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Design Dilemma
pinkbutterflybarbie

Too much wood!!! Do I paint it all?!

pinkbutterflybarbie
3 years ago








Hi everyone,


My home is covered in wood. Skirting boards, door frames, built in wardrobes, built in shelving units, bannisters, & even window sills & blinds. It’s overwhelming. Most of it is pine, from when the person who owned the house before me renovated it. It was a standard terrace, but now it’s completely open plan.

So, the main problem is, I think I should paint the woodwork, but I don’t know if I should paint more than the skirting boards & bannisters, & if I should paint them at all because of it being open plan right the way up to floor one, where the first doors appear.

The amount of wood is actually silly, it looks horrible! My main wall colour is Cornforth White, with slate floors downstairs & Ridley Twist Slate carpet on the landing.


My idea is to use F&B railings but where?! HELP! 😂 Also, in the bedroom where the multiple wardrobe doors are, the room is Egyptian Cotton.

Featured Answer
  • Sonia
    3 years ago

    Wow that’s a lot of pine! The worst of it (sorry!) is the wardrobes. Egyptian Cotton is a shade of taupe so you could go darker such as Purbeck Stone or Elephants Breath. It just depends on the light and aspect. You could do the skirting etc in the same shade. Or you could try one of the whites to brighten things up. Then have a break from all that painting!

    I’ve seen staircases painted Railing and it looks lovely so could be an option. I would paint out all the pine but do it gradually. If budget allows employing a decorator is a good idea. First pic is Purbeck Stone and the last is Railings.

    Comments (39)

    • Rowland
      3 years ago

      hi

      paint it quickly!!

      any colour to get rid of the notty pine!

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    • Rowland
      3 years ago

      knotty

    • User
      3 years ago

      The wardrobe doors are the worst offenders so I'd start by painting them the same colour as your walls so they blend in.

    • 1sandyh
      3 years ago

      Wow, that’s a lot of pine! What is your budget for this? As you can actually hire a sprayer to come in mask everywhere up & spray it all in a day or 2. Much quicker and nice finish but I’m not sure of costs.

      Definitely start with painting the wardrobe doors & adding some modern handles!

      Bannisters - you could paint dark like Sonia suggests, or even swap for metal spindles or glass.

      Skirtings/window sills - i would paint white

    • Rowland
      3 years ago

      yes paint it all!! it is not old pine, it is relatively new fast grown wood - it is made to be painted. Really with all the knots you need to make sure they are properly treated with knotting oil to stop them bleeding through the finish paint colour.

      it will improve the look 150% inexpensively!! just do it and stand back and look and you will see what a great decision you made and how the whole space will feel more in balance.

      Best

      Rowland

    • PRO
      OnePlan
      3 years ago

      Totally agree with previous posts - especially treating knots and keeping with the taupe colours !

    • Mary Ketchley
      3 years ago

      I have a bit of an odd liking for pine skirting/window ledges etc (I think one of my first grown up homes had them) but I agree with everyone else about the wardrobe doors. It’s hard to live with.

    • Daisy England
      3 years ago

      Had it been oak then I would have said keep it as oak has a classy feeling. However pine is a standard softwood and cheap to buy so when looking at it then it does produce knots drawing your eye to them. You definitely need to paint some if not all.

      I‘m guessing it was done for low maintenance.

    • keiblem
      3 years ago

      I agree with all of the above. Paint it but maybe leave the bannister hand rail. At the very least paint it last to see how it looks. It might look better though if you could stain the hand rail darker. Knotting solution is a must however I remember faithfully using it and the knots still bled through. Can anyone recommend a good brand?

    • cazSF
      3 years ago

      Another vote for painting it all. Do share the end result!

    • Jen
      3 years ago

      I agree with Keiblem to paint it all except for the handrail, which I’d stain darker to tie in with the floor. And yes - what brand of knotting solution do people find works best?

    • clarekelly2002
      3 years ago

      hi there

      i have recently had to paint wardrobes and walls in a bedroom and found it very very hard to get the right combo. i have eventually found a combo of school house white on the walls and drop cloth on the wardrobes . its so beautiful. i hope this is helpful information for you

    • Eleanor Keilt
      3 years ago

      Purbeck Stone is a great suggestion. we had tongue and groove paneling put in our bathroom and painted it this colour. it goes with anything

    • Rosie Lyon
      3 years ago

      Don't make sweeping generalisations! Look at each bit of wood and ask yourself whether you like it. Personally I don't like large vertical expanses of wood (especially pine as the colour is heavy) so I'd paint the wardrobes and any vertical panelling. I like white but that's just me. Then see what you're left with. Does what remains add a natural look, or is any of it still too heavy? If you do it in stages like this you'll find the right balance. There's nothing wrong with a mix of pine and another colour as long as it doesn't clash. White is light and safe. Good luck!

    • Ruth Watt
      3 years ago

      I would definitely paint most of the wood as it would overwhelm any decorating scheme you would decide on. Personally I would prioritise the wardrobe doors, probably paint them the same colour as the walls so they fade into the background. My main comment concerns preparation as the wood is so knotty, if they are not sealed properly you will get really unpleasant staining from the knots. I would suggest a product made by Zinsser, I have found it to work. I don’t like modern pine as it has no character but that is me, so I would paint it but that is my preference. I do like aged paint found in Victorian homes but it is for me about balance, I wouldn’t like to feel like I was living in a sauna or Swiss chalet. What you colour you paint your skirting boards etc. May depend on factors like room size, some people paint the boards the same colour as the flooring to create the illusion of the room being larger. I would after the prep get someone it to spray paint the large areas of wood to get a nice even finish and because it would be boring to paint such a large area as those wardrobes, good luck with what you decide on.

