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This isn't about the dated paneled walls. What I am considering is doing the panels (not sure what it's called but looks like a large photo frame---and they are laid on the walls in a symetrical fashion)...does that make sense? The room would be divided by a chair rail and below I would like to do these panels.
I asked at the Sears paint counter---do I paint the bottom half white (to match the trim/rail) or do I paint it the same color as the top and just paint the frame of the panels a color?
They had no idea!!!
Now I've seen the look both ways. I've seen where it's all painted white on the lower half---this is almost always the case where it is 100% raised wood with custom panels on the bottom---but when it's just frames of panels laid over the sheetrock I've seen it as painted the same color as the top paint but the frame of the panel is matched to the trim/rail color/stain.
I'm leaning towards white but DH thinks a color the same as the top is best.
What would you suggest? Doubt it makes much difference but the room is a dining room and yes we use it =)
You're talking about doing picture framing. I wish I had a picture, darn it. Computer crashed when we lived in TN and I lost every darn picture I had. Backing up is necessary I know now. I had it in our other house up here, but it was on top of oak. The solid oak sheet went up about 32" and then on top of it was an oak chair-rail and on the bottom section was the picture framing. It looked really nice. They were all stained the same. I would paint your walls whatever color you want them and paint all the picture framing and the chair rail white, like your trim. I would paint the walls as you want them, and paint the the picture framing in white, hold them up. How do they look? If you don't like it, then you can always repaint them the color on the bottom portion of the wall. But they won't stand out, especially if your chair-rail is white. In order for them to pop, I would think the chair-rail and picture framing would be the same color, with the color of your walls something different.
claypa, that's beautiful! I'm not a fan of MDF, but in the picture, one can't tell ;)
It's also not what I was referring to. What I had was as if someone had put picture moldings, but no glass and no picture, on the lower part of the wall. The oak plywood was put up, then moldings resembling pictures were nailed onto that. Make sense? Doing a search, I can't come up with anything that is even similar. Of course I can't think of any other term used except picture molding and that brings me up lots of frames for sale!
Claypa, that is excellant!!!!! Did you cut the mdf centers out yourself? How wide are the rectangles in them? I assume you laid them on first and then attached the baseboard? YOURS is quite the professional look---and the custom look you see in nice homes. I would love this look but didn't know it was even possible---I never would have thought of it!!!! I will definately show the DH the pic. Can you give us an estimate---what did each panel cost? Did you router the inside edge or is it square cut?
In the instance I was talking terry you are quite right---thinking picture frame style and I do could find NO images online to look at---but HD and Lowe's both have the pre-made frame panels for about $17 each.
Bear in mind, there are no panels. The 'panels' are just the sheetrock wall, with strips of mdf nailed to the wall to give the impression of panels. This is a lot easier than it looks, and a lot cheaper than it looks, too.
Gravity being what it is, we put the wide mdf board along the floor first. Then nail the vertical pieces. Then another horizontal band of mdf accross as a chair rail. Then you can add a flat piece of mdf on top of that, with trim under that if you want. Add trim on the floor and you're done, except the painting. But I try to do as much priming and painting as possible, before the trim goes on the wall.
You can cut vertical pieces and then just hold them up to choose a size that looks nice to you. Just take your time laying out the size of the squares, so you don't have a funny odd-sized one in the corner or something.
It's not difficult to put a 'bullnose' profile on the top flat pice of mdf. It routs easily, but in my house I used a wood rasp and a sander to round the edges. It looks handmade, like old New England style trim. I seldom miter corners anymore (around doors and windows). Who cares? It looks great.
A few more points about this -
mdf is inexpensive. Way.
A 4 x 8 sheet costs about the same as a 12 foot piece of 'colonial' wood trim (around here). With a table saw and a little care you can rip a sheet of mdf into at least a hundred feet of trim. No knots, no grain to split when it's nailed (except the ends can split if you're not careful). Paints beautifully... the only real trick is the cut edges are fuzzy, so if you take the time to sand and prime the cut edges, it is nearly perfect. Using a sharp blade helps, obviously.
The sawdust is very fine, and irritating. I always cut it outdoors, wearing a mask.
Not sure about this, but I think it is environmentally sound.
It looks really cool with tung oil rubbed on it, to me anyway.
Mdf is stronger than most woods used for trim. It withstands bashing from vacuum cleaners and whatever abuse trim is used for (chair rails, mop boards, etc.) as well or better than most woods.
To be accurate, I didn't do that particular room, but I've done lots of others just like it, and some a lot fancier. My little brother is an architect, but anybody who can rip straight lines with a table saw can do this, I promise... he's better at choosing trim profiles to make a built up trims than I am, but I can cut straighter than he can. haha.
I use an air compressor and a nailer to install this stuff, usually with a small amount of contruction adhesive, especially if the layout doesn't coincide with the wall studs.
A lot of old houses with panels like this have so much paint on them, you can't tell they're wood anyway, so the more paint you use, the better. If you paint your brushstrokes as if the mdf had wood grain, it isn't possible to tell if it's real wood or mdf.
The beams in the ceiling in the picture are real load-bearing 2 x 10's or whatever, nailed together, with mdf added after the fact.
