Decorating: latex paint over stain grade hardwood?

[ultrarunner]

30 years ago my hospital won several community awards for design and urban renewal and only the best finishes used… stain grade hardwoods, institution grade neutral wall paper, corian, etc.

The corp powers that be want to redo everything in shades of grey light green… which means painting over all the stain grade hardwood and removing all the wall paper.

I expressed my opinion that this would be a mistake but have since been overruled…

It’s like HG tv where everything is painted over for a quick sale flip…

Should I just go with the program and keep quiet?

Still getting compliments on out lobby but the corp executives are HG TV inspired.

 

[2manyrocks]

How many more years to retirement?

 

[Snobdds]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1889476250198212718

 

[2manyrocks]

Give it a few years. They'll be asking how to remove the paint.

 

[D&D]

30 years ago my hospital won several community awards for design and urban renewal and only the best finishes used… stain grade hardwoods, institution grade neutral wall paper, corian, etc.

The powers that be want to redo everything in shades of grey light green… which means painting over all the stain grade hardwood and removing all the wall paper.

I expressed my opinion that this would be a mistake but have since been overruled…

It’s like HG tv where everything is painted over for a quick sale flip…

Should I just go with the program and keep quiet?

Still getting compliments on out lobby but the new corp of executives are HG TV inspired.

Way of the world. Today’s custom cabinets are what used to be builder grade (plywood and paint). People buy their furniture at Bob’s so they can have it by next weekend, not custom built and wait 6+ months. Even most houses lack character and style, every 2nd or 3rd house on a street is exactly the same.
Nice thing about the hardwood, next admin group can have it sanded down and brought back to life.

 

[2manyrocks]

Now you've got me remembering early this Old House episodes where they were having to strip paint off finished hardwood.

 

[ultrarunner]

Nearby there is a famous home built in 1900… it’s been in movies and interior shots in fine home building, etc.

First class craftsmanship with money no object… in the 1920’s all of the stained wood painted white.

About 25 years ago a team of about 40 volunteers stripped and restored one room to perfection… just enough so one could imagine the grandeur under the paint.

I think paint over composite is wonderful… but the trend to paint bricks, stone work and stain grade hardwoods is short sighted.

Stain is enduring in terms of maintenance… today’s water base paint over stain is creating a maintenance issue where none previously existed…

Guess I’m too personally invested as 31 years ago I was part of the design team and held out for materials that would last…

I did point out anything replaced has to meet many standards to be used in a healthcare setting… I have all the documentation for all the original materials from flame spread to Title 19 and more…

 

[2manyrocks]

Oakland probably has a permit application process that takes so long you'll be retired before the permit comes through.

Go ahead and coat the wood with a release agent to make it easier to strip the paint.

 

[ultrarunner]

I not long ago oiled the wood with a soft rag…

I am wondering how will proper adhesion be achieved over oil?

 

[2manyrocks]

Like Radar, you knew this was coming even before it came and already prepped for it.

 

[etpm]

It's a shame they want to paint over the hardwood. When we had our house built our goal was to have high quality throughout. The hope being that the house would survive for at least 100 years. So besides the skeleton of the house we had maple floors put in, all doors are solid, no hollow core doors, solid cherry cabinets, etc. All bronze door hardware. I even put in mortise locks just because I like them. The chimney is rock, not that fake rock stuff. It certainly cost us but 17 years later we still love it. And we get spontaneous comments on how beautiful our house is. It really bugs me when I see old houses with all sorts of nice stuff in them painted over or razed. I kinda breaks my heart.
Eric

 

[2manyrocks]

The 1920's era houses in Nashville that still have the original doors and millwork are the ones that command the higher prices today.

One of the renovation issues is you either can't get the same materials today or you can't afford them. Try finding enough clear stock for interior door and window trim in the correct widths and thickness to match the older millwork.

My prediction is it will take maybe 10 years and people will be ready to rip out all of the stuff that is supposedly in vogue today. They have to paint today's millwork to hide the fact that it's either finger jointed or MDF. Actual stain grade material is premium stuff.

