Restore it. Don't remuddle it.

Rarely do we get the guy who wants to paint and the wife who wants to keep the wood - it is usually the other way around.

Your fiancee is right on this one. In general, it devalues older homes with beautiful woodwork to have that woodwork painted. Like a lot of old homes, the upstairs does have painted trim, so you get your way in some rooms.

Painting the tim will not make it contemporary. If you desire contemporary, consider buying a different home. White and gray is so this decade - and will go the way of all trends. Redo this house in 2017 trends and it will be "dated" in 2025, if not sooner. Restore and remodel with sensitivity to its character, and you will have a more timeless look.

Is white trim a fad? Sure colours come and go but I would think white is timeless. If anything change a wall colour accordingly.

That's really nice wood, not run of the mill 80's golden oak builder-grade trim. I wouldn't paint it.

The wall colors don't complement the wood at all.

Your fiancée is right.

Don't buy an old house with old oak trim and then go white so it's disguised as cheap paint-grade pine. Just buy a new house with the cheap paint-grade pine you apparently prefer.

The bones of the home tell you what is appropriate to that home. Anything else that doesn't work with the home is a fad. Popularity contests are for high school proms. Not devaluing the largest asset most people will ever own. Popular never ever is synonymous with appropriate.

Remember these very popular choices? In 15 years, death row gray with cheap white trim will look the same to your eyes.

I have more extremely popular decorating choices that will make your eyes bleed. At least gray and white will only put you to sleep and have you dream of incarceration.

But I like the look and detail of it Just not the colour. Why does wood that's painted have to be cheap?

I wouldn't paint it. You have some white trim, but I would leave the nice wood trim alone. At the very least, get your furniture in there, paint the walls, and then re-evaluate. Hopefully you will have a new appreciation for the wood.

Oh Sophie. Lol at least you don't suffer from a lack of heart while speaking your opinion.

The house will look much cleaner & more expensive if you paint the wood white. From the photos the wood doesn't look that interesting or have any depth or grain to it.

I saw some comments were it was said painted trim is always cheap pine or MDF & I can assure you that is not the case. My 110 year old (on historical registry) has White painted trim made out of maple.

When you have tall ceilings with nice sized baseboards, crowns, & casings a soft white paint in a high gloss - preferably oil paint - it automatically steps up the quality of the space & is always timeless. The key is to get the correct white colour that will work throughout the whole home. A bright or blue based white looks cheap.

Thank you FMA. I don't disregard the others posts as that natural wood is beautiful. But it's not instantly cheap mdf if it's white and robbing a home of its character or historical value.

Well, paint looks cheap if you apply the wrong type to the wrong place. Your home really looks very beautiful with natural wood. I could advice just to add more aged looking, it will add real character to our home. I'm a rustic woodcarver, just my vision))) And your home will look expensive. It's an oak, it's a great wood. Right Aged oak-amazingly beautiful. Think twice anyway before make a decision ! Wish you a good luck!

Josh, I am in the same exact situation. And it's just me a single mom having to decide and it's just as difficult. I love them both....the clean look of the white and I also love the original wood of the 1880 craftsman home that I'm buying. I'll post a few pics so you all can see. I've read all the responses and agree with both sides but, I'm still conflicted!!! Help!!
https://photos.zillowstatic.com/p_c/ISi75s8bqzf6x51000000000.jpg

https://photos.zillowstatic.com/p_c/ISekcr9z370id61000000000.jpg

https://photos.zillowstatic.com/p_c/IS66sr681n2nx51000000000.jpg

Here are a few pics from the living room and dining room but, the whole house is just the same. Like I said I LOVE the wood I really do but want to paint it white as that is more my design style.

Help!!!

I am on team leave it wood. There are terrible paint and decor decisions right now, with better colors and window treatments the rooms even with wood trim will look great.

I'd leave the trim for now and focus on the many other issues this house has. Like redoing the bathrooms and eliminating the bad "updates" done in the past few decades. Maybe find similar homes in the area and see how they have been remodeled? Or photos online? The Old House Journal is a wonderful source for details on restoring old homes.

No to painting the woodwork, it is really beautiful. Paint the walls a soft white instead. I would be more concerned with getting rid of the upper loft bathroom glass squares!

Your wood trim adds value to the house. Once you paint, you are committed to paint, the trim is so nice and clean right now you are lucky it has been preserved and treated well.

The bottom line, it's your home, you're paying the mortgage, so you and your family are the only ones whose opinions matter. What I suggest, is that you wait. Wait 6 months before making any changes. See how the natural light moves through the rooms. See if the wood trim (and frankly, there's really not a lot of it) grows on you. After that wait, you'll have a better idea of what works and what doesn't. Then, come back if you need to for recommendations of grays that will work.

