There is no once and done finish. Stain and three coats of poly (heck paint means primer plus two coats) As to color? The stain might be Ipswich pine, old maple, who knows? Get some unfinished pieces and test it. That’s the only way to get it to match.

General Finishes has gell stains and finishes plus diy videos .

You may have fir trim. My house has a lot of it in the previously renovated areas. See if a lumber yard can get you some. It darkens to that shade over time, but I find you can approximate it by apply Danish oil then poly.

Also the HD link you posted is for FINGERJOINT trim which is paint grade, go to a real lumberyard and get solid.

I hear you @Seabornman on the fir but I do think that is pine.

Thank y'all so much. Re: Lumberyard or box-store, any specific primed moulding-plus-paint you'd recommend - to get by at bare minimum cost, as it seems that bare wood and staining may be costly? I'm hoping to get a painter, as my physique & health are absolutely not up to the task. Thus i'd like to be a bit pre-educated about this.

Unfortunately the less costly Eight-footers seem to be only 3.25" rather than 3.5" so due to that skimpy-ness it may require they hammer the nails into the studs in order to just barely cover up the gap at base of sheetrock.

There's also parts where there is no floorboarding within the gap, so that can require some sorta fillers.

What fee might painters charge to do this, at lower end of scale?

If you’re looking for a shortcut and a pretty durable way to finish this wood trim, try Behr water based stain and poly. It has good coverage, varying sheens to choose from, and you can deepen the color by adding additional coats. It is not the “professional” way to finish wood, but it works and looks pretty darn good. It’s about $20 per quart can. It cleans up with soap and water, just like water based acrylic paint. I recently used it on a small piece of trim and managed to match it perfectly. I also updated a worn coffee table with it and it looks very good. I’ve been refinishing and painting wood furniture for many years and would never have considered using this in the past because it is a “cheater” way to do refinishing. But I’m older now and less inclined to do the multi-step refinishing anymore!

Thanks for the advice, Beerpocketbook!

• So you'd get Unfinished molding to apply the Behr on?
• If so, which molding product would you get?
• And which color Behr Stain+Poly?
• And how many cans for 23 feet of 3.25" molding?

Beerpocketbook, thanks again so much for your thorough advice. I've printed out Behr stain/poly as well as WM-713 https://www.homedepot.com/p/Woodgrain-Millwork-WM-713-9-16-in-x-3-1-4-in-Solid-Pine-Base-Moulding-10002011/203946782, and will get to work at next opportunity. I keep playing leapfrog, such as pending CT scan, and household/other curveballs.

I do note some very bad reviews on the WM-713 product, though.

I’m not at all knowledgeable about the baseboard moulding, so can’t comment on that. But I’ll pray for your successful CT scans & that all goes well for you. 🙏🏻

" Unfortunately the less costly Eight-footers seem to be only 3.25" rather than 3.5" "

AGAIN a real lumberyard will have the 3 1/2" Base Moulding you are looking for.

Thanks for the feedback, millworkman, so you mean 3.5" Unfinished 8-footers at lumber yard?

What suitable unfinished moulding do most yards stock - and the current cost for 8-footers of those wood-types?

P.S. Beerpocketbook, i appreciate your having me in mind!

" What suitable unfinished moulding do most yards stock "

Pine, I would clear since your original goal was to stain it. You would want 9/16" x 3 1/2" WM713 Clamshell Base.

" and the current cost for 8-footers of those wood-types? "

Why limit yourself to 8' pcs. I would venture in $3-3.25 a lf range. And that kills me to type that as I remember selling that for $1.50 approx a lf. Of course that was 20 odd years ago.........................

The 3 (at least) different ranch trims from various renovations in my house. None of them over 3-1/4" tall.

millworkman, thanks but i'm confused, since you advised a lumberyard, but yet you now advise WM713 which is the Primed finger-joint at Home Depot.

millworkman, thanks but i'm confused, since you advised a lumberyard, but yet you now advise WM713 which is the Primed finger-joint at Home Depot.

