I'm a little sad

Among today's moulding choices there are both paint grade and stain grade poplar, fir, etc. I'm not sure if that was the case when these elaborate mouldings were installed, but maybe they are stain grade. I've used poplar for staining and have been happy with the results.

Posted by: guest at October 26, 2007 3:55 PM

OP here -- thanks for your response. The moldings are original to the house which is over 100 years old. I don't know what the standard was back then.

Posted by: guest at October 26, 2007 3:57 PM

Don't be sad. Think of all the people you've asked and they didn't really know exactly which wood it was.
Choose a color and finish you like and go for it.

It will look beautiful, even if it's not clear what it is... don't worry about the name of the wood. Just look at it and note its beauty.

Posted by: guest at October 26, 2007 4:11 PM

In our last apt. we stripped the (poplar) woodwork and repainted in fresh linen white. Looked great and the stripping brought out all sorts of hidden details.

I actually prefer painted woodwork b/c it gives you more color options for the walls. We have oak trim now -- looks good -- but it looks really bad with a lot of paint colors.

Posted by: guest at October 26, 2007 5:03 PM

Very common. Paint again if you wish or any good finish person could make it look like just about any wood.

Posted by: guest at October 26, 2007 5:51 PM

OP again -- thanks everybody. All good responses and very positive. I just hadn't ever heard about such elaborate woodwork turning out to be poplar and was kind of disappointed.

Posted by: guest at October 26, 2007 6:31 PM

What floor are you stripping Poplar wood is common on the third floor with Mahogany on the parlor and Tiger oak on the ground floor. If your going to do a lot of stripping make sure you get your stripper by the 5 gallons you will save in the long run ,also on Jefferson between Howard and Broadway on the left hand side near Broadway there is a factory that sells everything you need for stripping staining ,graining bleaching etc. they have stuff there that will make your Poplar and make it look like Tiger oak . If you need advice on stripping I will gladly help you that's what were here for at Brownstoner. If you want I will send you some pictures of the wood I stripped , I also live in Bedstuy

Posted by: guest at October 26, 2007 6:58 PM

OP here -- I started stripping the wood on the garden level (actually, I'm not doing it, I hired someone, though I'm sure I'll do some before all is said and done). I wondered if the wood on subsequent floors might be different, except that the carving is identical throughout the house so I somehow doubt it. Perhaps a softer wood is better suited to such detailed carving. Anyway, it really does look nice, I just kind of wish it were something like mahogany. If I can figure out how to post a pic I will. I'll check that place out that you suggested for wood finishing supplies. I'm trying to locate a silent paint stripper to rent, too, since that method seems far less toxic.

Posted by: guest at October 26, 2007 9:55 PM

In the Edwardian era which many houses are actually from, like those built in the early 1900's, it was actually more popular to have painted wood trim and mouldings. Dark stained wood was out of fashion by that point. So it's not non-original to the house to paint the woodwork.

Posted by: guest at October 26, 2007 10:12 PM

Had an 1890's apartment - in main rooms, trim was oak. Same design trim in other rooms was paint grade wood. (All original.) The original finish on the paint-grade wood, however, was not paint, but a painted graining-type faux wood paint job.

So, if you like painted woodwork, paint it. But if you want it to look like wood, there are faux finishes you can do to look like wood - there are people who do them now (or you can DIY) - and this would also be an authentic, original-type finish, if that's what you prefer.

You can't go wrong, either way. And even if you paint it, stripping off the layers was worth it - it will look much better than if you hadn't.

Posted by: guest at October 27, 2007 1:25 AM

right, i never understand the widespread assumption on this site that painted mouldings are not original and are some sort of affront to good taste.

Posted by: guest at October 27, 2007 10:21 AM

OP -- perhaps I'll get lucky and have hardwood upstairs. I'll post again if I get that far. I love the look of the natural wood and since it's already a medium brown and in good shape considering its age, I think a simple tung oil finish is the way I'll go. If I can figure out how to post a pic I'll put 1 or 2 up. The woodwork really is pretty and I feel much better knowing the history/options. Thanks to everyone for their responses.

Posted by: guest at October 27, 2007 10:27 AM

If you cant post them here email me @ imcwil1065@aol.com and ill send you some of mine to , im the one who told you about the factory on Jefferson.

Posted by: guest at October 27, 2007 10:45 AM

frankly, i wouldn't worry so much about what kind of wood it is, but how does it look? how do you think it will look left natural, stained or painted? what is the desired effect you want? i stripped my wood left it unstained and tung oiled it. i don't know what kind of wood it is but i don't give a damn because it looks beautiful.

Posted by: guest at October 27, 2007 3:14 PM

run a little tung oil over it in a corner and see what it looks like. could be very pretty

Posted by: guest at October 28, 2007 1:28 PM

I agree with the tung oil test - good advice. The wood is beautiful and I would not consider this paint grade. So, it is not walnut, or oak, but you can stain it to look like the real thing. Best wishes. You should put before and after pics on the reno blog...

