What can I do about this wood "trim" in my home?


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Old 12-30-08, 10:42 AM
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What can I do about this wood "trim" in my home?

I don't know if I'm asking this in the right forum.

I have NO idea what these pillar-type things are called on these "divider" walls in my house are called, LOL. We have 2 of them... one separates the living room from the dining room, and the other separates the entryway from the formal den. One is 4' long and the other is 6' long.

We just bought this house (built in 1964) and we don't like the paneling. We plan on tearing out the moulding and putting drywall up over the paneling (we've done this in all the bedrooms, it looks great and has helped with insulation quality!)

I don't like how dark these things are. Is there a way I can paint them in a lighter color and make them look nice (smooth finish, etc)? Or, am I stuck with them? We plan on doing brighter colors on the walls to brighten up the room, I think this dark wood finish might clash.




The drywalling/wallpapering is going really well as my DH has done that several times, but we don't have much experience with refinishing or painting wood...
 
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Old 12-30-08, 11:00 AM
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You might be able to remove them completely if you wanted to. I highly doubt they have any structural usage. At the time your house was built, they probably wanted a more open feel, but still wanted a visual division between the 2 rooms. You may want to leave the bottom section, unless the flooring runs all the way under it.

You could probably pull the paneling, just like you are on the walls and drywall and paint everything to match. That would avoid any mismatching on the ceiling or floor.
 
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Old 12-30-08, 01:11 PM
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If you decide to paint them, you need to use a solvent based primer. That will insure a good bond to the varnish/poly. A solvent based primer can be top coated with latex, oil base or waterborne paint.

I agree that it is likely the wood flooring doesn't run under the half wall so it may be best to leave it.

btw - welcome to the forums!
 
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Old 12-31-08, 06:35 AM
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This is laminate flooring that was installed by the previous owner, so it definitely doesn't run under the divider walls. There was carpet in here prior to that... along the base of the walls you can see where the carpet was cut out along the edge of the baseboards (WHY they didn't just remove the baseboards and put them back later, I have NO idea!)

Will it look funny to leave the bottom half of the wall and remove the upper portion? Or I could do something like this (this is a pic of the home we're moving out of):



I'm trying to figure out how to remove those pillar-things. (Can someone give me the proper name, please? LOL!)

We're going to put up some Armstrong ceiling tiles on furring strips, so I don't have to worry about "bare" spots on the ceiling after removing any parts of this wall.
 
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Old 12-31-08, 07:04 AM
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They may be cut down Newell posts (like for stairs), but I can't tell from the pic.

I don't think just leaving the bottom would look odd. Just removing the posts and the top framing will really visually open up the space. You could put a nice piece of granite or similar on it, or just drywall the whole thing.

Just make sure its solid after taking off the upper portions.
 
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Old 01-02-09, 05:49 AM
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Amy,

They're called spindles, or simply posts. Nomenclature for them tends to be regional and will vary based on where you live.

You can remove them most easily by cutting them in the middle and prying off each half, then removing the nails and patching up where they met with the walls.

To paint them, use a shellac-based primer like Killz (check the label to be sure). Shellac adheres well to just about anything except wax, and provides a good surface for paint to stick to.

To get a good finish, preparation is, as always, the key. The surface needs to be smooth and any defects patched before you start painting since a solid color will show them off clearly. Use a good quality spray enamel and put on several coats, with some light sanding (with 240 - 320 grit sandpaper) between coats.

Good luck!
Jeff Wilson
 
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Old 01-02-09, 08:14 AM
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Jeff, do I need to lightly sand them first before priming?
 
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Old 01-02-09, 02:35 PM
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Kilz doesn't make shellac based primer but their original oil base primer will do fine. The most commonly found pigmented shellac primer is zinnser's BIN. Shellac primer wil adhere the best but it also has the strongest odor

It's always a good idea to scuff sand before priming/painting.

Pesonally I wouldn't use a spray can. Besides having to worry about overspray, there is very little paint in a spray can and what's there has been reduced. Use of quality rollers and/or the proper brush will keep brush marks down to a minimum. 220 grit sandpaper is generally fine enough for any painting around the house.
 
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Old 01-03-09, 07:51 AM
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Amy - You'll need to clean off any wax and grime, then lightly sand before priming.

Mark - You're absolutely correct - I was talking from memory, but just now went out to the shop and checked the can. It's Zinnser's Bullseye shellac, not Kilz. As to the odor - I actually think it smells kinda nice, and since the solvent is alcohol it seems less toxic than petroleum-based products.

You're also correct that controlling overspray is an issue when using spray enamel. Brushing it on, especially on turned spindles, can be challenging as well.
 
 

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