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Cynthia Taylor-Luce What sort of look are you going for? This is pretty retro and would work very nicely with a modern style of furnishings.

If your style is more traditional, I would recommend replacing the trim with new, wider and more detailed mouldings in a paint grade, and then I'd paint them. I would also replace the doors with a panelled style and paint them, and add new knobs and hinges.

If you want to keep the trim and doors, they're going to be a lot of work to prime and paint, and they won't look very decorative even when you're finished.

It depends on what feels best for you.

laurabennett1 I just bought the same year home and have the same question!

laurabennett1 Would it be bad to have white baseboard moldings and leave the trim and doors the natural wood color?

Cynthia Taylor-Luce Bad. Yes :(

Sorry!

Heather I wouldnt be afraid to paint, choose a color that goes nice with the carpet as well as the theme of the house. Bold if you are going for bold items to decorate with, or more serene if that is your style.

Marilyn Wilkie Thanks for all of your comments. We replaced the moldings in our current home and it can really be a huge expense even diy. I do love white woodwork. But this trim is in beautiful condition and maybe I should see what it looks like after tearing up that awful carpet, refinishing the hardwood floors and painting. I think men like stained woodwork more than women do. This is real wood also.

Cynthia Taylor-Luce Very pretty picture, bonjourgray, but it works because it's a panelled door. With these simple 60's doors, I don't think you'd want to accentuate them. They look good if you leave them as they are, matching everything. But if you upgrade all the trim and paint it, they just aren't detailed enough to be a stand-alone feature (as they would be if they were left stained, or painted an accent colour).

Marilyn Wilkie Yes, I agree Cynthia. There is not much architectural detail in any of the woodwork. It is what it is. There are lots of large windows in this little house and so painting the trim white in order to brighten the space wouldn't be necessary I guess. The fireplace cries out for refacing with stone.

Cynthia Taylor-Luce Marilyn, any chance that you can adapt to a little bit of retro styling in your furnishings then? It would make this wood look like it belongs to this millennium, and it sounds like it deserves a second chance :)

Heather My first house was full of these and I felt like it darkened the space. Even without it being pannelled, if she is looking to brighten the space or bring it up to date, color is a simple fix to any style door.

Cynthia Taylor-Luce I like the new pictures you posted! I don't like the front door though. That oval window in it is totally fighting with the sixties vibe... Any chance of changing that?

Marilyn Wilkie OK, I think we should leave the trim as is and concentrate on other areas of the house. Besides, I hate to paint already. I find myself being too careful and it takes me forever. I'd like to hire a pro to comein and do it. :)

Cynthia Taylor-Luce This is the first time since I've been on houzz discussions that I've said 'don't paint the wood'! LOL

I think this house is a special case where it absolutely suits the architecture, and I hope Marilyn can work with it.

laurabennett1 I agree with Cynthia, I like the look in your case!

Marilyn Wilkie bonjourgray, we still have the flat stained hollow core doors here too, except for one new paneled bathroom door. I agree and we will switch all of the other doors out for the paneled ones before we sell.
Cynthia, my decorating is very eclectic due to having inherited some nice antiques and also some more modern things. I remember the 70's well since I was in my 20's back then. I have no nostalgia for most of it. But I love color and am not afraid of it either. We will have color in this house. :)

I can't wait to see the floors refinished.

bdjjhill I just went through the same issue - and have decided to paint the trim - but do it one room at a time. My house was built in 1994 and we wanted the stained trim at the time. We did my dining room and are working on my kitchen. The pics show the before and after. My husband has done all of the painting (He is much better at it than I!!) We also took out all of the carpeting and linolium and replaced with hardwood. It is a lot of work to paint the trim, but really does update the look.

Marilyn Wilkie bdjjhill, what a wonderful transformation. I like it so much better. It looks happier!

Aja Mazin The woodwork had been painted in our first home.

We replaced it at no small cost and I never regretted it.

The brick exterior had also been painted white.

We had it sandblasted off.

We sold it after owning it for less than 3 years. we put it on the market.

It sold in 21 days and we recovered our costs and made a substantial profit.

Cynthia Taylor-Luce bdjihill, thanks so much for posting those pictures of your painted trim in your dining room. You've really made quite a transformation which works nicely with your traditional style.

