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Interior trim, mix and match, or not?

NickNukeEm | Posted in General Discussion on April 22, 2007 11:44am

What’s your philosphy of interior trim with respect to finish?  I have an interior renovation in which the trim is specified as paint grade, though the balance of the house is stain.  Would you try to maintain continuity throughout, or does it matter?

Probably a matter of personal choice, I suppose. 

Coincidently, my own house has stained colonial trim (circa 1985,) which I loved when I moved in right after construction, but now find not as ‘flexible’ as my tastes have changed over time.  I’d like some painted trim, but am unsure how it would look with the rest of the trim.

Does anyone request both stained and paintgrade trim in new construction?  Can’t recall seeing anything like that.

Thanks.

“I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.”  Invictus, by Henley.

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  1. girlbuilder | Apr 23, 2007 12:20am | #1

    In my opinion, experience, observation, it can vary based on the style, design or period of the house. Some houses used stained trim in showier rooms (foyer, living, formal dining, parlor) in older houses and paint in more service oriented and casual areas of the house. Depends on the look you are going for and your taste. You can mix paint and stain grade in one room, even on a run around a door or window or base, no one will shoot you, but you might get some funny looks.

    Usually people end up painting stained trim at some point in the house's life anyway since as you are finding out, stained trim has its limitations in aesthetic flexibility.

    May I revise that assertion to say that some grand period houses with stain/varnish trim should stay that way and offenders should be drawn and quartered!

  2. WayneL5 | Apr 23, 2007 12:20am | #2

    It is a matter of taste, but it would look fine, I think, if done in a certain way.  For example, painted in bathrooms, stained elsewhere, or, stained in the formal rooms (entry, living room) and painted elsewhere, or stained in public spaces but painted upstairs.  Some such division that "makes sense" would look fine to me.

  3. Piffin | Apr 23, 2007 01:02am | #3

    I built one a few years back where they wanted stained upstairs and painted downstairs.

    But they wer crazy people anyway

     

     

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  4. Jer | Apr 23, 2007 03:39am | #4

    I think you're right in that one's taste does change over the years. I used to be more a stained trim type but not so anymore. Stained trim can look ok but for me it must be a better type of wood like chestnut, mahogany or walnut as opposed to poplar or pine (although perfectly clear pine can be nice stained). Also the moulding should have an older cut to it if it's stained. Just my opinion is all.

    Mixing them? Yeah,if you like it I guess. I've seen it many times where the door is stained but the casing and jamb is painted and that doesn't look bad. In fact I'm sitting here right now looking at the painted crown I installed that sits over the stained trim on the windows. Not my choice, I moved into the place with it that way and changing the trim work that's already nicely done around some of the windows is about number twenty seven on my list of top ten things to do around the house.

    I like uniformity though, at least within a room, or hallway. Up or down stairs can be different from one another. Yes, I've had many customers want both.

  5. DougU | Apr 23, 2007 04:18am | #5

    Nick

    We finished up a house this past winter that incorporated paint grade and cherry throughout the house. A few pics below.

    House we are currently working on has same thing going on and in the same rooms - cherry and paint.

    About 5 years ago we did one that had walnut, oak, paint grade and maple.

    I find a house with all of one kind of woodwork quit boring!

    Doug

    1. User avater
      NickNukeEm | Apr 23, 2007 04:52am | #6

      Gorgeous, well crafted and tastefully done.  Thanks.

       "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul."  Invictus, by Henley.

    2. girlbuilder | Apr 23, 2007 06:49am | #7

      That's a fine example of the proper use of stained wood. Typically no one wants to paint a fine quality wood where as pine is customarily painted. Also, staining brings out architectural effects as so nicely illustrated in that work, especially when contrasted against the painted surfaces. Nice work.

  6. Glen91482 | Apr 23, 2007 08:19am | #8

    Stain grade trim in a house is a lot more effort, and not a lot of $$$ for the effort so I would recomend it only if it is your home or a close friend with $$$.  But if you are going to seperate trim styles maybe do the master bedroom, dining room and study in stain grade.  Keep stain grade out of bathrooms and kitchen(for base boards).

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