Monday, February 13, 2012

House Help!

I'm postponing Menu Monday for some urgent house help. I need your honest to goodness advice on the base board trim and the crown molding. I love crown molding, but I feel like the wood crown molding is dated and I want to paint it all white. I know this is a big job as it runs the whole course of our first floor (and second floor) but I'm okay with that. The wood is starting to get to me. I cannot stop starting at it and want to change it. Badly.


Here is a picture of the trim I'm talking about:
Now here is where I need your help:

1. How difficult is it to paint wood?
2. What paint would you recommend?
3. Would it look good?
4. Should I paint the fireplace white as well?

Thanks in advance for your help!!!

17 comments:

Erica said...

YES! I would definitely paint the trim white. A friend of ours had a whole room like this (wood panel walls), they painted over it and it changed the whole feel of the room! It's gonna make it feel much more open as well. Painting it shouldn't be too difficult, just time consuming. Not sure what paint to use...probaly a glossy white for trim. I would probably do the fireplace as well. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

Painting wood isn't hard but it's definitely time consuming. Be sure to use a good primer before you paint. When I painted my wood trim white I used Sherwin Williams oil based primer (1 coat) and then Sherwin Williams duration home paint in white semi gloss (2 coats). Good luck!

Jennifer said...

I would paint the trim white (not sure how hard it is though!). I would paint the wood on the fireplace white, but I would leave the brick as is.

Kishah said...

I would definitely paint the molding white. However, for the fireplace, since the wall is already white, I would give it a darker stain and not paint it white.

I helped my mother paint hers and for the primer, we used ceiling paint, but it was mainly because we were painting the ceiling as well. So I guess, any primer will do. Then, we used 1 coat of a high gloss (I think the brand was sherwin williams-not too sure about that.) Then, we gave it a second coat but with a thinned paint.

It wasn't difficult at all. Just time consuming. We also had to do a whole side all at once before taking breaks because we did not want for the paint to dry halfway.
Just make sure to use painting tape where the molding meets the wall if you're not painting that too :)

This is the post we went by: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_best_type_of_paint_for_crown_moulding_Flat_Semi-Gloss_Satin_etc.

Patience said...

I would pull all of the trim off and spray it. If you paint it, it is hard to hide the bursh strokes.

thehobbs said...

We recently discovered tinted stain when painting our outdoor trim. It's stain but is colored! We used white and is covered really well, even over the parts that were previously beige and we decided we wanted white. I'd paint the trim but I like the idea of making the mantle a darker stain.

Lauren said...

we have white trim and I absolutely love it!

I am no help for as to how to do it since ours started out as white!

The white will look so classy & modern compared to the wood!

Erin said...

We just renovated a house and everything was "brown" trim, paneling, crown molding - everything!!!
We painted everything white and it made a world of difference.
I don't want to type a book here, but if you want to e-mail me at erin.motes@gmail.com I'll tell you everything we did and what we used!

Jen Caputo said...

don't have paint buying advice but I would definitely say yes paint it! And the mantel too :)

Mrs EyeCanSee said...

I agree with all the others. Definitly paint it, you'll love the results!! And yes, I would do the mantle as well as the floor baseboard and around the windows/doors. I think it will look off if you only do the crown molding.

Anne said...

I also vote for white. Our friends did it in their new house and it updated it tremendously. I don't know the paint they used. I know it was first primer and then the stuff. And you have to sand first. They were super remodelers so they banged them out- but it does take awhile. Would look good though! And def do the fireplace too!

A Nerd and A Free Spirit said...

Yes yes yes! White trim and white fireplace. It will look so much fresher! Can't wait to see! (-:

~Kathryn

Unknown said...

Don't paint the fireplace! The brick is already white-ish, and plain brick is very pretty. Plus you can't go back once you paint it. Though I would paint the mantle white.

Erica said...

I might be the only purist out here who thinks you shouldn't paint it. It's going to be a ton of work to do your whole house. Plus everything comes and goes out of style. Right now, EVERYTHING is white trim, but I'd be willing to bet that in a few years, white will be dated and wood will be in again. Plus, once it's painted you can't undo it unless you have new trim installed. I guess really, you should just choose what you like and if you'll be happy with it even if it is no longer in style.

LWLH said...

I would paint the molding and the mantle white but leave the fireplace as is. :)

sarah said...

It's not hard, just tedious. I would start with a liquid deglosser & then prime it. I just did this in my house and used a semi gloss (not as hard to deal with as a high gloss).

Anonymous said...

Definately paint it white. Go to www.younghouselove.com to get all the tips and info that you need.