We have moved into a wing of a late Victorian mill owners house, the lounge which was the original dining room is panneled to above waist height in dark oak. There is an oak fireplace and it is also panneled above the fireplace. The room is v v dark. I am very tempted to paint it- is this a real no no for a period house ? lots of people are saying go for it, others think it is totally wrong, I just want a house that I enjoy living in.
- Thread starter Ratkinson
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JoceAndChris
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It sounds gorgeous, please don't paint it. Georgian panelling is painted, Victorian ( which harks back to an earlier time, when oak wasn't painted either), isn't. Once painted, it's rather irreversible, to get the paint off you lose the patina too.
How long have you lived there? You may find you just stop being bothered by it in a year or so. Try lightening the room with vases of light flowers, pale furniture and gold curtains. The Victorians loved ferns and that would freshen it too.
And if you really must paint it ( and get permission if it's listed) please use soft distemper which can be washed off in future.
How long have you lived there? You may find you just stop being bothered by it in a year or so. Try lightening the room with vases of light flowers, pale furniture and gold curtains. The Victorians loved ferns and that would freshen it too.
And if you really must paint it ( and get permission if it's listed) please use soft distemper which can be washed off in future.
Toby Newell
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Please see the main thread. I agree with JoceAndChris, except that oak panelling was rarely painted, even in Georgian times, more often pine panelling was almost always painted (apart from pitch pine for e.g. in The President of the Law Society's house in Carey St, which we cleaned and waxed which had pitch pine panelling and the same at Pilkington's London offices next to St James Palace, which was waxed until the designer somehow was allowed to paint it) oak panelling was almost always clear finished, either with or without a stain.