NWR: Opinions Wanted

iamjoesgurl

We are currently getting bids to do a built-in (cabinets and shelving) for or family room similar to this:

http://www.watkinscabinets.com/i/Desks/IM000831.JPG

The family room and kitchen are open.  The kitchen is painted cream with the exception of one wall that is sage green along with the whole family room.  Our kitchen has natural maple cabinets.  Our coffee table and end tables are also natural wood.

We are debating between painted vs. stained for the built-in.  If painted, it would be the same cream color that we have in the kitchen.  If stained, it would be natural maple like our kitchen cabinets.  Incidentally, we do not have wood flooring. 

For resale, I'm wondering if wood or painted would be preferable.  TIA!

waltzingmatilda13

When in doubt, I would always go for natural wood. I think it looks so much better and it would save me all the work of stripping the paint.

kcscejal

I don't think you could go wrong with natural wood.

iamjoesgurl

I definitely want natural wood, but I was watching HGTV last weekend and there was this gorgeous home with a bunch of natural wood features inside and the buyers were talking about how much they disliked it and they would paint over it.  So I wondered if I'm alone.  Unfortunately DH doesn't have an opinion on the matter so it's all up to me!  Thanks ladies!

georgia_bride09

I chose the stain option for resale, but I personally would prefer cream paint. I just think your stuff would look better against cream.

lauralaur

I've always preferred painted, but really mostly because I like bold colors on the walls, which doesn't always look nice next to natural wood.

However, I find natural wood to be easier to clean (smoother surface), and, you won't have to repaint it after a few years of use have gone by, so easier maintenance I think.

waltzingmatilda13

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_nwr-opinions-wanted?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:0ff3f274-d65c-4621-93e6-17662bf7489cPost:79b41ad1-a9af-4ad7-b3a6-5b7c96b30cb9">Re: NWR: Opinions Wanted</a>:
[QUOTE]<strong>I definitely want natural wood, but I was watching HGTV last weekend and there was this gorgeous home with a bunch of natural wood features inside and the buyers were talking about how much they disliked it and they would paint over it. </strong> So I wondered if I'm alone.  Unfortunately DH doesn't have an opinion on the matter so it's all up to me!  Thanks ladies!
Posted by iamjoesgurl[/QUOTE]

But if somebody wants painted wood they can easily do that themselves for not a lot of time or money. If somebody wants stained wood, that's a lot more work to strip the paint and re-stain it.

tpender13

I voted that I prefer painted wood, for the same reason that laura said - wood doesn't look great with bold colors. But if you're thinking strictly resale value, stained probably makes more sense.

iamjoesgurl

Noodle - the painted is cheaper.  I guess it really depends on how much real wood they use (vs. plywood veneer).  The low estimate we got was about $4,000.  The high estimate was $15,000.  Ours is for a wall that is 12 ft wide and 8 ft tall.  A smaller area would be cheaper.

Thank you all for the great feedback.  I think we will probably be here for another 5-10 years at least and I agree that it would be easier for someone to paint the wood than to strip the paint.