ecaruso,

Not only should you paint that there wood, you should paint the whole 3-Panel cove. Ok, ok - maybe that's a little too modern for what you got going on. Seriously, things happen in the field & we roll with the decisions to get the best final product, so let's get into it:

So we know a dark color won't work. Light wood or paint is where we need to be, leaving (2) options: 1)Sanding (a small portion) of that dark stained wood to see what happens 2) painting it. So... Sand it - see how it looks, how hard it is to do (is it DIY?) and if it's not working, roll with it and paint it.

I can see a thing layer of semi-gloss white..... put it on that bench too... and paint those three panels above the bench flat navy blue.... Cream drapes....

Good luck & have fun!

-f

I wouldnt be painting any of that trim. Its beautiful. Once you put up rods and get some draperies on those windows, it will make a huge difference. Your blinds are not helping much either. They are way too dark. Window treatments from blinds to draperies is what you really need to be looking at.

I'd paint the wood white in a heartbeat. The current look would bother me too but it's an easy fix.

Thank you for all of the suggestions. It is such a hard decision. I am so afraid to paint it and regret it. That is why it has been like that for a few years. I don’t know how to finish it. The current look is not what I want

If I add drapes, I think I will still see the white unless I completely cover the windows and I don’t want to cover all the trim.

Thanks for the comments and suggestions.

I don't know if this will help visualize it, but this is our trim that we painted. We also had the vinyl windows, and I just wasn't a fan of the look. Our house isn't old though, it was just the style they wanted. We really like the result!

Just wait 10-20 yrs when the (unrepairable) vinyl windows fail. Im only being partially facetious - imho the wood is the keeper here.

I like the window treatment Lil posted -] the white of the shade connects with white of the window. I would do that and not mess up my wood - in your old house (unlike some of the newer houses posted above) the wood trim is a significant architectural feature and old growth wood such as yours highly desireable in an old house.

If you must paint, then first apply a very THICK layer of shellac Use unwaxed shellac, so paint adheres . The shellac will make it possible for the paint to be removed in the future (with a heat gun which melts the shellac and allows paint layer to be remove with a scraper). It also would help prevent paint from getting down into the pores of the wood which would essentially ruin it.

Since yours is an old house with desireable old house features, its really worth saving or at very least making it somewhat reversible.

I really like the simple Roman shades Lil posted. Thank you. I am thinking of trying window treatments to diminish the amount of white that shows.

Dannirose do you have any pictures you would be willing toshare. Did the paint on the moveable parts chip at all? Was it the same situation of covering g white vinyl with a color?

CourtneyB with the cream & white! Where's the emoji keyboard?

PAINT!

And the decision was?

Yes, I want to know too. I don’t understand the love of all wood. In that home it looks oppressive. I’d have voted for paint unless keeping to the original was part of a total restoration plan.

Did you decide yet ? If not I have pic to show you

Its not love of "all" wood. Its love of desireable high quality old growth wood that you generally find in old vintage houses. Not always, but usually. This is wood that was harvested from old growth forests that used to blanket north America up til the early 1900s - yellow pine, chestnut, oak, etc. This wood is vastly superior to the modern lumber of today - which because of growth accelerants is splintery and of poor quality. Old growth wood is very dense, hard as nails, and has a beautiful tight grain. Because wood was so plentiful then, they used the best and most beautiful knot-free pieces for floors and trim. If you doubt the value of old growth wood, look at prices in an architectural salvage place. If its "too dark" then its not the woods fault, its the old shellac which darkens over time. So then just remove it and put on a light finish. I hope this gives you some insight about why some of us are so passionate about this. No, painting is not the end of the world - if you do it over shellac as described above so that it is reversible. I would just ask "why," since OP didnt say he disliked the wood - it was the vinyl inserts that were the problem.

i should have said in my reply that instead of spending time and money on paint or special custom shades you can get wood sash inserts that fit in an old window frame without removing the trim, so it looks pretty much like the original window. Lower cost too than yanking out and replacing entire window.

I'd use a peel and stick white wallpaper applied to the trim to see if you like the look. I've done it on doors and windows to see if I like the color change. The wallpapers are so good no one could tell it's not paint. It's only temporary anyway but it will tell you if it's the right look for you. Good luck!

John, that is a great idea!