Painting or Staining Wood Can Bring New Life to an Old Room

Painting Or Staining Wood

If the rooms in your home have existing woodwork, you can paint or stain it to enhance the look of any room. Changing woodwork is sometimes overlooked when deciding on how to transform the interior of a home, especially with things like painting interior doors. If the woodwork is simple, elaborate or intricate, hiring a professional painter will you’re your trim a polished, beautiful look.

It’s best to consider the following factors when choosing to paint or stain your woodwork:

Look at the quality of the wood. Usually, there are two types of woodwork – “paint grade” or “stain grade.” There’s an easy way to check the quality of your trim if it has already been stained. If it’s good quality, the woodgrain will probably show through the stain. When you are lucky to have a higher quality wood, paint may not be the best option. Older woodwork obviously will have dings, cracks, and holes, so painting the trim would be the best option, even if the wood is higher quality in other areas.

What is also important to consider is the style and era in which your home was built. With a newer home, painting the trim will be much easier to maintain. With an older home it’s probable that you have higher-quality woodwork, so staining it to bring out it’s natural beauty would be prudent.

What about the trim in the rest of your home? Painted or stained? When you are getting ready to decide on painting or staining wood, remember to look at the trim in other rooms of your home. Is it already painted or stained? You’ll want to be sure that you choose to be consistent throughout your home. If most of the trim in your home is stained, except the room you’re working on, then it’s wise to stain the woodwork to match.

Choosing a paint color. Painting your woodwork a bright white or pale shade of beige will definitely brighten the room.  white can help liven it up. If you have a great amount of natural light flowing in, you should paint your baseboards, doors, or molding a darker color for contrast against the bright room. Deciding to paint or stain trim can be a difficult decision. It’s common for people to select a white hue color for their woodwork, since it is so versatile. The simplicity of white trim can work well with all sorts of room decor, and other accent wall paint colors, making a room look more modern.

Remember to consider the size of your room when making the decision to paint trim. When you begin to strategize with your professional painter or designer, you must think about where one style will stop and the next starts.

Choosing a stain color. Before you stain wood, you should understand the type of wood you’re staining. The actual species of wood matters because with each different wood grain, the stain will adhere differently.

It may be overwhelming to make the decision to paint or stain – if that’s the case, hire a professional painter to help you figure it out. We hire the best color experts at J. Canabe. Our team can help you make smart decisions on how to best finish your woodwork – whether your painting or staining wood. Don’t hesitate to call us for answers to your questions or help on your next painting project.