# What's the trend for trims?



## yamster (Jun 18, 2011)

Hello all,

My house currently has oak windows, doors, and trims with natural/golden stain (I think it's the most commonly used stain/color for oak).

However, when I watch those home remodeling/building/DIY/renovation shows on TV (cable), I notice virtual every house I see has painted doors and trims, mostly white or some other bright color. 

I actually see some doors and trims on which I can see the wood grain (= no paint), but those are really upscale houses... like a mansion, or very old/classic houses.

It made me wonder if painted doors and trims are today's style and wood doors and trims are considered outdated...

I've always thought wood doors and trims are more expensive therefore considered a bit more luxurious... maybe I was wrong on that? Also, when I go to HD i still see they sell wood trims, and a lot of people still buying them...

Well, I know it ultimately is a personal preference. But then gain, I am afraid that I may end up "downgrading" my home by painting our oak trims and doors...

So, what is the general consensus? Are painted doors and trims cheaper alternative for wood grain counter parts? Or, it really is a matter of preference entirely? Or, painted doors and trims are considered more modern and actually preferred in general?

Thank you!


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

Do you really care what the style is?

The problem with HGTV and DIY shows is that it's paid by by advertisers....who want you to buy their product.

If you like what you have....keep it.....if you don't like it...change it...

Do what you like...not what every one else thinks you should have.


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## TheBobmanNH (Oct 23, 2012)

Ther'es a reason things are referred to as "paint grade" and "stain grade." if you want the grain to show, you have to have much better wood than the crap you can buy that you can just slather paint on to cover any imperfections.

IT truly doesn't matter what the trending style is, it matters what looks good with your house and style. My house is 100+ years old, and certainly not styled according to the current trends, but people still love it (myself included).


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## Nailbags (Feb 1, 2012)

I hate painted trim and white doors.


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

I hate knock-down wall texture


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## Dorado (Feb 7, 2013)

I think the timeless things are things that aren't made to look like something else. Synthetic wood paneling is out. Real wood will always be fine. Ceramic tile will always be fine. For now, Vinyl tile is currently OK too, I think. Unfortunately I've seen before and after pictures where the home owner was bragging about removing wood stained kitchen cabinets (stained so the grain shows, not stained dirty) and switching to painted ones and I thought the before picture looked much better. I've even thought the before picture was the after picture and that the new cabinets were ugly. Some people just like bright colors I guess. Oh, and paint will never be out of style. I think you're better off with paint but they're both OK IMO.


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

But orange shag carpet is timeless...................


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

I do not think it a good idea to paint over nice woods. I don't give a second thought to painting something like pine or fir though.

A certain woman in my life banned me for watching HGTV type shows. The former fashionista from Canada staging houses and doing repair work in heels just sent me up the wall. And do not get me started on Design on a Dime? Get what you pay for I guess. 

Trends do change in interior design. I guess we are swinging toward painting over dark woods again. Would I, on one of my former projects. Never. And real estate people seemed to love the commissions they got because I kept and installed restored natural woods where they belonged.


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## SquishyBall (Mar 19, 2013)

yamster said:


> It made me wonder if painted doors and trims are today's style and wood doors and trims are considered outdated...


Real wood -- or real anything -- is less common because there are cheaper alternatives and most people skimp, not because it's outdated. People also buy furniture at Ikea cuz it's cheap and looks nice. But you just couldn't compare an Ikea chair to a solid wood mortise-and-tenon chair or a paper veneer dresser to a wood dresser.



yamster said:


> I've always thought wood doors and trims are more expensive therefore considered a bit more luxurious... maybe I was wrong on that?


No, you're not wrong on that. Altho luxury is certainly in the eye of the beholder, real travertine tile is more luxurious than fake travertine, real granite countertops are more luxurious than fake granite countertops, and real wood is more luxurious than particle board.



yamster said:


> Well, I know it ultimately is a personal preference. But then gain, I am afraid that I may end up "downgrading" my home by painting our oak trims and doors...


In a way yes, it's downgrading. If you have real wood and you paint them then you could have put in something costing 1/3 as much and paint it and get the same result, so you'll turn something more expensive into something equal to the cheaper version.



yamster said:


> So, what is the general consensus? Are painted doors and trims cheaper alternative for wood grain counter parts? Or, it really is a matter of preference entirely? Or, painted doors and trims are considered more modern and actually preferred in general?


As you say it's personal preference. If you'd get value out of knowing you have the real [insert material here] vs an imitation, then put in the real. I'll say that wood vs paint grade trim has never affected a buy / no-buy decision for me on homes, even tho I perceive them as nicer. I guess I look at trim as replaceable enough that it is insignificant in comparison to important things like location, foundation, # of rooms.


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## yamster (Jun 18, 2011)

*Thank you for your reply*

Hey thank you everyone for replying and sharing your opinion!

I guess I will keep the trims unpainted.

Now I am thinking about staining them with the same or at least similar cherry color to match the floor... I guess I should test it on a small section first to see how it turns out. 

Hmm.. maybe I should just get new trims. I am not sure how easy it would be to take off the existing finish and then apply different color of stain on top of the existing one to get the final color I want.