The only thing I'd add now would be some really beautiful drapes. Your pair of windows would look sooo elegant with nice rods and rings and pleated lined panels... I'm a curtain fanatic, so please forgive me since you didn't ask for comments... Here are some beauties!

Marilyn Wilkie I agree that some beautiful drapes would be wonderful. They can be left open with sheers to let in the light also. The English have a way with fabric and their beautiful versions can be seen on many of the British Netflix tv programs. I never see those beautiful fabrics here however.

ekc3502 We have the same issue in my house - dark stained trim. When we sanded the dark stain off the yellow pine floors the dark trim became much easier to live with. We are painting the trim room by room so we have bathrooms with white trim and the rest of the house with dark - it is probably against the rules but it brightens the house up.

Aja Mazin Wood trim does not require retro furnishings.

Barbara Griffith Designs I would paint the trim. Leave it small, but make it disappear. If you do it room by room it will not be so painful. The picture above is beautiful, but the trim is nothing like your home. The trim is wide, dark and the windows & ceiling is tall.

Aja Mazin Before you go to the expense of painting perfectly fine wood trim, why don't you check out your insulation or make improvements to make your home more energy efficient.

Marilyn Wilkie Barbara, yes painting it white with white walls would give the home a modern vibe. But I am leaning toward leaving it. I could never paint trim to match the walls. Aja, we'll be going back up there this weekend to take some measurements and assess the level of insulation that it does have. It has a new high efficiency furnace in it. So that is good, though many people up there heat with wood. It has a wood insert and the house is only 1040 sq. ft. on the main floor. The windows are also in good shape though there are a lot of them and they are big (heat loss). Our biggest expense is updating the very dated kitchen.

catherinek708 I don't think the color of the trim is the real issue here. As I see it, you have an alcove that has sooooo many doors and some are different sizes. You don't want to do all that standings, staining and painting after you have refinished your floors! You will regret it. Try to make your decision on the wood first. Floors should always be last!
But, it is the lack of neutral space in the area that has to be addressed. You could paint just the doors and leave the trim the color it is. Maybe you could do something fun and paint each door differently. Put a big number or name on each one. Or wall paper the area around the doors and paint the doors only in a complimentary color. Something bold like red, deep purple or black. Make a statement.
MOST IMPORTANTLY! KEEP YOUR BATHROOM DOOR SHUT!

Barbara Griffith Designs Only exceptional cases would I ever have white walls.

Cynthia Taylor-Luce Oh Marilyn, if you want those beautiful fabrics and wonderful workmanship, you need to work with an interior decorator. I have access to over fifty thousand fabric samples books and another ten to twenty thousand hanging samples, which is mind-boggling I know. But it's one of my favourite things to dig into them and find just the right fabric for my clients. My workroom is very talented and can add couture details so drapes can be a work of art.

Aja, I know that just because you have wood trim it doesn't mean you have to go to retro decor. It depends on what style of wood trim it is. In the example you showed, the trim is wide and detailed and historic looking, and it suits the elegant decor in the room. In Marilyn's house, the trim is narrow and streamlined and it's typical of a certain period and style of the 1960's. Retro style was new then and the interior furnishings complemented the architectural detail. So for an authentic look, this retro trim would look very much at home with retro decor. That was the point I was trying to make.

catherinek708 But, there is no furniture in this space and never will be people. You are arguing a mute point. What would make this alcove look put together and friendly? I think a new light fixture and a round rug in bright colors and bright colored doors.

Cynthia Taylor-Luce Ah catherine, it would be a moot point indeed if we were only talking about this little hallway area in the first picture.

But this opens onto the other rooms which Margaret shared photos of (which are a little further down if you read all the messages on this thread). The hallway doors and trim cannot stand in isolation from the other areas of the house.

Carrie I know I'd paint them...and replace all the doors and hardware...but that's just me. :) I'd also gut the pink bathroom, and replace all older light fixtures. And yes, I put my money where my "mouth" is and gutted 3/4's of our house, inside and out! LOL We are in the process of refinishing our hardwood floors upstairs and it is a huge job but a rewarding one. We had old carpet carpet, then a glued down laminate (black glue) and we sanded them down bare. We rented the machine and once we got the hang of it, wasn't too bad. I'm in the process of staining them now.