    • Sarah
      3 years ago

      My sister-in-law moved into a house with a country style wood kitchen. Rather than paint all of it, she painted the 'frame' between the outside part of each door and the 'country' middle bit (sorry, hard to explain, and I never thought to take a photo) in a duck egg blue-green. She then replaced the handles with colourful ceramic knobs. It completely transformed the kitchen, and she then happily lived with it for over ten years.


      You could do something similar, perhaps by masking out 'frames' on the wardrobe and kitchen doors. It would be less 'heavy' than all that wood, but not just all paint (which can be heavy in its own way). Perhaps just paint the spindles of the stairs?


      This way, if you find it isn't enough, you can add more paint. If you just paint everything, it would be hard to take some off.

    • Penny
      3 years ago

      i would suggest that you start small and build from there - maybe start with painting the wardrobe doors and kitchen cupboards and see if that balances out the skirts and doors/frames. I personally like a bit of wood but balanced with painted wood. for example a painted cupboard with wooden top/handles/feet
      I agree with a previous poster - it's easy to paint more than remove it!

    • kadams1010
      3 years ago

      I cannot recommend enough zinsser. I’ve used their shellac primer and then used farrow and ball on top of it. It’s brilliant!

    • Sandra Henzell
      3 years ago
      last modified: 3 years ago

      Frenchic every time. If you are on Facebook look up Frenchic, join the group for loads of ideas and inspiration. You won't regret it, good luck.

    • 163 hrd
      3 years ago
      last modified: 3 years ago

      I also have a bedroom in Egyptian Cotton, and painted the wardrobes in the same colour eggshell. I am disappointed with the effect. The Dulux eggshell appears lighter than the walls, and looks... just wrong. If I had it to do over I would choose a slightly darker colour for the wardrobes and woodwork.

    • Sarah
      3 years ago
      last modified: 3 years ago

      That is a very good point, 163 hrd. Also be aware how much colour changes over the day and the season. ALWAYS paint a test piece and put it where you want to paint, then study it carefully for at least 24 hours. If this is going to be a serious change, consider test pieces each with several shades around (lighter and darker) the colour you think you want - you will be astonished at the differences between them :)


      ETA: Make the test pieces LARGE! You can't tell much from a tiny square of card.

    • Sarah
      3 years ago
      last modified: 3 years ago

      By the way, Egyptian Cotton is fairly close to F&B Shaded White. F&B is more expensive, of course, but often only needs a single coat, as it has brilliant coverage.

    • deejayn73
      3 years ago

      I’d paint all the wood same as walls. Not Egyptian cotton though, more inclined to the whiter shade. Maybe a dark shade on the bannisters. Just my taste but you may have already done this by now. It’s very a satisfying transformation doing the woodwork.

    • 163 hrd
      3 years ago

      No not Egyptian Cotton. Regarding my comment above, I finally realised what bothers me about the eggshell - it brings to mind nicotine stained walls! There is not enough depth of colour, just enough to look old and dirty.

    • pinkbutterflybarbie
      Original Author
      3 years ago

      Painted. Half done. Skirting in Black Heron, wardrobes in Egyptian Cotton. It’s the biggest pain in the arse I’ve ever signed up for. Once it’s done, I’m repainting all the walls across three floors, & then I am done. Thanks everyone.

    • Mary Mary
      3 years ago

      Love it such a trsnsformation

    • deejayn73
      3 years ago

      Wow so much nicer! Well done!

    • JesmondDene
      3 years ago

      Well done, what a difference. Especially like the black heron paint work.

    • Sonia
      3 years ago

      A transformation so far. Painting large areas is a pain, but looking better already. You’ll soon get there.

    • Patrina
      3 years ago

      Beautifully transformed

    • PRO
      Tara Rodrigues Interiors
      3 years ago

      Gorgeous

    • User
      3 years ago

      Oh those wardrobes look so much better now

    • lspendl 828
      3 years ago

      Fabulous

    • Pat Auld
      3 years ago

      It is so worth it, what a transformation. It looks great and I especially love the black. I’m thinking now where I could try that 🤔

    • Vicky Pow
      3 years ago

      Oh I love it! And I would have said no to the dark skirting but it’s lovely

    • Penny
      3 years ago

      Pretty inspiring...now, where is my paint brush??!

    • HU-184222461
      2 years ago
      last modified: 2 years ago

      I'm in the same predicament as original post. In the 90s we replaced our skirting boards, architrave and internal doors with natural pine to avoid the hassle of glossing. Whilst I like the warm tones of the pine, I now feel overwhelmed with it all and am looking to change all internal doors. But what would work with the existing pine skirting & architrave without the need for painting?

      FYI: Our colour scheme throughout is cream/pale gold with splashes of colour in each room (e.g. bed linen/curtains and a red sofa/armchairs in the lounge).

    • pinkbutterflybarbie
      Original Author
      2 years ago

      I get your predicament! Short of painting the the line, I really don’t know. I’ve finished painting three floors of skirting & bannisters & Im just finishing my walls off now throughout. I hope someone can help you! Add some pictures here & Im sure someone could be of service! I’m struggling with a colour to paint the kitchen now…I have a feeling it’s time to spray the cupboards in there 😂

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