@Luann, please see my response to Josh. In your case, I would be hesitant to paint the trim. You have what appears to be a beautiful Craftsman style home. The wood trim is gorgeous! So I would think very long and very hard before painting it.

Team wood. Focus on all the other work. Think restoration!

Restore that beauty! Painting original high quality wood just shouldn't happen. It's like strip mining in a national park.

Have you ever tried to strip paint from trim? Try it. It's major work. That's why painting wood is such a big deal. It's almost irreversible without an unlimited time or money budget to have it removed.

Painting awful 70's era skimpy wood trim is a no brainer. There's nothing special about that. Painting original old growth wood that is an irreplaceable work of art? Nope! Never. Nada. Nyet. Nada. NO.

So I am one that thinks the interior of a house does not need to match the exterior, I do agree that I would wait until all the renovations you want to do are finished and then decide on the woodwork.I grew up in a house where we had dark woodwork everywhere until I was 13 then my parents decided they needed a change and painted all the woodwork a creamy white it was like a breath of fresh air to come home to that white wood work .This house is one where we added back wood work that had been removed but in our case we felt that white was a better choice and also the interior really did not match the exterior and we loved it.

Leave the wood alone & focus on other things that need to be done ( wall paint, decor, etc.) , otherwise buy a newer home more your style.

To everyone who says just buy a new house. That's silly and very close minded. If I wanted to paint exterior brick or put new siding up. Remove the old floors and put new ones in. Remove all trim and mouldings and do sleek new lines. Tear out the staircase and add a modern steel and glass one etc... Then yes buy somthing else. I love our new place. I just don't like the colour of something. I have lived in a couple century homes growing up. One was a mix of natural and white, the other everything painted. I really loved the all white. It was so bright and warm. It still had the beautiful old charm, just bright. I know I asked for opinions, and I'm fine with that. But that's just what they are. Just because I like the idea of mixing old with new does not make it wrong. Just my taste or opinion. I understand the idea of once painted it's never going back.. If you look at this trim up close it's in tough shape. Someone has tried to strip it at some point and it's blotchy and a bit bubbled. Almost like water droplets on it. This home is not historically designated and orca museum. I personally don't think the house has to look exactly like it did in 1895 to be doing it justice. Preserving the elements that make it beautiful is important. But with that, adding to it's original charm with more modern materials and ideas in my opinion is ok. I'm not not removing that what makes it different from a new build home.

Speaking from experience here..... we recently sold a home with beautiful natural woodwork. My husband loved it .... I hated it!!
We lived in that house for 27 years, lots of happy memories, but still bristle at having to decorate around that molding. Nothing ever seemed to go with it! Come to find out, the house just wasn't my style. We now have a sweet little cape with white woodwork and a cottage feel. We both love it! He never wanted to paint it because it would "devalue" the home, not because it wouldn't look good. I don't think you should worry about what someone else might like, or what someone else did like. You need to find what the two of you like. You are the ones that will be living in it every day. Compromise and enjoy your new home! Best of luck.

i guess the question is... if it was all white when you bought it, would you have referred to it as a charmer? is charm something that drew you in?

'i love you, you're perfect, now change' is something you really want to avoid.

i believe in painting bedroom trim white, and yours seems to have already gone there.

wait a while, you have lots to do before the trim needs to be decided on.

Josh - the difficulty is your future wife disagrees. If you are going to make marriage work, you will need to compromise often because pleasing your spouse makes you happy and visa versa. Your fiancee has good reasons for wanting to keep the wood, and many have advised waiting, trying other changes first, and working on areas that need restoration - very good advice. You just want and prefer white trim, but you are not the only one living in the home. I've been married to my college sweetheart for over 30 years - it is just trim color in a house. Keep perspective.

I truly think if we had painted that woodwork right from the start I would have enjoyed that house.
You make some valid points. I say paint the woodwork!! I wish I had!

Regardless of what happens it was said above, "*it's just trim". And ultimately it's going to be a home we will make our family home and that we feel good in.

After viewing the listing photos I understand your dilemma, some of the trim looks much better than others. Your wood has been exposed to smoke, multiple layers of sun yellowed varnish etc. I'd suggest that you remove one door (the smallest and least prominent) and send it off to be pro stripped and sanded. Reevaluate.

I have wood trim but when we did our kitchen Reno, I decided to go with white baseboard trim and regret it ever since. It always looks dirty and it's much more maintenance and we will probably going back to wood at some point.