Carrie I have to add that hubby and I disagree over painting wood white or leaving it as is. In our last house, we painstakingly polyurethaned all the wood, painted walls white etc. The buyers came over to take some measurements and proudly told us that they were repainting everything from walls to molding and trim....I said never again...they are all getting painting white! LOL

Aja Mazin Barbara Griffith Designs,

your point?

the same thing can be said of the second set of photos posted by Cynthia Taylor-Luce.

catherinek708 I didn't get the impression that the homeowner was exceptionally against the wood trim in the rest of the house, but rather was showing how much work it would it would be to refinish everything to match. Perhaps I was mistaken.

Aja Mazin Cynthia Taylor-Luce.,

I strongly disagree.

The simplicity of the wood trim is what makes it so versatile.

You may be viewing it in the context of the 70's.

Many of us were not even born in the 70's. and therefore, bring no preconceived opinions to the discussion.

View it with a fresh eye.

Cynthia Taylor-Luce Excuse me, Aja, but on this discussion group we are all free to venture our own personal or professional opinions. As well, we should respect each other's right to give their opinion.

We have a dialogue with the person who posted the question, and it's up to her to accept or reject our recommendations. The point is not to argue with or try to convince other people who post.

Aja Mazin Cynthia Taylor-Luce,

Furthermore, that is akin to suggesting wall to wall shag carpeting instead of wood floors.

mmilos The thin would trim is nothing special. I would paint it all out, including doors... The stained wood limits your wall paint choices to warm colors.

Cynthia Taylor-Luce Since this discussion is no longer a fun place for me to comment, I am discontinuing notification of new postings.

Therefore, Aja, I should point out that you need to cease to addess personal comments to me because I won't see them anyway.

catherinek708 Wow you are taking this way too personally

catherinek708 I think decorators prefer white trim because it photographs nicely. I think that is why they prefer dark wood flooring, too. and, they want to show off their work in photos and magazines if they are super lucky. But, for families with kids and dogs lighter natural wood flooring and stained wood trim are much more practical and will "look" better the majority of the time because they won't show every spec of dog hair and every little finger print. What good is a house that belongs in a magazine picture if you are either a slave to cleaning it or just have to learn to live with the fact that it never looks as good as it was meant to look ( before anyone actually lived in it).
For older wood trim, my mother- in - law who still lives in her original 60's ranch home with this trim says wipe it down with vinegar and warm water.

Aja Mazin Unfortunately, some people feel expressing a difference of opinions is a personal attack.

catherinek708 I grew up in a fabulous 150 year old home in Chicago with fabulous craftsman style dark oak trim throughout. My great grandfather purchased it from the man who built it 2 years before. It was in our family for generations so I know the history. But the wood trim on the second story bedroom level was even back then, and always painted white. It makes so much sense to me. It made the bedrooms cheerful while the living areas were more formal. So, if it was good enough for this very stately home, why not?

Aja Mazin This reminds me of the the living room pictures you posted.

I think it is lovely.

Marilyn Wilkie OK, I'm actually getting everyone's thoughts even though we all agree to disagree on some of the points. When I first saw this little "retirement" place I thought "nope", not for us. But the more we explored the National Forest area and the surrounding around the Big Manistee river the more I thought that I wanted to live there. The house has so much more character than any of the little manufactured homes that are prevalent up there. They took the time to have matching gable ends on the house and the garage. It was an older couple and the husband became ill and passed away. They loved this house and so will we. I do love white woodwork but up there they worship wood and the woods. We too love nature and look forward to the hundreds of miles of hiking trails, the river to canoe in and the big lake to boat on. Cynthia your observations are spot on and Aja that last photo is very similar to what the house looks like. There will always be lengthy debates about paint it or leave it and each homeowner must decide for themselves. But one thing I do know is that someone who loves the wood would never be happy stripping all of that white paint off. We're both 66 years old (the new 55!) and reality tells me that we won't be there in 20 years. Please don't stop posting Cynthia. I value your opinions very much. I value all of your input.

Marilyn Wilkie The cottage. :)

Marilyn Wilkie catherinek708, we did not take those pictures. The listing realtor did. Nothing bothers me more than to see real estate photos showing the bathroom with the toilet seat up!! We never, ever, leave our toilet seats up in our house. And yes, the bathroom door will be closed when company comes. We totally gutted several bathrooms in the past including our present home. It's not fun, not much space to work in...but it is satisfying to see an updated result.

