how does this make you feel?

this is my dining room.
yes....that is original woodwork.


now what do you feel?
are you screaming at your screen?
are you applauding?
don't show your husband....he will most likely have a fit.

what IS the deal with MEN and unpainted wood?
why do they care so much?
why do they think it looks so good?

my man completes gets the white.
he likes it.
we have looked at hundreds of homes over the years and there is NO DOUBT that white is "US".
it's bright and happy and crisp.
it shows so much more detail in the woodwork when it IS white.

as of now the dining room is all primed.
mostly by craig...i did a little...he did 90%.
but i did the laundry mountain.
and fed the tribe.
and bought the groceries.
so we are even.     

Comments

[Jill]

Love the white! I can't wait to see the finished product.

[Michelle]

Ha! Dave and I argue about this and painting the fireplace bricks more than anything! Why is that such a guy thing?

[rachel]

Your VERY brave but I completely agree as I love white too. Can't wait to see the final result, I know it will be fabulous :D XXX

[Beth]

white, white, white! makes everything feel clean & fresh. i painted over our solid oak cabinets 5 years ago,and was met with much disdain. even from women. they were meant to be white. god sent me a man who agrees. yipee! it will loook fantastic when it's done!

[The Countess of Nassau County]

Go for it. We waited about three years to do it when we moved into our house and immediately realized we should have done it on day one.

Give Craig a hug, he'll be fine.

[Cassie]

i will admit it, my heart stopped for a moment. i might have screamed "NOOOOOOO!!!!", too.
i think it's because i have stripped more woodwork in my life than i care to remember and it was awful.
but i am certain the white will look fabulous! :)

[Erin from Skoots and Cuddles]

my husband and i are in agreement with you. we're looking for a new home now and everytime we step into a house, dan will say... i see a lot of white paint in my future!

[Kasey]

I love white trim and white wood. It makes the room brighter, crisp and 'summery'.

[erin]

love it! white is such a clean look, so crisp. i've painted an entire house worth of trim and cabinets white and then our current house already had everything white. it is no small task, but one that is much worth the work! can't wait to see the "after" shots!

[Nicole Q.]

No doubt it will look awesome!!! I think you got the hard part of the job!!

[Jenn]

Go for it...wood is over rated :) I love white woodwork. Heck, I paint anything that stands still!

Jenn

[dori]

yes, everything white! cant wait to see the finish results!

[Tam]

I LOVE white trim! My husband has finally decided he will just trust my instincts because he says it always turns out good ;) ('bout time!) I can't wait to see the finished room!

[donna]

I love it , not screaming at all but cheering you on. I also redid all the moulding in my house last year! Think it was the most maddening job of all. So time consuming but well worth it. I only wish that I could have replaced it all with new instead of paint but the money tree said No! <3 Donna

[Elisa]

* Crying *

But, that is just me! I always say do whatever YOU like when it comes to decorating!

As long as it's not hot pink... ;)

[Lacy Brauner]

the wood was good in the '70's!! haha! Fed the tribe? Love that, I call mine monkeys or crazy people..but tribe is so much more polite! haha I think men see the carpentry and think the wood in its original state is artistic or something..but that just wrong!

[AshleyAnn]

Yeah for the white...cheery and bright.
No yeah for all the work it takes to get it so cheery and bright! Wouldn't a magic painting wand be nice!

[Courtney Walsh]

I would LOVE to have all white wood. I don't paint it because it's so much work. Will you do all your rooms this way (or are they already all white? I forget...)

[elma]

Oh I LOVE your home!! I can't wait to seethis room done!!

[jody]

Meg...I'm dying!! I had a good laugh at your post. We just bought a ranch w dark trim & we've painted the house white now I want white trim EVERYWHERE!!

The battle continues between hub & I....of course, he wants to keep it dark! (or not do the work??...)

Convincing continues on....

[Dianne]

Go Go Go! Love the white!