WM713 is the Wood Moulding Assoc model number for 9/16" x 3 1/2" Clamshell Base. It is not a number for HD especially it is a standard moulding number from the aforementioned assoc. The FJP as well and would technically be called WM713FJP.

The "WM" series of moldings are standards of the MMPA. You can buy many of these profiles at various retailers. If you search for "MMPA moldings chart" you'll find them. https://www.hinghamlumber.com/sitefile2021/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/BROSCO-chart.pdf is one. Different heights and thicknesses warrant different WM numbers.

Thanks. I had thought "WM" represents "Woodgrain Millwork" (home depot). I didn't know its "Wood Moulding".

So when you see WM713 on the Home Depot site, it's Woodgrain Millwork's version of:

Wood Moulding 713?

"So when you see WM713 on the Home Depot site, it's Woodgrain Millwork's version of: Wood Moulding 713?"

Yes

Thanks.

You could buy pre-finished baseboard moulding.

The latest guy i'd called hadn't returned my email. He'd forgotten to check it. I finally reached him again by phone this eve. He eventually quoted $300 for the 23 feet of installation and staining. He said he'd be getting all of it including the BEHR stain/poly at Lowe's claiming they're the best source for everything (that's despite my mentioning a lumberyard). Furthermore, i don't see the BEHR stain/poly on the Lowe's site, so i've no clue what he plans to get there.

i tried asking on this thread about the fee that painters might charge, but nobody responded. The guy's mannerism gave me the jitters.

P.S. I recall seeing that pre-finished recently, but if anyway i'd need a handyman, i don't see them bothering with ordering the pre-finished from Ohio. So i've no clue how i'd have juggled that.

Behr paints are exclusively at Home Depot.

" He said he'd be getting all of it including the BEHR stain/poly at Lowe's claiming they're the best source for everything (that's despite my mentioning a lumberyard). "

LOL, that guy would be the last one I would hire. A fountain of misinformation................

So should i cancel him? Is he overpriced at $300/eight yards stain+installation? He's due to come soon so i'd really like to know but i've a niggling feeling that when it comes to the topic of pricing, everyone shies away.

Meanwhile, when i called Consumer Protection they said handymen require a license. I've no clue as to whether this guy is licensed and I didn't tell the agency whom i'm phoning about, but i never knew that handymen require a license.

They also said its illegal to hire someone with no license. Huh?? What if it's your friend or neighbor?

They said the same about lawnmower guys needing licensing. Huh?? Mine is an absolute saint, so i found the below article, which is on the button, and i could care less how many houzzer's opinions differ. Because IMO the below article is based on empathy and common sense. Why don't these corrupt authorities rather crack down on scooterists terrorizing pedestrians, or on nursing-home admin. whose abnormal alarm system has literally deafened residents, rather than small-timers needing their difficult lawns cut...

https://www.learnliberty.org/blog/do-you-have-a-license-to-mow-that-lawn-5-ways-occupational-licensing-laws-hurt-almost-everyone/

The purpose of these occupational licenses is to create cartels by restricting new entrants. Some states have licenses for hair braiders and even flower arrangers. DC (among others) has one for interior designers. It required a license for tour guides until it was ruled an unconstitutional infringement on free speech:

• D.C. Tour Guides - Institute for Justice

wdcruise wow! Glad someone's on my page along with all freedom lovers!

Update - i decided to cancel the forementioned guy because he wasn't providing references and there were indications which gave me jitters. Turns out i was smart for doing so, because he became really creepy when i cancelled the day before the appointment, sending an ongoing string of unhinged texts that i thought would never stop. I was petrified.

I finally found a nice licensed guy who was observant enough to discern from my photo (see attached) that my sheetrock previously descended till the floor, and that the flood-remediation guys had removed the base sheetrock. So he offered to fill in the 23 feet of base-sheetrock for $200, and that will suffice for me (so that i can more easily swiffer my hall). I really could care less how raw it is, as this place is an old moneypit anyway.