Aja Mazin I absolutely love it!!!

And what beautiful trees!!

And you are so right!!

65 years old is the new 55!

I find keeping up with my grandmum difficult.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

JAMEITE Hand-painted Silk Wallpaper Co., LTD And nature harmony one of the feeling

donnaciano Paint it, we did and I like it so much better.

Barbara Griffith Designs Of course you should not paint the woodwork. Location and home history would have been appreciated in your original post, I think much of this discussion would have gone away. Enjoy your wonderful home. I was around in the 60's and had the same trim in my first home, but I painted the walls a color and it soothed the stark contrast. It's not about the trim, it is about the trim with white walls. My best to you, I know you will really love the home.

Marilyn Wilkie OK, we went up to the house and I looked at the trim again with a more critical eye. It is very narrow, the finish is very bad and the windows are very large. They need a wider trim. We have pretty much decided that if we did all of the painting ourselves we could purchase new trim for the money saved by not hiring someone to do it. The walls would be easier to paint with the trim off, the floors would be easier to refinish and the trim could be painted off the wall. All good things. So, as of today...wider white trim it is! We could probably donate all of the wood trim that we remove to Habitat.

GARY FINLEY, ASID NOT A CRIME BUT A SIN.......stay with the wood trim! I have a 50's home with wood trim as yours and thought of changing it, but didnt. I actually enjoyed the wood character.

GARY FINLEY, ASID with the right color/colors for the walls the wood will be nice and it could...could be later changed if you start feeling sinful

leods I love the modern doors and simple trim. I grew up in a house like that and have fond memories of that style of house. The problem shown in the picture is less about the trim but more about the grim carpet and the bright white walls. Paint the walls with a great midtone colour so the doors dont pop visually and remove the wall to wall carpet. I assume there would be a hardwood floor as is typical of that style, this would visually ground the wood doors and trim. If there is not hard wood spend the money and time on that.

Aja Mazin Marilyn Wilkie,

Fantastic!!

houssaon When my parents died, I had to sell their home. It had the same trim. I had to have it painted. Not because I wanted to, but because some of my younger siblings had done a terrible job painting the house many year before and had messed up on the trim. I really rathered the old natural trim in that house.

But if you can have yours removed and donate it, I think that might be a good solution.

I just thought: the current plain molding is not near as good quality as what you have and the doors match the trim. Will you paint the doors, too? If you do the walls and ceiling yourself, you could hire a professional to refinish the trim.

I bet this house was painted white to sell it. With color on the walls, the natural trim will look a lot better.

So I am back to try to keep it.

Good luck!

alwaysdesigning Personally, I would paint the trim and replace and upgrade the interior doors with a fresh new style. In Texas it is rare to have stained trim; it is all painted. Good luck.

Audrey Kresser yes, yes, yes paint it! you wont regret it gal

Marilyn Wilkie Most of these windows are 54" x 58". Those are big windows. The trim throughout is only 2 1/4" wide. Very wimpy. The closer I looked at it, the more noticed nicks and scratches and years of dirt, especially on the wimpy baseboards. I believe that I can go to a wider casing trim (3 1/4") in mdf for 64 cents a foot, and low profile 4 1/4" base for 76 cents a foot. There is a discount trim place north of Elkart Indiana called Nickell. MDF is great for painting. I would keep the doors and see how they look after painting the walls and base. The house has not been painted for many years. You can see where pictures were hung on the walls. The living room and kitchen are a light mint green and one of the bedrooms is pale pink. Very dated colors.

Every room needs painting and of course the carpet needs to be torn up. The house has hardwood flooring except the kitchen. We will hire someone to refinish the floors. The bathroom needs a total rework. The window location interferes with the shower wall. I would like to replace the tub with a large walk in shower with an open area to the right so that the window would just be on an open wall. Maybe a built-in cabinet in the corner. I would like to see all of the bathroom walls in a white subway tile and a black and white ceramic floor. The toilet and the vanity should be replaced as well. I found a source for discount tile.

