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Ironwood Builders Seems like painting all the woodwork is more major than you are ready to do just now. The driftwood color might be more appealing if the walls are a deeper sea green or blue. Check Coastal pictures in search for ideas.

creeser I think I would leave the whitewash as is since you're planning on renovating and just paint the upper walls. What color are they now? Can't tell if they are blue or gray. I'd keep it light until you reno and do either a pale gray or cream. As for laminate, they make better looking laminate than they used to. Another option might be tile. Since it's coastal and a rental, they might hold up better. Lowe's has a very inexpensive option for less than a dollar a square foot, Plus installation. It's a cream/off white and would work well with the wood and a cream paint job.

sacapuntaslapioz Paint it. It is very lovely, and the house seems very nice. just a different countertop, some white paint, a lovely blue on top and your house is an absolute winner. [houzz=Historic cottage renovation kitchen][houzz=Pool House Kitchen][houzz=Bedroom][houzz=Victorian Pool House]. as for flooring if you have a level surface there are some gravity vinyl planks that are amazing. other than than check in your area for discount ceramic tile, even in your home depot you can find some 89 cents a sqf tiles that are great. it is easy to clean and perfect for beach/lake.
Good luck and very happy times ahead.

Judy M Your question was, would it be a huge expense to paint? Not if you do the painting yourself. You would prime first and then paint it. Many people feel painting is a big chore, others don;t mind it. Of all the renovations you can make in a home, painting is probably the least expensive and generally ends up with a very big result. I would paint it. If this were my home, I would paint the beadboard on the lower portion of walls and the doors and trim first and then decide if the chore of painting the cabinets is one you want to do yourself or hire someone.

I own three rentals near a beach that we rent. My suggestion for flooring is either wood laminate or the new wood look vinyl or even the wood look porcelain tile. Add a few inexpensive area rugs for softening the look and expanse of all the wood. I say inexpensive because nothing gets beat up faster than carpeting especially in a rental.

Cynthia Taylor-Luce There isn't a yes/no answer to this. The trim looks great as it is now. It would look great painted too. But be sure that you tackle the job with great care and good brushes and quality paint. I've seen far too many do-it-yourself paint jobs that are poorly done and drag down property values.

I would recommend in your case leaving the trim as-is, and painting the walls Benjamin Moore WEDGEWOOD GRAY HC-146. You might even paint the ceiling this colour, which would create a light airy look almost like sky, and would eliminate having to have a perfect straight line between your ceiling white and your wall at the 12-foot height.

Here's a room painted WEDGEWOOD GRAY so you can see the effect.

MHI Interiors I would paint beadboard paneling, doors, trim, etc a white. the walls could be in the blue or green tones (on the lighter side) Painting is the most cost effective way to make an improvement on a space - even cheaper if you do it yourself. As for flooring, wood laminate is inexpensive, but if your budget can handle it, I would use ceramic tile flooring. It is durable, easy clean-up and will last . The color options are endless and now you can get tile flooring that looks like wood (best of both worlds, the warmth of the wood tones, yet the durability of tile) below is a picture of a tile "Olympia" Tile Legno Series

oceanfamily Cynthia Taylor-Luce -- I really like the Wedgwood gray suggestion and I think that would work well with the trim, which would also eliminate a lot of painting. Can you suggest a flooring that would look nice with that combination? There's 1000 sq ft and I'd like to keep it under $2/sq ft if possible. Thanks so much for your help.

Cynthia Taylor-Luce Thank you, oceanfamily! I'm glad you like it. When you're talking about cost of flooring you need to consider not only the cost to purchase the material, but also the cost of installation. I'd rather you spend money on a good floor, and less on installation.

The simplest flooring would be sheet goods, which would be the easiest floors to maintain and you'd never have to worry about them either for water or for dirt tracked in. It's relatively thin so it would not interfere with your existing door clearance or anything else.

Mannington makes a gorgeous fibreglas floor that looks like it might work with your existing wood colour. It's called Sobella "Havana", "a remarkably realistic 6" distressed oak pattern, features the look of reclaimed wood". Colorway is Tobacco, large repeat (36" x 72"), product number is SPR083. Installation type: permanent bond, releasable bond, or loose lay, 10 year warranty, Made in USA.