Posted by: guest at October 28, 2007 2:18 PM

OP again -- thanks to Mr. B for helping me belatedly post a pic of the room. It really is a pretty fantastic room (though I exchanged pics with another person on this thread and his place is a jaw dropper). So, I will go the tung oil route. I can't deal with stains and varnish/shellac. Once again, when all is said and done I'll try to post a pic of the finished result. Thanks for all the advice everybody.

Posted by: guest at October 28, 2007 6:14 PM

DO NOT PAINT THAT WOOOD...we had the same issue and were told the same things - that the wood was not stain grade. We went ahead anyway and had a pro come in to stain it, it is unreal. I will try to upload the pictures for you to see. It is so beautiful.
Don't be sad; you're already sitting with a room far more beautiful than most.

Posted by: guest at October 28, 2007 9:33 PM

Pardon? The paint is already stained...you can see clearly in the picture. How can anyone say this is "paint grade"

Posted by: guest at October 28, 2007 9:35 PM

OP -- I'd love to see any pics of other people's wood stripping/finishing project and what method they used. 9:33, please feel free to email me at herkimer.street@yahoo.com if you can't upload pics.

Posted by: guest at October 29, 2007 9:24 AM

looks like cherry to me. whatever it is, it sure is pretty. but it would not be a sin to paint either.

Posted by: guest at October 29, 2007 10:06 AM

I'm doing the stripping in my house and would like some advise about the "right" way to do it and the best product to use.

Belt sander? Chisel?

Posted by: guest at October 29, 2007 10:37 AM

Heat gun or liquid stripper!! Please. Or the Silent Paint Remover if you can aford it. I prefer a heat gun. It does not burn the wood if done right and it is much cleaner.

Posted by: guest at October 29, 2007 11:49 AM

if the belt sander or chisel don't work you could always try an ax.

Posted by: guest at October 29, 2007 2:15 PM

Love the Silent Paint Remover. Worked well for me. Spring for the tools. I didn't and regretted it; ended up spending more and none were quite right.

Posted by: guest at October 29, 2007 3:21 PM

Love the Silent Paint Remover. Worked well for me. Spring for the tools. I didn't and regretted it; ended up spending more and none were quite right.

Posted by: guest at October 29, 2007 3:22 PM

OP -- Did the silent paint remover work on intricate molding? I'm thinking about buying one. And when you say the "right tools", which ones exactly do you mean? I've looked at the choices and there are so many I wouldn't even know where to start. Which tools did you end up using the most? thanks

Posted by: guest at October 29, 2007 4:07 PM

I'd second the "looks like Cherry" - if you sand it down and get a greenish looking wood under the redder one - you are probably looking at cherry. Congrats looks great! Fellow bed stuyer who found oak and cherry in my non-x-rated stripping adventure -amy

Posted by: guest at October 29, 2007 9:32 PM

greenish wood underneath the redder surface would indicate poplar-not cherry!

Posted by: guest at October 30, 2007 9:10 AM

Looks great - cherry in color, if not cherry wood. Oil it if the color is smooth. If not, you might want to even it out with stain - or have a pro do it - but not a darker color - go with that pretty color you have.

Like many, I find dark wood too dark, especially in rooms without natural light from multiple sides, but I'd take light to medium colored wood over paint any day.

Posted by: guest at October 30, 2007 3:08 PM

OP -- I'll sand it this weekend and see what's underneath (red or green). I'm assuming it's actually that color throughout and not stained. The wood stripper said it was. That's one thing that didn't make sense to me - that (as far as I know) poplar is a light-colored wood, not medium dark and warm like that.

Posted by: guest at October 30, 2007 3:19 PM

We are in the process of renovating our Arts&Crafts condo and discovered poplar and yellow pine trim in around the window and door trim... all stained and it looks great! I wouldn't paint it at all. We tried different stain combos till we found something that matched the rest of the house trim. We are first putting a stain SEALER and then "Candlelight" stain on the poplar trim. Lots of sanding. It's a lot of work but in the end will last generations. Our previous apartment had painted elaborate (Victorian) trim and it looks bad after a while since paint chips and then reveals dark wood underneath. good luck.. When we are done with our project I'm happy to email you photos.

Posted by: guest at January 6, 2008 5:37 PM

Also agree.... it's NOT cherry if it's greenish underneath! We also had "pickled pine" in one room someone said was poplar. May be fir? Is there a "Rockler" shop near you? In Boston they helped us with stain options and the folks were very knowledgeable regard wood varieties in old houses.

Posted by: guest at January 6, 2008 5:41 PM

We are in the process of renovating our Arts&Crafts condo and discovered poplar and yellow pine trim in around the window and door trim... all stained and it looks great! I wouldn't paint it at all. We tried different stain combos till we found something that matched the rest of the house trim. We are first putting a stain SEALER and then "Candlelight" stain on the poplar trim. Lots of sanding. It's a lot of work but in the end will last generations. Our previous apartment had painted elaborate (Victorian) trim and it looks bad after a while since paint chips and then reveals dark wood underneath. good luck.. When we are done with our project I'm happy to email you photos.

Posted by: guest at January 6, 2008 5:44 PM