We will replace all of the kitchen cabinets and appliances ourselves. This will be our second diy iKea kitchen. We will either go with ceramic tiles on the kitchen floor or maybe a laminate tile. We should be able to redo the kitchen for under $8000. We also want to build a small banquette into the corner of the kitchen.

Lots of fun ahead. Thanks again for all of your input. I just believe that I want to go with white trim and I don't want to go to all of the work of prepping and painting the old narrow stuff . Painting it off the wall will be so much easier than doing it on hands and knees and then worrying about paint getting on the walls and floor and vice-a-versa. Also the sander won't be bumping into the trim when the floors are refinished.

So:
1. tear off all of the old trim, saving it as much as possible for donation.
2. Have the floors refinished.
3. Paint the new trim in the basement.
4. tape butcher paper to the new floors for protection.
5. Paint the walls.
6. install the new trim and touch up the nail holes.

Kim Dillon I agree with Audrey..Paint it...I had that in my current home..painted & looks so clean & fresh..if you are going with a more rustic look then leave it maybe? It's a lot of work though.. luckily I hired mine done or it would still be stain..

Aja Mazin Wider trim is more attractive, in general.

Marilyn Wilkie As I said in my comment a couple of comments up, we are going to replace it with wider mdf trim and paint that trim white. We will carefully remove this old trim and donate it to Habitat for Humanity if they want it. We have a lot of work to do on the house besides the trim. :)

Marilyn Wilkie Yes Aja, I agree. We have replaced almost all of our old clamshell style trim in our current house with fluted casings and bullseye corners. But we won't be able to afford to do that up there.

victorianbungalowranch I rather like pink bathrooms--have lived with 3 of them now and they are fun and cheerful. Looks like paint though, not tile, and beige on the floor, so perhaps is an empty slate as is. If the fixtures are good quality, I would leave it, at least for awhile.

Since you have decided to redo the trim, I would definately go for as wide as you can afford for the baseboard. Be sure to be careful with the carpentry--scarf (cut at an angle) and stagger the joints and cope the inside corners and miter the outside corners. Also traditional window framing vs. the more modern mitered framing is practical and actually easier to install, especially if things have settled a bit and are not perfectly square. The most recent issue of "Old House Journal" has an article on the topic. This might be a nice opportunity to install some deep window sills as well, which I really like, and to beef up the insulation around the existing windows, which is typically the source of draftiness, not the window itself.

Make sure you hire someone with experience in finish carpentry or do a careful job yourself. I would consider drawing out the details to scale to pick the right size and combination, and doing a test area before committing for the whole house.

I recently redid a room in my Victorian with 1x8 baseboards and 3/4 inch quarter round on top and shoemolding, which came close to the simple orignal moldings. Unfortunately I allowed my tenants to do the work to pay for back rent, and I will have to redo it because they used butt joints and it looks horrible, despite my instructions. Still an improvement over the horrible plastice skinny molding it replaced though. Lesson learned-- do your research and always supervise if you want it to be done right.

BTW, prepainted trim will still need to be painted or touched up after installation, especially if it is built up of multiple pieces. Keep the primer and first coat thin for the best results.

Zimerman Designs High contrast breaks space and makes it look smaller. i would replace the trim with something wider and paint. The baseboards in particular stand out as being too small.
Where do you want your eyes to be drawn? As it is, all you see is what SHOULDN'T be the focus of your attention.
White walls are ok if they are a soft white. What I'm seeing is very sterile looking.
These are general guidelines and my opinion only.
Good luck.

eztia Marilyn, I like the plan you have made for changes to your home.

Just for a trip down memory lane, here is a 1958 detail. House with the same narrow trim, same doors. The difference between that house and yours is that the walls were custom colors in flat paint, and the baseboards and moulding around the doors were painted to match in high gloss finish. Easier to wash the gloss finish with all the children folks had during the baby boomer years.

Congratulations on your new home, and best wishes to you and yours.

