcohol and if they disappear, you have an answer!

Do Not put lemon oil or any other miracle cures on your woodwork. The streaks are the grain pattern and will not come out unless you strip all the finish off with chemical stripper and then probably not entirely. Cherry does have natural streaks, some due to sap. All you need to do to clean the woodwork is use a dilute mixture of dish soap (dawn) and warm water, or TSP.

Agree...start by cleaning woodwork with tsp

Thanks to all of you for the tips. Clearly, the overwhelming opinion is to not paint right now, but pursue other opinions to freshen up the wood look and perhaps change the lighting, paint the walls, curtains, etc. So, I will go that route for now. Again, thanks so much for all your insights!

One option might be to paint the trim but leave doors and cabinets wood - like the picture of your kitchen door. You are correct in that the door trim doesn't really look 1930s - it reminds me of my 1970s dark stained pine, which I did paint white - but when we replaced the hollow core doors, we went with wood. The dark wood around the windows made my rooms look dark and yellowish. I love a well done wood with white combo.

I suggest that you paint this white and enjoy living in a refreshed and beautiful home. Why stick with old and 'beautiful' if you don't like it?

I like the wood as it is. Everyone has different taste so you have to do what makes you happy.

The woods are beautiful!

If you are new to wood restoration then check your hardware store, local Walmart, or look online for these 2 products: Formby's Wood Refinisher (strips) and Minwax Wood Finish (stains/seals). Experiment on something like the inside of small
cupboard or an old piece of furniture you have no emotional attachment
to so you can get comfortable with handling the products; you will be
glad you did and feel confident working on areas that matter. You simply just want to get a quick hands-on self-taught lesson, not another project. :)

Formby's will remove the existing varnish, even out existing uneven stain, and prep the surface for new stain and refinishing. Understand this important concept: you are not stripping the wood to its
bare raw wood, you are removing hardened barriers of the existing
seal/varnish. I would avoid any sanding, because it can cause more damage than help. Sanding can harden the surface of the wood so it won't accept stain especially raised curves of moldings and furniture. Steel wool is a far better choice as you will read on the Formby's can instructions. Follow the instructions on Formby's and you should have a much faster and easier process.

The chemicals are harsh so its very important to wear correct protection and ventilate. Work in sections that if you get tired and need to break away then you can, for example work on a door jam you can apply and remove chemical all at one time, or one window frame so you can stop when needed, "Do bite size sections."

Now for stains...I recommend Minwax Wood Finish, it is a one-step: stain that penetrates, stains, and seals in one product. It handles very nicely if you use a cloth to apply it in stead of a brush. You can use a paint brush but I find brushes apply too much causing drips, pooling, and is harder to control the excess to create an even application. For me a soft cloth is much easier to handle and control as you can go back over adding stain or removing excess because the cloth absorbs where brushes do not. Old T-shirts work great! This product goes on like stain, but will dry to a lovely hand-rubbed look and your done! Follow the product instructions especially regarding any 2nd coats, I can't remember it in detail at the moment and it may not be needed.

As for color, going lighter is not possible, because stains can not be completely lifted and for that reason it is more like you are mixing colors. So use as close a match to existing color to keep it the same or if going darker expect it will add tone to the new color. For example if you are going darker to a mahogany or ebony expect your existing cherry to add some red tone to the new color. That is why it is different from painting, as paints cover other paint color, where staining over stains is like mixing, not covering. It is likely to be so subtle that you don't even notice, so won't matter. But is something to understand so you are not surprised if the color doesn't look exactly like what is on the can label. It is most important that you like it, not whether it looks like the picture! :)

Minwax is also very strong and resists moisture and damage such as scratches that many varnishes will be susceptible to as they age, because they continue to dry-out. This will not and will be easy to maintain, keeping it looking great for years to come.

Good luck, and enjoy the results of your loving restoration!

thiskidd, I have old, dull, and scratched stained woodwork throughout the downstairs of my 32 year old home. It's a Victorian farmhouse style house and all of the door and window trim and baseboards are wide, and beaded on site by the trim carpenter, who loved his router! Whatever clear coat was used on this lovely trim was horrible and is scratched from kid-level down to the floor. I'm so thankful you posted these instructions and will be trying them out on the inside of a bathroom cabinet door. We've just had our kitchen remodeled and now the rest of the house needs to step up and look beautiful, too! Thank you so much!

You are very welcome! Hope this works for you. Definitely a good idea to test products on a low visibility section/surface just in case the finish clouds or reacts with any existing chemicals in the previous finish. Hope you will post pictures when all is restored and share your experience...big job!

Formby's and Minwax have ruined more Wood than most of Oregon has produced. Low grade terrible consumer scam type products. If you are going to attempt to save valuable wood, at least go to your local woodworkers store and use professional grade products.

GreenDesigns sorry you didn't have a good experience with this product, I fortunately did. It all depends on the chemicals already on the surface and the type of finish being removed, which is why emsmeme is testing it first. If emsmeme has access to a specialty woodworkers shop it would be good to visit, research, and look at different product ingredients. Either way, ALWAYS test products first no matter the brand, and find what works. :)

I live in an old house much older than yours, we painted our woodwork when we moved in. Painted or stained woodwork is a matter of taste and not to everyone's liking. If you don't like your woodwork then paint it by all means.

thiskidd, when I was a child, my parents started a hobby of refinishing antique furniture, beginning with beloved pieces from my grandparents' home. I remember seeing the cans of Minwax products they always used, and my mother carefully staining the furniture with a rag. My parents have since passed away, and the antiques they so beautifully refinished are in my home and those of my siblings. So I have no problem with the Minwax brand. The stained, beaded woodwork in our preowned home was one of the reasons we purchased it; it just definitely needs some TLC now!

It is your home, and should please you. Period. If you want to refinish the wood...do it. If you want to paint it....do that. None of us will live in (or even see) your house. Enjoy!

The process you described your parents using is like what I described and have used/experienced. I think the issue GreenDesigns was having was with the Formby's products if she/he didn't give it time to work and/or didn't remove enough of the old finish. It is important to understand that if the finish isn't broken down well enough and sufficiently removed, you can get clouding when you apply the minwax, caused by an interaction between the old finish, the remover, and the minwax/new finish. I think this would be the case with any such mix of products/chemicals.

Don't be afraid to experiment. You might consult with a specialty shop if you have one. Try
buying a
small bottle/can of their recommended product and a small Formby's to
test them out on an unnoticeable area and see which you like best by the
way it handles. Ultimately it is what works for you, and what you like
using.

I like Minwax and feel they have worked to design products for inexperienced wood workers to easily handle, yet provides a tough, beautiful, hand-rubbed look and lasting
finish. I think they have succeeded.

Good grief! Formby's?? seriously? Just go buy the raw ingredients at 1/16th the price of the overpriced overmarketed goop. Ask any professional wood worker on the planet about Minwax, and they will tell you it is low grade carp. Duraseal, General Finishes, etc., offer better results and better products. They just don't spend their money trying to convince amateurs that they are the best. Drop by the Woodworking Forum if you want some genuine professional advice. Or a local SW Pro store.

And pay a visit to the Old House Forum to see how much value people give original details. Like original woodwork.

Your wood is gorgeous!!! What a treasure to have such beautiful old doors and molding, I am jealous.

You'd have to be crazy to paint that. I hate when people have these "bright" ideas.

@1Busygal, while this is true why take a unique house and turn it into these garbage modern houses that there are billions out there already? Its like changing the body of a ferrari cause you don't like it, to a toyota corolla. LOL