And much of today's trim is caulked to death to try to hide the poorly fitting joints, too.

 

[Hughman]

I'm preparing a house for sale in the silicon valley. It has toffee colored oak cabinets which was all the rage 30-40 years ago but out of fashion now. They need to be refinished (which I'm planning to do). Everyone I talk to says to paint them grey, but I'd rather cut my boy parts off and drop them in a blender. The next owner will have to do it if that's what they want.

 

[ultrarunner]

The 1920's era houses in Nashville that still have the original doors and millwork are the ones that command the higher prices today.

One of the renovation issues is you either can't get the same materials today or you can't afford them. Try finding enough clear stock for interior door and window trim in the correct widths and thickness to match the older millwork.

My prediction is it will take maybe 10 years and people will be ready to rip out all of the stuff that is supposedly in vogue today. They have to paint today's millwork to hide the fact that it's either finger jointed or MDF. Actual stain grade material is premium stuff.

And much of today's trim is caulked to death to try to hide the poorly fitting joints, too.

My first home was 1922 craftsman bungalow purchased from the original owner.

My friends kept asking when was the demo party and money being tight I did the one room at a time cleaning and refinishing with no demo.

When it came time to sell my little home set a new neighborhood price for bring authentic period correct whereas neighboring homes had suffered through many botched remodels going back to the 1950’s…

If I was able to set priorities it would be replacing 30 year old sterilizers and similar where eBay is now my go to source for parts.

 

[ultrarunner]

I'm preparing a house for sale in the silicon valley. It has toffee colored oak cabinets which was all the rage 30-40 years ago but out of fashion now. They need to be refinished (which I'm planning to do). Everyone I talk to says to paint them grey, but I'd rather cut my boy parts off and drop them in a blender. The next owner will have to do it if that's what they want.

My brother sold his Bay Area home which we did a total on… it was post war 1948… we re-rocked adding insulation, new electric service, baths, kitchens, windows, central HVAC, new clear stain grade doors with Baldwin hardware.

The realtors to the last one said white paint over everything.

He dismissed them all and did a for sale by owner beating the best neighborhood price by 100k

The buyers were so tired of all the white on white and knew within a few minutes they were buying… also made us feel good too.

 

[EddieWalker]

I have a client that owns one of the big old mansions in Tyler. Their cabinets are a combination of green paint and wood stain. I forget the exact colors, but to get the new stuff I made for them to match, I did a dry brush of the green paint first, then put the stain over that. Once sealed and installed, it was almost impossible to tell the difference. I can see it, but they can't, so it was a win for me.

What really kills me is how many people are painting beautiful wood cabinets white or grey. I'm guilty of doing it for them, but it's money that I really don't like making. In my opinion, I'm making something beautiful into something trendy.

Even worse is that almost every cabinet door is now made of MDF. The biggest, more high dollar house has crapyer cabinet then a 800 square foot 1950's rental house!!!!

I just hope this latest fad of cheap ugly painted cabinets comes to an end. I think the ugly fake marble tile trend is dying off, so that's encouraging. I'm actually starting to see earth tones come back in tile, and a few houses that are using real wood and staining it, so maybe there's hope for the future.

 

[ultrarunner]

I have some older homes that were always painted and a good oil enamel would last decades.

The problem I run into now is a quick latex roll out over oil or varnish and the top cost just peels off with a finger nail.

Worse is in areas such as a laundry room or steamy bathroom where all the paint alligators… often simpler to go over with new rock.

 

[2manyrocks]

All it has to do is look good until the TV cameras get their footage.

 

[Duds13]

I'm doing a partial kitchen remodel (new soapstone countertops, farmhouse sink and new faucet, backsplash, some new lighting). House is a saltbox style built in 1996 with a farmhouse feel to it. Vaulted ceiling with T&G pine and exposed pine beams. My sister is a designer in Texas and her first words were "are you going to paint the cabinets? You should." I was like no f'n way I am putting paint over those beautiful cabinets, lol.

HGTV has ruined people

 

[ultrarunner]

Cosmetic that serves the moment with no lasting attributes?