Marilyn Wilkie Eztia. Thank you for reading my previous comments before posting. I know it takes time to do that but it saves repeating what I already said. We are the buyers and we are replacing all of the trim with wider trim which we will paint and install correctly. :)

GARY FINLEY, ASID new thought from ME, are you considering the trim only?

my thought is one should consider the three items together, floor/wall/trim....it should be one composition

Marilyn Wilkie Yes, Gary Finley, we are considering all three. The floor is hardwood and will be beautiful refinished. I have previously lied light colored wood floors because they open up a space. But this house is already very open with large south facing windows and a large opening between the living room and kitchen. It has a more modern feel because of the open plan. So, darker floors may work well. We do have three small dogs and have laminate floors now because they do not scratch. But darker floor scratches could be covered easier than light maybe? More frequent nail trimming and a good finish on the floor would help as well. We love color and light. Our bedroom now is a pale sky blue with white below a chair rail. The living room is a fresh spring green called "lettuce alone", our utility is a beautiful shade of ocean turquoise and the bath is a french blue with white beadboard 2/3 up the walls. Our sunroom is also a modern green with more yellow in it. The kitchen backsplash is shades of blue, green and white glass tiles. We are not afraid of color! LOL

Below are more pictures of the house we are buying and remodeling.

Marilyn Wilkie Here is a rendering of what the kitchen might look like after the remodel. The benches would not be there. We hope to build an l-shaped upholstered banquette instead. Not shown in this view is a tall 88" cabinet with the oven in it.

Marilyn Wilkie One more view - with beech butcher block counters

Aja Mazin I love the black with the stainless steel and beech.

The L shaped upholstered banquette is a great idea.
Will the table be in the same colour beech as the counters?

Marilyn Wilkie Aja, I'm pretty sure we will go with green on the walls. My husband wants a black & white checkerboard tiled floor. I will have to figure out which butcher block goes with the little island cart - beech, birch or oak and go with that. The table should be round, may be white, and movable for ease of getting in and out. The back of the banquette facing the living room will probably be beadboard with moldings as will the base of the benches. They will have storage in them. All will be painted white. A coordinating fabric will be used on the cushions. The backsplash will probably be white also. I like the open walls

Aja Mazin Great idea to use the base of the benches for storage,

Are you saying the floors and the walls won't be that lime green?

Marilyn Wilkie The floor definitely won't be green. The walls will be some shade(s) of green. I'm caught between the more natural greens of nature and the more trendy greens that are coming into popularity now. The rendering shows two different shades of green. Some walls darker and some lighter. All greens look good with white I think.

Aja Mazin Delightful and practical!

The black & white checkerboard tiled floor will be so cool.

Be sure to check out Schumacher for the fabric.

Marilyn Wilkie Thanks for the feedback Aja. I have an ideabook full of banquettes on my profile that are great inspiration. I tried to post one of the pictures here but it didn't work out. Thanks for the Schumacher tip.

Aja Mazin Awesome floor, but I have always love that look!




and your Saarinen Round Dining Table

Marilyn Wilkie Yes to both. I love that kitchen! Here is a crazy thought. We have dogs...small dogs and they like to lie on soft things. They WILL be up on the banquette seating. I thought of using outdoor fabric for the cushions. We have some for our chaises and the feel of the fabric is actually very nice. Wears like iron too. Here is one design I liked in a green motif. About $9/yd. Not bad. By the way, how did you podt that picture in your comment?

Aja Mazin The dogs should of course be included!

You don't have to sell me on "outdoor" fabric!
The fabric you chose is great!

My grandmum taught me so sew at age 9. I can spend hours in a fabric store!
I worked one summer while in college at an upholstery shop and learned so much.

I designed and made my wedding gown with the help of of mom and grandmum.
It required hours of handwork.

Marilyn Wilkie That's fantastic Aja. My mother loved to sew and did it often. We used to have some really good fabric stores in our area, but one by one they closed. Now we have to drive a ways. Wedding gowns are the pinnacle of sewing in my estimation. A friend has made many of them and I'm in awe. I like to sew as well but don't do it as often as I should. I really enjoyed making pretty dresses for my niece when she was little. She was in that stage where all she would wear were dresses. I remember one with pale blue birds in flight and kind of silvery clouds. That was beautiful material. Her mom has kep the dresses all these years. :)

Carolina Photo To Go LLC I too vote for the wood trim. There is soo much upkeep to a house and real wood trim keeps the upkeep down. Actually, the people that did my house did a combination and I prefer the part that is the natural wood. Most of us like nice houses but it is difficult to keep it looking like a design mag all the time anyway. We always have a remodel project going on after living here a few years.