Oh well, not doing anything on them certainly is an option, probably the one that makes the most sense :whistling2:


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

I'm not sure where you want to go? Do you want to leave the doors stained
and paint the moldings around the doors?


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## SquishyBall (Mar 19, 2013)

yamster said:


> Now I am thinking about staining them with the same or at least similar cherry color to match the floor... I guess I should test it on a small section first to see how it turns out.
> 
> Hmm.. maybe I should just get new trims. I am not sure how easy it would be to take off the existing finish and then apply different color of stain on top of the existing one to get the final color I want.
> 
> Oh well, not doing anything on them certainly is an option, probably the one that makes the most sense :whistling2:


Are they poly'd? If so then staining again isn't an option. And sanding trim down is not likely worth your time over just buying new boards.

I've looked at lots of pix of ppl staining the trim to match the floor and to contrast the floor, and both look good in their own ways.

-mike


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

I don't really agree with everyone that says trends don't matter. It's good to know what modern styles and decorating trends are for several reasons, which ought to be intuitively obvious.

And of course your personal preference counts as well, and only you can prioritize that against style.

Stained wood trim can look both outdated and upscale, depending on the situation.

To restain, rather than stripping something like PolyShades. You can see an example on their website of putting one stain color over another.
http://www.minwax.com/expert-wood-tips/change-stain-color-with-polyshades/

I would buy a small can of this and test it first. Since you are not actually staining the wood, the results can be a little funky if you're not careful. Put some on in an inconspicuous area, see what it looks like, and wipe it off before it dries if you don't like it.


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## TheBobmanNH (Oct 23, 2012)

jeffnc said:


> I don't really agree with everyone that says trends don't matter. It's good to know what modern styles and decorating trends are for several reasons, which ought to be intuitively obvious.
> 
> And of course your personal preference counts as well, and only you can prioritize that against style.


Unless you are decorating SIMPLY to sell your house (in which case you likely want it to follow popular trends), it's pointless to even know what modern trends are unless you happen to like them.

First, most homes are not less than a decade old, and cramming a modern style into an old home does FAR more harm than good. I have an early 20th century craftsman bungalow. It was re-done in the late 90's to look like it does now, with original period detail. Before that, it was obviously done in the 70's. It looked like absolute garbage, because whoever did it followed the awful popular trends of the 70's. And if the people who re-did it in the 90's had followed suit (renovating for the '90's popular style rathre than a period-appropriate style) it would STILL look like garbage.

And second, trends fade. That's why they're called trends. All that should matter -- again, assuming you're styling things to yourself and not to immediately potential buyers -- is what looks good to you, and what will make you pull into your driveway (or walk up your stairs or whatever) and be happy to live where you live. Not many people are going to walk up to their house and say "well, I think this looks awful, but at least it fits with current style!" and be happy about it.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

TheBobmanNH said:


> Unless you are decorating SIMPLY to sell your house (in which case you likely want it to follow popular trends), it's pointless to even know what modern trends are unless you happen to like them.


And you would know if you like them..... how??

That is the point. You pay attention to trends to find out new things that you might like that you haven't seen or considered before.



TheBobmanNH said:


> First, most homes are not less than a decade old, and cramming a modern style into an old home does FAR more harm than good.


I don't see anyone here recommending "cramming".



TheBobmanNH said:


> And second, trends fade. That's why they're called trends.


Exactly. And that's why one's home might look outdated and need updating.


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## TheBobmanNH (Oct 23, 2012)

jeffnc said:


> And you would know if you like them..... how??
> 
> That is the point. You pay attention to trends to find out new things that you might like that you haven't seen or considered before.
> 
> I don't see anyone here recommending "cramming".


I see your first point, I suppose. I guess I prefer to look back at what trends have ENDURED through time as still looking nice, vs what people like now that might go down as an awful decision in a few years.

And my view on this isn't based on what people are saying here but what I see out in the real world. And that's a lot of destroying beautiful craftsmanship for the sake of the latest fad. Throwing carpet over hardwood (hardwood is "trendy" again, but in the 80's or 90's, it was carpet carpet carpet). Wood paneling or some knotty pine was the height of decorating in the 60's. Pink carpet was big in the 90's for eff's sake. You really want to be stuck wiht 2013's version of pink carpet in a few years?


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

TheBobmanNH said:


> And that's a lot of destroying beautiful craftsmanship for the sake of the latest fad. Throwing carpet over hardwood (hardwood is "trendy" again, but in the 80's or 90's, it was carpet carpet carpet). Wood paneling or some knotty pine was the height of decorating in the 60's. Pink carpet was big in the 90's for eff's sake. You really want to be stuck wiht 2013's version of pink carpet in a few years?


Destroying classic style or craftmanship would be a shame and usually a mistake. I don't think putting carpet over hardwood necessarily qualifies, because that can be undone. Painting over brick or wood often destroys it for all practical purposes, as does of course actually destroying something like ripping something out. Paneling, paint, wallpaper, vinyl floors, plumbing fixtures etc etc all pretty standard to change.

There is something about old oak trim and woodwork that can be anywhere from 1 year to 1,000 years old that looks great. I hate to see that painted over. But the pine wood trim of the 70s and 80s just mostly looks dated.


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