Different color baseboard and crown molding?

[boiler717]

Asking this for my parent's house

They are updating their house. It was built in 1987. Very dark inside with lots of reddish oak trim and cabinetry. Their baseboards are in pretty bad shape. My mom had been after my dad to paint their kitchen cabinets for years, and now that they also need new windows and baseboards he's considering it.

The idea is to go with new windows, painted cabinets, and new baseboards, probably in a creamy white. However, my dad does not want to touch or paint the reddish oak crown molding. What do you guys think? I'm thinking if it looks totally awful we may be able to convince my dad to paint after the new windows and baseboards are installed and the cabinets are painted, and if it looks okay at least mom is getting the painted cabinets she wanted and the new windows will go a long way to brightening up the house.

[auntie]

I prefer the trim at floor and ceiling to match; if I was going to leave one a wood finish it would be the baseboards assuming they matched a wood floor and because wood shows scruffs less obviously than a creamy white paint.

Maybe they'll look as odd as you suspect and he'll cave once he sees the result.

[funnygirlglee]

I'm afraid it will look odd

[munkii]

I think it will look unfinished. An image search yielded a couple of interesting pics that open my mind up to it a little bit, but in the end, I think it will have to be painted too simply because the pics I found aren't really similar to most kitchens/styles. Here they are, if you're curious (a kitchen and a hutch--I tried to imagine the hutch as full cabinetry with crown molding).

[boiler717]

They have all carpet and tile, no hardwoods.

I hoping he just caves. He's someone he gets super overwhelmed if you add things to projects. When he mentioned replacing the windows he wasn't going to do any of the doors. He was going to replace two 3x8 windows on either side of a door the go to the patio but not the door in between them because it was "just the windows." It took my mom 2 weeks to convince him he had to replace the door in between two windows.

[boiler717]

So the question...replace everything with the same color of trim that my mom hates or do windows, baseboards, and cabinets in the color my mom wants and hopes that he changes his mind on the crown?

[boiler717]

Jan 11, 2013 8:20:10 GMT -5 munkii said:

I think it will look unfinished. An image search yielded a couple of interesting pics that open my mind up to it a little bit, but in the end, I think it will have to be painted too simply because the pics I found aren't really similar to most kitchens/styles. Here they are, if you're curious (a kitchen and a hutch--I tried to imagine the hutch as full cabinetry with crown molding).

Thanks! The reddish brown color is what they have going on. Except with 8 foot ceilings, super dark granite counters, etc. It's very dark inside the house. I think if the kitchen cabinets are painted white it will go a long way to opening up the space.

[munkii]

If she (or the painters) accidentally gets paint on the crown molding, he'll have to cave, right?

[Susie]

It will end up looking like this:

except opposite on the baseboard/crown molding colors.

It's not awesome. We're living with it until we replace the flooring, because it's SO much easier to paint baseboard molding when the flooring is up. But it's not what I'd consider a long term solution.

More pictures here: guinsyard.wordpress.com/2012/04/15/finished-foyer-the-before-after/

[pitterwoo]

can your mom paint? she could tackle the molding while he's working on the rest. or just do the baseboards and windows for now and then have him come back around to do crown molding once everything else is done and he's had a little break.

[boiler717]

Jan 11, 2013 8:50:41 GMT -5 pitterwoo said:

can your mom paint? she could tackle the molding while he's working on the rest. or just do the baseboards and windows for now and then have him come back around to do crown molding once everything else is done and he's had a little break.

Nope. They would hire it out so it's more the principle not the actual work.

[bunnymendelbaum]

I honestly think it might look good.

Something dark at the ceiling could draw the eye up and add interest.

Hmmm. Who was that blogger w a craftsman house w original trim? Her husband lost his job and she ramped up her blog and sold out a little?

[boiler717]

I wonder what he's planning on doing with their interior doors...

[bunnymendelbaum]

[boiler717]

Jan 11, 2013 9:25:56 GMT -5 bunnymendelbaum said:

Thanks bunny!

[FoxInFiji]

Ehh I think that might look bad depending on how thick the crown molding is. Painting the crown in place would be a lot easier and less costly than replacing it. The mix of wood tones looks best when you have wood doors (or black doors) and with white trim not two different colors of trim in the same room. Would they be willing to compromise and update some rooms to all white trim and some rooms keep all wood?

