Decorating and Design - Stained doors look like terrible
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wileyt
08-10-05, 10:34 AM
We are building a home and have stained all the wood work, trim, jams etc.(looks great) After seeing the stain on the pine doors the doors look terrible, dark streaks, etc. Short of getting a better quality door to stain(19 of them) we have decided to paint them. My question is, do we paint the door jams the same color as we are going to paint the door or do we leave the jams stained? We're not sure if this will look ridiculous or not. The house has turned out wonderful and now this monkey wrench has been thrown in and we are afraid that everything will now look "strange." Any help and advice will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks! :wall:
Thanks! :wall:
Annette
08-11-05, 08:04 AM
i've seen a lot of new homes being built with stained trim (baseboards, door & window trim) and painted doors.
i've also seen many older homes with painted trim and stained doors.
i prefer all of it being the same myself - all painted or all stained.
so.........you could just paint your doors, and leave everything else stained, and it will look just fine. :)
i've also seen many older homes with painted trim and stained doors.
i prefer all of it being the same myself - all painted or all stained.
so.........you could just paint your doors, and leave everything else stained, and it will look just fine. :)
wileyt
08-11-05, 08:42 AM
Thank you so much. That's what we decided to do but it's always nice to get a second or third opinion.
BobF
08-11-05, 05:36 PM
First let me address the streaky stain on the doors. Pine is a soft wood and needs a pre-stain conditioner applied before staining. This conditioner is nothing more than a clear stain (ie no pigment). Apply the conditioner and then lightly sand with 220 grit (fine). When applying the stain, wipe (or brush) it on. Let it sit a few minutes, then wipe the excess off with cheesecloth.
You might be able to salvage the doors yet. If you haven't poly-ed or varnished the doors yet try rubbing one down with paint thinner. Then sand and wipe off all the sanding dust. Now appy another coat of stain and wipe off the excess after a few minutes. The stain may be darker than you intended, but it may look good. This may not work, especailly if you put on a heavy dose of stain the first time. Then it really soaked into the wood. But its worth trying on one door. If it still looks bad, you are back to painting but all you've wasted is a little time.
To paint or not paint: It will look good if the doors are painted white. We had that for 10 years and we liked it. We moved last year and the previous owners had white doors with painted trim. I miss the stained trim.
You might be able to salvage the doors yet. If you haven't poly-ed or varnished the doors yet try rubbing one down with paint thinner. Then sand and wipe off all the sanding dust. Now appy another coat of stain and wipe off the excess after a few minutes. The stain may be darker than you intended, but it may look good. This may not work, especailly if you put on a heavy dose of stain the first time. Then it really soaked into the wood. But its worth trying on one door. If it still looks bad, you are back to painting but all you've wasted is a little time.
To paint or not paint: It will look good if the doors are painted white. We had that for 10 years and we liked it. We moved last year and the previous owners had white doors with painted trim. I miss the stained trim.