What to do with oak baseboards

Lynnae Kauffman

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

The owners of our new house got new laminate flooring, but they did not change the baseboards. I do not like how the different shades of wood are right next to each other. I am thinking that we will paint the baseboards white, along with the fireplace, the built-in cabinet in the dining room, and the spindles on the stairs. Do others think that is a good idea? Is there another solution I'm not thinking of? Re-staining the wood sounds like it would be more work. I'm just not sure I want to paint the doors though. They are very solid/nice doors, and we kind of like the look of the oak. If we don't paint the doors, do we paint the trim around the doors? With three young kids, wood works better because I know how nicked up any painted wood gets. Thanks for your thoughts!

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Lynnae Kauffman
Original Author

7 years ago

I know this post is from a long time ago, but I wanted to report that we ended up staining all of the oak baseboards a cherry color to match the laminate. We also had someone stain all of the oak doors on the main floor the same color. We found a wipe on stain that did not require sanding. Just one coat of stain with a brush, and one coat of polyurethane. We're really happy with our choice. You can kind of see how we updated the fireplace in this pic too. (I later spray painted the gold, so it is all black.) Doesn't the cherry color on the mantle looks so rich?!

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Comments (15)

lynartist
7 years ago
Oops, that was a miss-step! Wow, these people must have been color blind. Of course you can paint the trim in the house white but that means the window trim and the stairs and spindles, the trim around the doors. I would leave the railing on the stairs and the nice wood doors though; and probably the stair treads as they would wear. But yikes; I'm almost tempted to say you should change the Floor!
PRO
Lampert Dias Architects, Inc.
7 years ago
I would keep it simple and just paint the baseboard. Once you have done that you can decide if you need to paint more, but I am sure that just the white baseboards will make a big difference........and you can keep the rest of the wood elements natural wood...........
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lynartist
7 years ago
Hmm.. Except there isn't any other white in this whole room! So just a white baseboard would look kind of odd.
jhmarie
7 years ago
I like the look of white and oak - and I agree, do not paint those nice doors. I painted my 1970's dark stained pine trim white and replaced doors and cabinets with oak. The white trim makes it a bit easier to pick paint colors and the combination gives me the flexibility to have some things wood and others painted. For example the laundry room has white cabinets, but the kitchen has wood. One bathroom vanity is white, the others are wood. Some pics of my house are in my idea book (work in progress) and I also have an idea book called "wood and white trim". Here are some Houzz pics:

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Vicki Kennedy
7 years ago
You are exactly right on! I would also paint the wooden bar across your front window (does it hold verticals blinds. This will make a huge difference. After you are done you can reassess the back of the doors. I had oak base boards in my last house, painted them all white and it made a huge difference.
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Stephanie Rapp Interiors, LLC
7 years ago
My recommendation is to paint all the trim white, which includes the baseboard, door trim, window trim, stair spindles and stair side trim and.fireplace surround. Leave the natural wood on the stair rails, treads and risers. Also leave the front door all wood so that it stands out as an important architectural element. I would prefer to see the interior doors all white as well for a fresher look and so that such a large surface does not fight with the floors. You also have different wood finishes in your furniture and the mix is getting very busy. Use a satin or semi-gloss on the trim and it will wipe little fingerprints well.
catchick
7 years ago
Even before I got to your question, my first thought at the picture was how nice that space would look with all that oak trim painted white. Especially the baseboards and stair rails!
decoenthusiaste
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Above is a before and after of a staircase I worked on recently. You need black railing and newel posts, with white balusters (spindles) and carriage (the panel that is at the below the end of the treads (see below.) You can leave the treads as they are. Add black doors throughout with white baseboards, trim, fireplace and built-in china cabinet for a stunning look. You might opt for black on the fireplace too, depending on how the tiles look with it, but they could be replaced later for better effect.
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minjeeah
7 years ago
Did you figure out?
Lynnae Kauffman
Original Author
7 years ago
You guys are so awesome! Thank you so much for all of the advice! I have been really stuck on this one. We don't get possession of the house until July 15, but when we do, I think we will paint the baseboards and door trim white. After some thought, I think we will leave the doors oak for now. We could always decide to paint them later, or maybe even re-stain the wood on the doors a darker cherry look to match the floors. Also still planning to paint the fireplace, built-in cabinet, and stairway spindles white. Maybe could do the stair trim under the treads white, but we'll see how far we get! I love the idea of painting the wood across the windows that holds the vertical blinds, so will do that too. Also going to get rid of the teal wall color, in case you were wondering, and try to match the light blue in the living and dining areas. Oh, and I ordered some glass tile for the fireplace. Getting excited:)
decoenthusiaste
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Keep us apprised of your progress right here! As soon as budget allows, replace the apartment style vertical blinds with fabric window treatments, floor to ceiling drapes, perhaps some roman shades.
jhmarie
7 years ago
Very pretty and warm!
58shroom
5 years ago
love it!
Julia
5 years ago
We stained our red oak floors a darker color several years ago, which led to the dilemma of the natural wood stair rails. We chose to paint the rails black and leave the spindles white. The stair sides are white and we have carpet on them. We stained the small area of step. I would definitely paint your baseboards white and window/door trim. The oak doors are beautiful but still look odd with the floors. I would consider painting them or staining them.