[jack]

White is right!

[Tess S.]

LOOOOOOOVE the white. my husband would yell at you. how about painting wood cabinets white.... now that would make him FLIP out! ha!

[Anna Marie]

You are SOOOO very right! My husband would have a conniption fit if I even suggested painting wood trim white. But I adore it and love it. It makes the room so much prettier and happier. You RARELY see unpainted wood in PB magazines ;)

[Angel/TaDa!Creations]

I love this post!!! My husband would be groaning if he saw it, but I think deep down he understands how important white woodwork is, he just doesn't want to know it ever started out as brown. It really makes any wall color so much more beautiful. I can't wait to see your finished dining room. And I would say your workload was definitely evenly split. ;)

[chris]

It makes me so excited , it will brighten up and liven up the room , so looking forward to seeing it ,
BTW my husband and got a real kick out of those picture Annie drew , they are technically good too and funny.

[Logan]

I totally agree with your decision to paint the wood. I bought a home many years ago that had one bedroom that was solid pine paneling. It was SO dark and I really, really wanted to bleach it or paint it, but my dad, whose opinion I really respected, asked me not to. He kept reminding me how valuable that was and since it was the guest room where he and my mom stayed when they visted, he said "please don't paint my room". So I didn't ever paint it. But I met the current owner of my old home a few months ago and she admitted to me that they painted the paneling since their daughter now lives in that room! LOL!! I didn't have the heart to tell my dad.

[RLG]

White is fresh and modern. In an older home --LOVE it!
Cannot wait to see the finished product. xoxo

[jennifer]

Bring on the white! :o)

[Alyssa]

Just wanted to send you some LOVE this morning....Love you Meg!!

I know I am a random stranger but I love your blog, your family, your wood being painted white.....

Love ya!
Alyssa

[Melanie]

I would not flinch while painting the wood. I think the white will look great!

[Kristin]

Oh I love the white! I have and will paint any wood trim white. ;)

[Suzanne Gallagher]

White is so fresh and clean. I have white beadboard in almost all my main floor rooms. I'm a believer in doing what makes you happy! Can't wait to see the results!

[Mary Beth]

YOU GAVE BIRTH.
You will NEVER be even.
You WIN!!!

heeeeheaaaaaaa

[Liz jensen]

I always say "its still the original woodwork, even painted white"! It is going to look lovely I am sure!

Thanks for your post yesterday...I too am finishing out the last year of preschool before my 3rd heads off to the big school with her brothers. I loved our little preschool. My boys started going there when I was still pregnant with my daughter. I have however felt completely out of place this year trudging in with all the "younger" moms that have a 2 year old, 4 year old and a new baby in a carrier or are pregnant. I think its time, but sad none the less!

Have a great day!
Liz

[Steph]

I spent many summers stripping paint off... getting down to the "real" wood... and so I'm sorry, but I disagree! I was screaming at the computer screen, I couldn't believe what was going on... I'm a "real wood" "keep it natural" kinda girl! So yes, painting over that fabulous wood... saddens me. :(

[Julie K.]

I support painted woodwork! Sadly, hubby does not. So the kitchen cabinets remain wood, forever. I got the trim in the rest of the house though. :)

[Sarah @ Dream In Domestic]

It scares me, but I know I would do the same thing!

[Rebecca]

Ok, I first thought "OMG!!!" but then I wondered what kind of wood it is and maybe it darkens to the room up too much or maybe it has damage. I used to be a decorative painter and I had to paint a lot of woodwork. It often looked much better with the paint especially if they were cabinets from the 1980's!

[Ally]

White is timeless. It'll never go out. I fully intend to do this in our next house, which we will hopefully settle down in. I can't bring myself to do all that work here, when we'll be moving in a few years. Hope you share the results!

