Different woods?
bgood
This is similar to the question that InterestedDecor asked, but this time it's the whole house. We have a '50s ranch house, 3BR, 1 BA, and ALL the woodwork is (I think) original. Interior doors, exterior doors, sliding closet doors, casings, molding, and kitchen cabinets. Everything is oak, and it has a clear-ish varnish(?); you see the grain, but it's kind of yellow/white looking. We had the bathroom redone last fall, which involved stripping and restaining the window and door casings, and the cabinet and laundry chute doors, but not the entry door. The stain we used was just a basic Minwax natural oak, and it's almost the same color as it used to be, but doesn't have the same yellow/white quality. I think it looks ok inside the room, but I'm a little worried about the entry door. It needs to be replaced because it's damaged, but we probably wouldn't ever be able to match the stain/varnish exactly so that it looks the same as all the other doors/trim in the hall and the rest of the house. Is that a big deal? Do people (esp. potential buyers, ~3-5 years down the road) really notice things like that if they're not really looking? And the bigger issue--the kitchen cabinets need help, and I'm thinking replacing them is the way to go. The house didn't have a dishwasher originally of course, so we added one by cutting into some lower cabinets we didn't need. It looks ok, but it's not a really nice, finished look. So I'd like to replace the cabinets entirely, but again, we probably wouldn't be able to match the stain in the rest of the house. Plus, DH and I prefer darker wood anyway; most of our furniture is cherry. Could we get away with cherry cabinets, or some other wood tone, while the rest of the house is oak? Or are we stuck with oak that only kind of, but not totally, matches?
ju-ju
If you like the finish that exists on your woodwork, than it is probably worth it for you to try to match the new door with stain. It will never be a perfect match since the stain used on the original trim is more than 50 years old. If this is bothersome to you, you could always give all of your woodwork and trim an update with a bit of sanding and paint it white. Then you would be able to choose darker wood cabinetry without worrying about a contrasting wood tone. If you opt for keeping the woodwork and trim as it is, you could consider installing paint finished cabinetry to avoid too much contrast between woods.
bgood
Ok, a friend has almost convinced us to just paint the trim, and then we can use whatever cabinets we want. But if we paint the trim in the kitchen, would we have to paint the trim in all the other rooms too? That would be a lot of work, and almost impossible to get around all the carpet...
ju-ju
Yes, it is alot of work...perhaps a good wintertime project and yes, I would keep the woodwork the same throughout the house. My good friends just completed this project in their home a few months ago, and used liquid sandpaper instead of sanding the finish to ready it for paint, saving them hours of tedious sanding (not to mention the dust!). They worked on one room at a time so they wouldn't feel overwhelmed or discouraged by the lack of visual progress. The house looks great, and with the crisp white woodwork and doors, it is definitely brighter! I think the outcome will be worth the effort! Just use some wide painter's tape on the carpeting.
catwoman708
The wood tones don't have to match throughout the whole house. For common areas that are easily visible from one room to the next, I'd keep them similar enough so they blend, but they don't necessarily have to match exactly.If you are replacing your kitchen cabinets, go with the ones you really want, no matter what the color. The other wood features can be updated to match or blend a little at a time by staining things darker or even painting. When we moved into our house, it had wood grained doors on all bedrooms, bathroom, and even doors between the living room and hallway, and the living room and kitchen, and one wall in the living room was wood paneling. The first time we painted, we painted all of those, and removed the extraneous doors from the living room into the kitchen and hallway. It really opened and brightened everything up. the kitchen cabinets are all still wood, and it is very "dingy" in there. We've just been avoiding all the work it will be to replace or paint them. I'm thinking of a compromise, of painting just the doors, and leaving the cabinets themselves wood, but there is a lot of complicated trim and little "valance" board accents that don't lend easily to two toned looks..
merryhousemaid
here's the deal, if you cannot totally match what is existing do something totally different. Don't, and I repeat don't try to match unless you can, it looks cheesy. why not white wash or do something like that, maybe that's not what you like, but you get the drift! but remember it is a ranch style and you need to stay within the confines of the homes integrity! and ps. don't paint the trim, natural wood is gorgeous and is a novelty now aday!
ju-ju
I disagree with merry when she states that you 'need to stay within the confines of your home's integrity'. Just because you live in a mid-century ranch style home, doesn't mean that you can't adapt your home for a modern lifestyle decorated in whatever taste you find most comfortable. Don't fear painting your trim, if that is the look you prefer, because people have been painting the wood trim in their homes for many, many years and it can be found in both historical homes, and in modern designer homes. A decorator once told me that if you want your trim to stand out, then keep it wood grain and stain it. If you want to notice the view out the window or the room itself, then paint the trim white. It is an optical illusion. The darker trim will stop your eye and you will then notice the trim. The white will "disappear" and the eye will notice the view from the window or the intended focal point in your room.That said, I vote for the painted trim.
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