We really don’t want to paint it white! We love the charm of the wood feature but dang it pulls so orange in this house. We’re removing the wallpaper but thinking of painting it brown to appear more of darker wood? Our painter said staining isn’t worth it you could just get new trim but we want a quicker fix for the time being. Has anyone ever painted their trim darker or brown? Thanks!
by Pleasant-Worry-4495
35 Comments
It’s your home and you deserve to be happy in it but as someone with honey oak as well I’m obligated to say please don’t paint it it looks so warm and nice
https://preview.redd.it/8shys4survdh1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7bf85ab6896aadc87c020fabd60dc7f4427d056b
We just bought a house where every square inch of trim is honey oak. We tried to lean into it with fresh paint (warm whites / creams)
Fire? No, I would paint it…paint it all. Or sand and do a light chalk wash if you like that raw wood look (I do) – but getting all that varnish off might be tough.
You could wait til it’s “in” again or paint or stain, but the wood isn’t the problem. The wallpaper, the window treatments, and especially the fireplace gold grill, fan and carpet are the real problems. Update those and the wood will shine with the right color on the wall. Scandinavian esthetic rugs and clean line furniture. Oh and hardware updates will go a long way, please not black
Here’s what you do with honey oak …. You leave it.
It’s so beautiful
The doors are pine & are beautiful
Why does everyone want to erase wood that doesn’t out gas from china? Don’t paint it, please!! Update your window coverings, shutters would be charming, update your lighting, and you’ll be fine. You have undeniable beauty with your real wood, don’t cookie cutter it for today’s fleeting “taste”.
Lear to love it.
Oh, commenting here to follow. We are in process of closing on a house that is full of honey oak floors and honey oak cabinets paired with white walls. The kitchen cabinets are still nice and $$ will go to roof instead. Trying to decide how to update without a total renovation. Was looking at sage green for one room.
Embrace it! I love it! Look at Chinese fans that open up and have a similar woody color
https://preview.redd.it/7nh3koceuvdh1.jpeg?width=2532&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=449ec5d5c046c39851bd07cad23f5aaa8a270817
It so beautiful. I would love to have that in my house!
I know it’s out of vogue, but I personally love honey oak
Please darken the stain or paint it. I know a lot of people are anti-painting molding but if you go in the beautiful homes in New England almost all the molding is painted. What I love about it being painted is it adds Dimension to the room and the molding stands out better. Whatever you choose just don’t keep the honey oak it’s awful and it dates the home.
don’t paint it!! Lean into it! It’ll be so beautiful with the right paint colors and furniture
Once you start painting woodwork, you will quickly realize after you are 1/2 way done with the first room, just how big of a pain in the ass it is and how time consuming it is. After you realize that you will start to look around to find where a good stopping point will be so the newly painted woodwork doesn’t look stupid next to the old stained woodwork and you will not find it. That’s my two cents worth 😊
What a time capsule!
I feel like I’m about to be grounded for sneaking out after bedtime
Ugh. Don’t paint it.
Maybe wait and see once you paint the walls if you really need to do anything to the wood. The blue is a contrasting color so it’s going to make the wood look more orange.
Blues and other cool colors calm it down!
It’s going to be back in style in 5 years tbh. The paint is the problem. I would grab a bunch of color samples and do a color analysis like one of those fashion color analysis people do for their own skin tone/clothing and see what colors make it look less warm on its own! I would paint the walls of color that blends in and tones it down nicer, like a sage green or something with a warm hint instead of the Cool blues that make it look extra orange
1. Change the lightbulbs- the tone will make a huge difference.
2. Use natural colors like green, Greige/taupe, and other cooler tones to calm the orange.
https://preview.redd.it/vde7leorwvdh1.jpeg?width=1206&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=db6d479b535d730912ae586029ad71ca06c4159c
Celebrate that gorgeous honey oak with its beautiful warm undertones.
That wallpaper border can’t come down fast enough. And the brassy fireplace doors. Both are dating your beautiful home, which has lovely bones and great, timeless woodwork.
Sounds like your painter just doesn’t like painting trim, because their suggestion is wasteful and ridiculous.
You learn to love it and enjoy it! It’s beautiful! I wish I had it instead of all the painted trim in my house.
There are lots of photos on the web of paint colors and decor that won’t bring out the orange tones.
I think it’s the rugs, the wall paper, the table, and window treatments. All are dated. Painting walls creamy white and different everything else and I think you’d like it as the wood would be the warm accent you want it to be.
Full confession – I can’t stand yellow pine or honey oak. It may be sacrilege but they are hideous. I’d re-stain to a very dark wood if someone convinced me I HAD to keep a wood tone. I’d prefer to paint it an oyster white or creamy white to fit with my preferred color palette.
before you do anything, please invite me for a ‘90s flashback sleepover to watch TGIF, my parents will pick me up in time for my soccer game in the morning!
we have a lot of honey oak and our home was owned by the same family for 60 years. last updated in the 80s and had a lot of similar colors to yours – the cool greys and blues. we painted most of the rooms already (the wallpaper and borders in a couple bedrooms is a longer term project), going with deep rich colors. dark green, a mossy brown, a barn red. it brings out the warmth in the wood. i’ll see if i can find paint colors/swatches
Omg just enjoy the fucking wood. It’s beautiful. Stain it or leave it. I cannot believe you’d actually ruin this with paint.
You just need a better contrast paint color
Never paint wood ……take wallpaper down a d paint walls
I love honey oak!
Honey oak is so pretty
Never paint wood . Thats the character of the house..
Yep take wallpaper down paint walls light