[patti]

i love white trim too. we have a room in our house that is still the original knotty pine wood paneling when we moved in, that room was floor to ceiling (literally on the ceiling) wood. the room connects with the kitchen via a counter and it was our dining room prior to kids. i used to call it the cigar lounge. once we had our first daughter, we painted, and painted and painted (took a lot to cover) - and now it's a lovely airy playroom for my girls. several of our friends and family gasped when we said we were painting, but i love it and it looks like a beach cottage. here's a link to the before/after http://www.flickr.com/photos/8833324@N04/4618384205/

[Tara @ the cinnamon post]

ooohhh...i'm going to be doing the same thing soon in my living/dining room. bring it on. the only thing keeping me from painting all our trim is time and money!!
~
Tara

[Jeannine]

I'm sure your room will end up looking absolutely wonderful, but I totally cringed when the pictures loaded. Mind you, this is probably only because I spent tons of time stripping paint off of original woodwork when restoring my uncles house.

[Deputy's Wife]

I am lucky. My house has a combination of white and stained woodwork. A good thing, because I love them both. Our downstairs is all stained original woodwork. The upstairs was painted when we moved in, so I repainted it all white.

While I do love the white trim (I think it is going to look fabulous) I don't think I can bring myself to paint stained wood. I think it is because my dad restored antique furniture for a living. I would be afraid what he would do if he saw me paint wood!

Can't wait to see it!

[Tere]

I cringe just a little, but do LOVE it.
Keep the pics coming, can't wait for the finished project.
Also, have you redone the attic/upstairs.

[Ana]

Meg, it makes me feel like "YAAAAAY!!!!" Seriously, every time I walk into a house with natural wood trim I always think "why aren't these people painting all this WHITE??". I think white with a nice contrasting wall color just looks so SHARP! Congratulations on such a wise decision. LOVE IT!

[Julie]

I LOVE it. My hubby would be the same. I threaten to paint things and he just can't "see" it. It's definitely a man thing.

[Jen Joy]

I'm totally applauding over here! :D Long live white painted trim!

[sarah]

Excited to see the finished work.
I love the white.

[Esther Harper]

Sorry Meg...big no,no. This wood if you were to give a light sand and put some light sealer it would have looked amazing. Its kind of like discovering you have beautiful hardwood floors under a ragy carpet and re-carperting it. But again we are high end custom home builders and our customers pay us alot of $$$$ to get the look of natural wood. Enough said but if you like it go for it.

[Lori Danelle]

I love wood. I have to. I'm my father's daughter and he is a wood worker & built our entire house.

HOWEVER!! I don't think the love of wood should morph into some insane reverence where it's next to sacrilege to even think about painting wood.

I fully believe you have to do what's right for each space. Sometimes that's bare wood. Sometimes, that means painting your beautiful wood kitchen cabinets. If the room isn't making you happy with bare wood, then pull out the paintbrush!!! :)

[Julie]

White woodwork: my fave.
Painting woodwork white: not my fave.

It is going to be gorgeous!!!
The wood lovers can deal.
They can go hug trees and get over it.

[heidi]

This cracks me up. I sell real estate in Cottonwood Falls. Every time I show a house with painted woodwork people say, "oh I wish they hadn't painted it" and I'm thinking, sure hope they don't come to my house! I painted mine and it looks so sharp and tailored. LOVE IT. anyone who has a problem with it can pay your mortgage, otherwise they can just not worry about it!

[jennifer]

Love the white! Wouldn't have my trim any other way...

And yeah for husbands that do the painting! Not that I have one, but mine's a keeper anyway. :)

[Sara @ It's Good to be Queen]

love it. I can't wait to see it all done! I just painted an antique wardrobe and i think I gave my mom a heart attack. But seriously, it's just stuff!

[Mandy]

I am giving you a standing ovation! :)

[Tonya @ More Than Enough]

You go girl!!! I've got beautiful wood cabinets in my new kitchen that I'm wanting to paint white (or possibly black on the lowers) and my parents are aghast at the thought of me painting these beautiful cabinets! ;)

I love how white trim makes whatever wall color just pop! Can't wait to see your finished room.

