Oak baseboard, window and door trim - paint or ?

[HappyOne]

I have a house full of oak trim - great shape but soooo dated. Similar to a golden oak look. Needs to be changed out before we sell this place and start a build.
The home is 4500 sf so tons of trim and 13 doors. I'm doing a material takeoff and toying with just replacing it with new trim but mighty $$$ ----- and if this could be refinished right maybe that's an option too.

It seems to have a poly or maybe a varnish finish coat on it. Is there a way this can be painted - properly that is as home is in area with obscene price tags all around me so needs to look nice - as oak has that grain and not sure manner to do it right.

Would it need to be taken off and stripped, then primed, then 2 coats of acrylic type paint or easier way to do? Make us happy if we could do it while it's attached somehow .... but if it requires oil based paint it might be a bit much. The other manner means I could do it in garage. But then getting it all back on ---- ugh. Seems like major job.
Thoughts anyone?   

[DaveOrr]

Sand to remove the gloss of the finish, prime, paint, done!!!
You can probably get away with rubbing it down with scotchbrite pads.

[HappyOne]

Sounds to easy ! 
Would we use oil based paint then?
I've read - FWIW I guess - that latex paint doesn't like to bond to a oil based stain. 

The doors have the oak grain that I imagine I'll need to prime and 2 coat with paint - imagine it'd be easier if I pulled it all off which will be a royal PITA to do with a million nails into the plaster that's I'll need to pull out and then re-nail. If I can do it right it will be worth the effort.

[ChugiakTinkerer]

If you have a local paint shop, you might consider pulling a piece of trim and taking it in for their consideration and advice.  Testing out the latex paint using a small sample could help determine if it will work on the whole house.

[MushCreek]

A good primer should stick to it just fine. For trim, I like Benjamin Moore Advance, a water based paint that 'acts' like an oil base.

[Don_P]

This seems like an awful lot of work and some expense to ruin fine oak.. I'd double check the premise with a trusted realtor. If you remove and replace you'll do more damage than you think and it'll take a couple more passes to fill and touch up. In other words I don't think you'll recoup the time and effort. The truth probably rests somewhere in between those viewpoints which is why I'm saying to get the marketing pro involved in that decision.

[HappyOne]

Don - only reason I'm even considering this big project is 3 realtors have all said to replace it - paint it - "lose it" . lol

I never realized that old oak trim had so many detractors. Yeah - it looks dated but it's an older home. But that's comments everyone makes - update it. I'm talking friends too.

We've redone kitchen, bathrooms, landscaping, roof, siding /// Now it's down to this project and re-finishing the floors. I'm calling it a day at that point.

[Don_P]

Wow, bummer. I've been scraping paint at work to get back to beautiful old heart pine for weeks.
Our house is mostly oak inside, I felled and milled the trees. Somebody else will have to paint it.

[HappyOne]

I hear you....funny how markets and people swing in their "wants".

In the mid 80's my FIL built us a place in the country. The wood was mostly milled from the woods on premise - black walnut and red and white oak. Just a labor of love and drop dead beautiful. Jobs changed and we relocated. Was back in that area last year - house gone and a real contemporary box now there that's just massive. Looks like an office building almost. They even cleared maybe 28-30 acres of the 35 that were old growth trees. It made me totally sick.

It's time again for final chapter in our life and smaller home in woods again beckons so we'll do what it takes to sell this place.
I have to say I am mighty tempted to pull it all out and donate to Renew place and start fresh. Costs will be more but maybe the better way... ?
I need to sleep on it another night I guess. If I do go and pull it all I'm just going with a paint grade pine that primed. So hate the thought of all that miter work ahead if I do..... just dread it

[DaveOrr]

Sounds to easy ! 
Would we use oil based paint then?
I've read - FWIW I guess - that latex paint doesn't like to bond to a oil based stain. 

The doors have the oak grain that I imagine I'll need to prime and 2 coat with paint - imagine it'd be easier if I pulled it all off which will be a royal PITA to do with a million nails into the plaster that's I'll need to pull out and then re-nail. If I can do it right it will be worth the effort.

Latex will work fine.

If it were me and I had that much to do, I would be taping off, sanding and spraying in place.
Just need lots of plastic and tape.

[HappyOne]

Still undecided

If I was to leave in place and spray I am lacking a interior type sprayer - have a big ol' Graco Mag for exterior but that's out - what is a decent interior sprayer??

Other than all those miles of tape ..lol... and plastic it might make sense as can use a sprayer for the next place

[DaveOrr]

You will want HVLP gun.
High volume low pressure.
Really cuts down on over-spray.

There are guns you can get or complete HVLP systems.

[NathanS]

How much more is painting the trim really supposed to make the house worth? If it's 5 grand, pay a painter a few hundred to paint it all. Otherwise if you are somewhere near me can I have it? 

[HappyOne]

In TC's - otherwise I'd have you over here asap!

My neighbor had their trim and doors done last fall before they sold. I know the cost they incurred - $6800.00
We both almost choked at it. lol

That said,  their house had been on market in spring and no offers. They took it off in June and painted it all. Not a thing more. Multiple offers above asking price and they made out incredibly well.

Our place looks similar on interior to theirs - we have huge positive with 3 acre lot in metro and slightly more SF. People stop and admire the landscaping and gardens in summer every day so it has that curb appeal outside.

If bright and white is the trigger to faster sale I'll provide the black powder.

[Don_P]

There ya go.
Early on my Dad told me to keep an eye on floor species, they swing from heavily grained woods like oak back and forth with smooth uniform woods like maple and cherry. Just like hemlines we go through cycles. No matter how I personally feel, the harvest gold bell bottom suit and long lapels probably isn't coming out of the closet anytime soon  . It sounds like the buyers are happy to pay for the paint job.

[NathanS]

Geez. Better start taping! Cost of labor certainly justifies any tools that would make the job go easier for you.

[HappyOne]

What we really desire is a fairly fast, smooth and easy sale when the gardens are up and prime in spring/summer so we can begin the next stage of our lives in a much smaller new home in the country

We truly like the simple clean 20 x 30 (stretched to 36-38' I guess) so many here have built. We still debating a modification maybe to 24' wide for stair purposes to loft as my knees getting cranky on me. So looking ahead to that journey!

Thanks y'all for the feedback and help on this. I'll be reaching out more as the next stage starts so keep the 'fusers on!   

[DaveOrr]

In case you decide on the HVLP route.
These guys are Canadian so you save 30%-35% on the price of the equipment the way the dollar is right now.
No need to go high end either for your use.

http://www.busybeetools.com/categories/Air-Tools/HVLP-Systems/?sort=pricedesc

This model would work perfect for your job.

http://www.busybeetools.com/products/semi-pro-2-stage-system-fuji.html