Cynthia Taylor-Luce Here they are together. I recommend you get a sample and see what you think. I'm only relying on photos and monitors so it's not an ideal way to make choices.

Interiors International, Inc. Great idea Cynthia. Oceanfamily you will be doing yourself a great favor by listening to her. She is giving advise that you would normally pay a lot to get from a designer of her caliber.

cjktsd Paints cheap so paint it. I would not put wood laminate flooring down. When wet its very slippery. Not good when your a landlord! Check out tales that look like wood planks. They have texture to them and look great.

Ironwood Builders Cynthia, your Wedgewood Blue was just what I saw in my head! I shrink from making specific color recommendations...been blamed too many times when it didn't work out! Houzz helps me communicate the before and after. BTW, you post great answers and give away so much... I sure hope this is gaining you multiple job leads and some compensation for your strong and tasteful advice!

kristheot We put Allure vinyl plank flooring in our lake cabin. It's only been there a year, but it has worked out really well so far. It isn't slippery, it's vinyl all the way through so it is unharmed by water, and it comes in some nice patterns and colors. We used a combination of wood grain and tile. It also doesn't have the clicky sound that laminate sometimes has. It is inexpensive and although we didn't install it ourselves, it is apparently fairly easy to install.
If you are going to rent this house, I would paint the walls and stick with the whitewashed wood for now. Wood grain hides wear and tear much better than painted wood.

Cynthia Taylor-Luce Hi David (Mr. Ironwood)!

Thanks for your very nice comments. You're right that it's risky suggesting ANY specific colours on here because the best selections are always made when I'm right in the space that's going to be painted, looking at the light direction and level, and comparing the colour chip to the actual existing surfaces. However, I can't be everywhere (!) and I know people have a very difficult time with paint. I've seen much evidence of that! So I figure that my "educated guesses" are better than going way off in the wrong direction. The better of two evils, you could say...

I like to help people and that's why I'm in this business. And I have gotten some very good leads and eventual jobs from people who've seen me on houzz! I don't tweet and I don't facebook (I do do Linked In) but I figure that since people who need design help come on houzz it's a great way to connect with them, and possibly even work with them formally. It's one thing to say you need this and that sort of thing, but it's another to actually offer specific products that they can buy.

People these days have very high expectations that their living spaces be stylish and put together, and it's not an easy thing to do, even if they have a "knack" for making good choices. A cohesive plan including electrical, lighting, flooring, built-in's, window coverings, furnishings, artwork, etc. requires knowledge, talent, sources, good relationships with trades and suppliers, and detailed attention. It's very hard to do everything well if you're not a professional.

And the best part of being on houzz is getting wonderful feedback such as your own! Thank you again.

Cynthia

oceanfamily Cynthia Taylor-Luce: Thank you very much for your suggestion! I was able to get a sample of the flooring and have attached pictures so you can see it with the wedgewood walls. Please let me know what you think....

oceanfamily Here's a better picture with the wall...it looks a bit turquoise in the picture but it's really a beautiful blue-gray.

Cynthia Taylor-Luce oceanfamily! I am so impressed by your resourcefulness! And I also really like the samples with your existing wood colour. The amount and type of grain in the flooring looks well with your door and panelling, and I think it looks really appropriate for your needs.

Did you also flip through the sample book and see if you think it's the right one? I was just choosing it from the options shown online. I like the greyed undertones and thought it softly complemented your wood.

But what do you think yourself? Are you ready to commit? Following through with these will be fairly simple as far as application is concerned, and I think they'll have great longevity too. The floor will still be quite wonderful even if at some point you paint your wood.

I so glad you like the blue paint. I think the room will look beautiful even when totally empty, which is what you get with great design. Then when you add your furnishings you have a wonderful background for everything.

I am sorry I took so long to get back to you. I've been really busy and had to put houzz on the backburner for a couple of days.

Cynthia

Hot Apple Pine LLC Nothing says coastal cottage more to me than crisp white painted beadboard! Sounds like you've already committed to painting the walls and there would be no challenges to painting the wood as well, plus paint is about the least expensive, biggest bang for the buck renovation going. Fresh coat of paint would also be very attractive to renters. I think I would paint all the trim the same color throughout the home to tie spaces together and have fun with color on the walls. With the neutral counters and white trim, you could get away with most any colors and fun accent walls. Best of luck!