[julia]

you are so right - it is a guy thing!

[Cheryl @ a pretty cool life.]

My husband embraces my love of white, high gloss paint, too. Maybe I brainwashed him.

Our house was built in the 40s and we did the same thing when we moved in...my mother in law is probably still crying over us "ruining" it. Too bad I don't care!

[Annie]

I'm a white trim girl all the way! Love the windows in your home! Gorgeous!

[Susan]

I love white...especially on old woodwork...it just seems to add space as well as dimension and I hate dark spaces. Our house had paneling in the entry and den and we had planned to paint but now we are removing it totally (it is cheap paneling not the pretty kind). We are not using white because we fell in love with an off white color called Manchester tan by Benjamin Moore...it seems to soothe me and we both agree on it so.

[Nina Diane]

I can't wait to see the finished room. Are you using high gloss or semi? I want to paint our wood but am afraid....

[suzanne pignato]

Hey girl... love your blog just found it..via my sweet savannah ....i'm with you.... don't understand why men get so upset over painting wood it's like a club or something...i just wait til my hubby goes out of town and paint away...then he loves it..lol suzanne

[Laura Phelps]

I do that too.
The "we are even"
But most days, I think we are not even.
I think I win.
Or is it that I lose?

Can't wait to see your dining room...to REALLY SEE IT..AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
(Belle is excited to meet Waffle....)

[Andrea from O-H-I-O]

UGH! Am currently stripping paint off my kitchen woodwork that some old owner did not paint correctly!

[Sarah@Clover Lane]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!
I could never live in a house without white woodwork.
Can't wait to see it.

[katy]

Funny that you posted this today, as that is what I did last night (primed our wood trim in the stairwell) and I plan on adding the coat of paint today while my daughter naps... and likely again when she goes to bed because I doubt I will finish it while she is napping.

I love the white trim, and my hubs likes it too, but he WILL NOT let me paint our kitchen cabinets white. I have let that battle go for now... but I shall resume the cause again at a later date. :)

[Staci]

Cannot WAIT to see the end product!!!! Love it that you are so sure and brave :) I need a little of that ;)

[jason]

nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[Flower Patch Farmgirl]

LOVE!!! You will never regret it. I don't get the whole "natural wood" allure. No one screams about painting a "natural wall"!

[citymouse]

I've been trying to get my courage up to paint the natural beadboard and vanity in our upstairs bathroom. It isn't original but probably the most recent renovation prior to us buying the house. I think it'll look so much better white. Now I'm one step closer.

[grey umbrella]

it makes my heart go pitter patter ... i LOVE white and love when the grain shows through a little. that old/new look. can't wait to see it all done!

[annalea @ our hartbeat]

ha! just painted our woodwork white in our dining room last month. my husband and i are totally on the white is just us bandwagon as well. the living room is up this month. i will posting photos soon (but it is funny how i tense up a bit when i tell someone just waiting for them to scold me. . .)

[Micah]

We're all about white in our house too. Go for it! Brighter is ALWAYS better.

[Michelle Whitlow]

I agree with you, I don't like wood trim. And by that I mean "wood colored" trim. I looove white trim!!

[Jessica]

I think it depends on the house, you and Craig are the ones who live in that house, you two know the feel of the house and you two already have done a fabulous job with the kitchen. I believe you two will do a fabulous job painting the woodwork white.
Some houses have gorgeous woodwork that should stay brown, others you can get away with painting the woodwork white.
Have fun painting!

[Jessica from Stars and Clouds]

Definitely have to agree with you, white is the way to go! And your house speaks volumes of your great taste!

[Tanya]

can't wait to see the finished result

[Tegan and Tage]

Seriously! What IS it with men and unpainted wood? That is a constant battle in our house...