Sorry I didn't quite get the picture frame idea, but hopefully this will give you some ideas too.
claypa, I just keep enlarging that pic of your room again...and drooling! I'm really not sure it would work in my space (keeping in mind this is an inbetween house and not the forever house for us wondering if I want to go to this depth but it IS gorgeous!).
My issues here are there are 3 walls, one side is completely open to another room. Not an "issue" but it leaves less space to have the panels actually be seen.
Another wall has 2 windows that almost go to the floor. There is probably only 4" between the sill and the baseboard on that wall under the windows so any panels there would look funny.
2nd wall has a doorway cut into it, 3 outlets and a large AC grill almost to the floor.
3rd wall has the china cabinet taking up most of it.
So the most eye popping thing for me would likely be the chair rail. Many of the area parts would be hard to cut anything around. Except the frames idea I saw at the box store.
There's a couple sites showing what I think you're talking about - the first link has a picture about halfway down, the second link the interior pictures start about the tenth picture down - they have different approaches to painting the walls and panels.
Try searching 'panel molding walls trim' etc.
Just a thought about not staying in your current house forever...if you're thoughtful about how you improve the one you're in now, you know, with an eye towards how it would appeal to potential buyers in the future, I don't think you'd regret spending the time and energy (and money!) doing stuff like this.
Another thing I thought when I saw the picture in the second link of the guy on his knees, mitering that picture frame molding... that's a lot more complicated than the picture I posted - all those little cuts, measuring everything, making sure they're all level, etc. But it's all certainly do-able.
And there's no reason you couldn't do whatever to just one featured wall.
Hi clay, thanks SO much for the links, you're a genius! I couldn't find anything on it!
Well as far as how much should one to if planning to resell---for sure things that are small like this add up to big bucks and there are other big projects that would add way more resale value. I am really picky and notice when paint is slopped on trim or when doors aren't paneled or when walks are crooked or broken. A lot of other people don't really give much though to this as you and I.
The panel frames I'd use are PRE-CUT and already in a rectangluar shape!
After seeing your links I'm still unsure which I'd prefer. Would of course love to have panels like yours but given my limits I think I'll go with the pre-done. But hmmm to paint or not to paint that is the question?! LOL!!!! I imagine any repainting of the bottom would be a terrible pain if one had to go around the trim and couldn't paint it all one color...
Hi Happy Holidays!
Did you install your picture molding yet?
Centex Homes (a major builder in the PUD world) uses a lot of this in their models and to order it with the house in just one room (they mostly use in those tall two story foyers) is a fortune! So, it will definitely add to your value. It is a fairly formal look. It is a lot less expensive if you do it yourself obviously but if you just buy the trim and cut it with a good miter box - it will even be more economical than the premade. Buying the premade or not you still have to level and line it up, and that is where the work and the possible mishaps happen. Premade doesn't save you that. Miter boxes work well. It is easy to measure a length of trim (you could get the Home Depot or big box home store to do it - just figure out how many you need and what size). You'll have to caulk the corners a little anyway. I think it always looks better to paint the wall in a matte and use the exact same color on the picture frame moldings - but in a satin. If you dilute your matte paint a little with water you could use that as the primer on the picture mouldings and use a lot less paint and probably get away with only one coat on the trim. Or you could spend a little extra and get preprimed moulding. My husband said the same as you --- to refresh the paint would be a real pain if the mouldings weren't the same color as the background...but really... same color or not, if you use matte as the background and something with a little shine on the mouldings, you still would have to tape off. My solution... one drill, very thin small head screws ...screw the things in... when you get ready to repaint some years down the road...unscrew ... paint... and screw them back in. Hope this post finds you and your family well.
missingrosie, oh thank you for the kind words and advice! we are well thank you. we've not done the moulding yet but did apply chair rails in 2 other rooms and real wood beadboard in another room. things are coming along nicely. always a new project.
next is painting ceiling in stairwell and upstairs hall, painting upstairs doorjams to match and the walls there.
then we have to paint empty kids room as a transition for my daughter who will be graduating from the crib when new baby arrives.
THEN after that rooms painted, then we can do the dining room with the moulding.
Then, if I'm still kicking :) we'll paint the nursery and do a mural as i did in the last house.
Geez, will there ever be time to get a garden going?
Daughter who will be graduating from the crib (I told you so!!)
It looks like you have other rows to hoe. Don't worry about the garden.
There will be plenty of time for that. And, if you didn't even touch it, nature will take its course and there will be things growing it it ----whether you like it or not!
I have a friend who has a very traditional Willimasburg Colonial. The molding you are talking about is common in Williamsburg style homes.
Above the chair rail, the wall is a creamy off white.
Below the chair rail, the wall is pale Williamsburg green. Any color will do, but it should not be dark or overstated. The best way to choose if to pull a color from the largest painting hung above the rail, and pull that color down to the bottom. Match your table cloth to it, and your room will pull itself together.
All of the woodwork is white. NOT off-white, but white.
Some Williamsbugs have a wide board between the molding frames. They add a lot to making the whole thing look very stable. You get a little of the panel feel that you see in Claypa's amazing room, but it remains a lot more airy.