Marilyn Wilkie Thanks for your vote Carolina! :)

Aja Mazin I hope I never reach the point that the appearance of my home is more important to me than the people who live in it and the friends that visit.

Growing up, there was always one home where all of the kids hung out after school and on weekends.

I remember pizza and movies and a dozen kids cluttering the family room floor with pillows and blankets everywhere.

I remember pool parties and cook outs, and a kitchen in shambles as we waited for the next batch of cookies, yet somehow the home survived and to this day, I love to visit.

You don't see those homes in the magazines, but that is the kind of home I want to make.

Aja Mazin "By the way, how did you podt that picture in your comment?"

Go to the Houzz page where the photo is displayed.

Copy and paste the URL into your comment box on the thread.

hparks74 I would not paint any trim/door or wall until floors are done.. Floors alone can define the style of your home. Your house could easily go mid century modern with a couple faux door treatments by adding lucite panel in 3 sections down the middle off the door. If you place white paper behind the frosted acrylic it will have a translucent appearance. This is a great way to update your doors which will then be complimented by the wood trim. Small inexpensive things can make the most impact.

Marilyn Wilkie Hmmm...sorry for the typo. I thought that was what I did to post a picture and when I pasted it I did see a tiny picture and all of the url. But when I looked at the comment the picture was not there. Only a description of the room was there. I will try it again.
Picture of breakfast area I like.
Still didn't work. This is all that posts. Do I have to click on upload a picture also? I do use a MAC.

Traditional Kitchen design by Chicago Kitchen And Bath The Kitchen Studio of Glen Ellyn

Marilyn Wilkie hparks74, we are replacing all of the trim and painting it. As I said above, we will do the floors before any of the painting and will protect them. We will paint the trim off of the wall and attach and touch up the paint after.
"So:
1. tear off all of the old trim, saving it as much as possible for donation.
2. Have the floors refinished.
3. Paint the new trim in the basement.
4. tape butcher paper to the new floors for protection.
5. Paint the walls.
6. install the new trim and touch up the nail holes."

Tanks for the door treatment idea. I lived "mid-century" and really don't want to return there. I have no good feelings about the period design-wise though we had a pair of Eames recliners that we loved.

hparks74 I'm sure what ever you do will look great. I just had our post war bungalow gutted wall to wall, ceiling to floor this week and making it modern. We are adding two baths and 700 sf of finished second floor. I didn't read all the post, sorry I missed the details of your plan. Please post your finished work as we all anticipate a beautiful reveal.

Marilyn Wilkie Thanks hparks74. That is a really ambitious project you have going. Nice that you have someone else do it. We end up doing just about everything ourselves. We did have a carpenter put in a skylight , do the drywall and remove a bearing wall for our new kitchen in 2010. We did the rest, including demolition down to the studs and ceiling joists, tearing out the old floor surfaces, electrical, plumbing, cabinet assembly, gas line, porcelain floor tile, ceramic tile backsplash, etc. It was a lot of work but beautiful when we finished. I'll keep this updated.

laurabennett1 @Marilyn Wilkie how did you draw up that beautiful kitchen remodel idea? Is it a webside or an app? Love it!

Marilyn Wilkie Laura, if you go to the ikea site they have what is called a Kitchen Planner. You need to sign in and pick a password. Then you can design your kitchen online and see what it will look like. Only the ikea cabinets, appliances and products are able to be plugged in. Although you can specify "your own" for some appliances. You plug in the dimensions of your room on the planner after you pick the basic shape of the room. Then you add cabinets, etc. The planner will save your designs for one year and you can access them at the ikea store. As you add things it keeps a running list of products with the current prices. You can print that our as well as plan, elevation and renderings of your designs. If you don't use ikea cabinets, you can still use it for generic designing. Ikea does not have the variety of sizes that other cabinet manufacturers have. So you need to deal with that somewhat. It is a lot of fun to work with. Hope this helps. By the way ikea cabinets have soft close doors and drawers and have a 25 year warranty. Cabinet prices range from about $800 for a 10x10 kitchen all the way up to close to $3000 depending on the doors you choose.

laurabennett1 Neat! I will give it a try thank you!

Maria Billingsley of J Hettinger Interiors Keep it..