Please don’t paint the wood! Someone painted ours and it looks out of place and time. It would take years and more patience than I have to restore the original wood so I will live with it, but unhappily. Instead paint the white baseboard the same color as your stair treads. The white is too contemporary for your house and jumps out at my eyes as inappropriate. BM also has a Colonial Williamsburg color called mopboard black if you would prefer that. But no one in 1790 would have white baseboards because of the constant dirt that would be tracked into the house. My baseboard up the stairs is the same verdigris paint as the baseboard and chair rail in the entry to give continuation to the eye. Have you owned your house for a long time? We found it instructive to visit similar period homes, including Locust Grove in Louisville, Kentucky, Pleasant Hill Shaker village in Kentucky, and Adena in Chillicothe, Ohio. These homes were built about the same time as yours. If you are in New England, there are many homes open to the public that will have a similar time period. Search them out because the curators have spent years researching paints and wall coverings and flooring. We have found them to be generous with their advice. When this COVID is over, plan several day trips to research correct colors. The magazine Early American Life is a staple on my shelves. I keep all my issues for reference.

We have owned the home for just a couple of years. We live in a historic district in New England. I definitely agree on the white. I also prefer the wood banister and have been told that’s original. I won’t paint It. I think the spindles were added at a later date. I’ll have to compare to other homes in the area. I really appreciate your thoughts. Thank you

You’re in a good position to research the spindles. Ours are turned, too. 1803 or so.