[Lisa]

I'm going to have to go lay down now to lower my blood pressure ;) Actually the woodwork in our house is painted white (because it had already been painted when we bought it, we just freshened it up) and I really love it. You're right, it looks clean and crisp. That said, if it hadn't already been painted, I would NEVER have painted it. I have serious wood envy when I go to an old bungalow that has the original woodwork. My dad is a woodworker and I have just always loved natural finish. To each his own! Can't wait to see pictures!

[Kristi]

oh- I love it! I so want to paint our kitchen cabinets, but my husband is so opposed to painting over the wood. I so want to do it! I think I am wearing him down, but not quite yet. can't wait to see what it looks like!

[rosemarie]

i grew up in a home that was over 100 years old and yes the wood work and molding(trim) was painted. the wood work in the home was beautiful and painting the molding white or off white (tasteful) always made the house look elegant and current. not painting some old houses make them old and drab..you are right. paint makes molding cheery and new.

[Brenna]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, but whatever. :)

[kat]

Love it! We recently painted the kitchen cabinets and all the trimwork and doors downstairs, and it looks a million times better! We love it! Now, if we can just decide what to do with our playroom/library... it is ALL wood.

[ann]

I just painted my dining room table (which was ruined from water damage)and my husband is freaking out about that! I think the white will look great in your house with all the pretty colors you decorate with! Can't wait to ooh and aaah at your dining room when you're finished!

[Alan Handley]

You are making a huge mistake! Natural wood rocks! Painted wood screams fad! Turn back turn back now!!!!!

[Trish]

Love painted wood!!! Our house has all wood and I HATE it!!! I would paint it, but our doors are the cheapy kind that would look bad painted, so therefore that project would morph into getting all new doors, which I would love, but the wallet wouldn't!

[Whitney R]

Will you bring that paint brush to my house? Please! I live in a 1930s home that had most of its trim painted when we moved in with crisp lovely white, but my Living Room my sweet hubbie won't let me touch, "Sigh"
I can't wait to see your results! Maybe it will help convincing my man!
Whitney R.

[Sandy]

I love the white look too, but after scraping & sanding for days and days and days at our first house I don't know if I could paint wood. And I'm a female. :)

[Lanny Stanard]

I love it... paint it girl frieeeend !

hugs!

[Melissa]

I am screaming no only becuase it is such gorgeous woodwork! But I realize its a personal prefrence. I am currently stripp away paint from my old house woodwork. Good luck

[Heather]

I love it!! I know what you mean about the paint-or-no-paint gender divide though. My husband is strangely okay with painting wood, but my dad is adamantly against it, even if it's dark and grainy and terrible. :)

[Nikki]

You go girl! I love painted wood. But am scared myself to do it.

[sixty fifth avenue]

Yes!!! I love old houses with big juicy white trim! Nothing better! If we were friends, I would be there helping...so fun.

[Jennifer]

I had no idea! Thought it was just my husband. There is dark wood molding around two sliding glass doors that he refuses to let me touch. IT'S WOOD! I did get him to paint some old doors in the basement white and the improvement is alarming-hasn't changed his mind overall.

[Musings Of A Gem]

Heehee...i love the white..very bright!

Gemma X http://musings-of-a-gem.blogspot.com/

[Samantha]

Paint it, paint it all I say! I love a room full of crisp white woodwork! and those leaded glass windows are gonna shine like nobody's business when framed in white!

[Janie Fox]

Love it! I did it and have never regretted it! Can't wait to see the finished project.

[marlowe @ come home to roost]

So wish I could convince my husband that this is the way to go!

[Lindsay]

while i also think that painted wood can bring out the best in SOME wood, when I saw that brush near those beautiful windows I gave a brief scream too! And I couldn't show my husband- he feels the same. We can totally agree to paint certain woods, manufactured wood, etc., when it comes to original hardwood we can't do it! Fortunately we live in a 60s house with NO character :), so we have been able to do what we please and not have to 'ruin' anything. Though I do ADORE your house so much anyway.