And what is their plan with the windows? My guess is they will be white or are they going with nice/expensive wood windows instead? White windows with wood trim can work but it might not be the look your mom was going for.

[boiler717]

They would probably do some rooms and not others. I think they want to start with the kitchen so that may be a good suggestion. And they would paint the crown, not replace, since it's still in good shape.

As for the windows my dad was talking about getting white ones because he knows that my mom wants to get away from all the dark wood in the house. I believe they would be painting or replacing the trim around the windows.

ETA: they could replace the windows before doing anything to the trim to see how it looked too though

[Blueper]

www.trulia.com/homes/photos/Minnesota/Anoka/sold/154351-206-Fremont-St-Anoka-MN-55303#item-7

I almost bought this house that has the same thing going on in the dining room, and I think that it looks ok in the right setting.

[Susie]

Jan 11, 2013 9:45:35 GMT -5 Blueper said:

www.trulia.com/homes/photos/Minnesota/Anoka/sold/154351-206-Fremont-St-Anoka-MN-55303#item-7

I almost bought this house that has the same thing going on in the dining room, and I think that it looks ok in the right setting.

Can that right setting be achieved in a 1987 special though?

There are plenty of looks that I think work in the right house, but would not fly in my 1986 suburban home.

[Ramz-ee]

When I bought my house, that's how the crown was. It matched the kitchen cabinets and then extended into connecting rooms. I didn't think it looked bad at all. I only changed it when I added doors to the connecting room.

I would be hesitant with it in the kitchen if the crown is a different color than the cabinets.

But in other rooms if the crown is a similar color to the wood furniture in the room, I think it would look fine. Especially if it's a nicer more detailed crown molding.

And honestly, I don't think it looks horrible in the pictures others posted. I wouldn't do it because I don't like wood trim anywhere, but if they are going to hire it out, why not just paint it all?

[Blueper]

Jan 11, 2013 9:48:21 GMT -5 Susie said:

Jan 11, 2013 9:45:35 GMT -5 Blueper said:

www.trulia.com/homes/photos/Minnesota/Anoka/sold/154351-206-Fremont-St-Anoka-MN-55303#item-7

I almost bought this house that has the same thing going on in the dining room, and I think that it looks ok in the right setting.

Can that right setting be achieved in a 1987 special though?

There are plenty of looks that I think work in the right house, but would not fly in my 1986 suburban home.

Sure why not, as long as there aren't any obvious structural features that scream "I WAS BUILT IN THIS ERA". My house was built in 1979 and that hasn't held me back in my decorating or renovation plans.

[kaylie]

Jan 11, 2013 9:48:21 GMT -5 Susie said:

Jan 11, 2013 9:45:35 GMT -5 Blueper said:

www.trulia.com/homes/photos/Minnesota/Anoka/sold/154351-206-Fremont-St-Anoka-MN-55303#item-7

I almost bought this house that has the same thing going on in the dining room, and I think that it looks ok in the right setting.

Can that right setting be achieved in a 1987 special though?

There are plenty of looks that I think work in the right house, but would not fly in my 1986 suburban home.

I'm with Susie here. It could work if they're going to go with a larger baseboard but chances are it will just look off. My house is around the same age and I don't think it would look right.

[Susie]

Jan 11, 2013 11:35:25 GMT -5 Blueper said:

Jan 11, 2013 9:48:21 GMT -5 Susie said:

Can that right setting be achieved in a 1987 special though?

There are plenty of looks that I think work in the right house, but would not fly in my 1986 suburban home.

Sure why not, as long as there aren't any obvious structural features that scream "I WAS BUILT IN THIS ERA". My house was built in 1979 and that hasn't held me back in my decorating or renovation plans.

Ok, maybe I should rephrase. It is not impossible. But check out the baseboard molding in this picture:

(ETA: Boo. It won't let me PIP. I'm looking at the dining room.)

You don't see that kind of baseboard molding in typical 1980's homes - and if you did, a D&R person probably wouldn't introduce the house as having been built in '87.

If you have an 80's home, sure, you could rip out what you've got, put in bigger, beefier moldings, and do some neat things. But just painting one of the moldings as-is from an 80's home, and leaving the other moldings in the same room (again as-is from the 80's) stained, is unlikely to give the same intentional look as the room above.