Since it's wainscoting, I think I'd paint it. You're right, it doesn't go with the floor at all, and even "weathered" (can wood weather inside? :-) ) I don't think I'd like it next to that gorgeous floor. Painted wood isn't always the enemy, and I'm wondering if the original intent of the builder wasn't to have this painted.

Thanks. I'm inclined to think it would have been painted originally, since cypress milling was the main industry in the town and it wouldn't have been anything special when the house was built.

Do you plan to use a large carpet in there? That could meld the floor and wall wood colors a bit...or you could just throw a grey cushion on the floor and that might help. Somehow, I'm thinking using lighting with a pinkish cast in there might also help to warm up the wall coloring a bit.

I would tend to think using an electric buffer on the walls to give them a softer, more polished look might help, but it will still be grey if it is cypress. The cypress is a valuable wood less and less available now...Hopefully someone will chime in that has actually worked with cypress; also, I found a link for you on refinishing cypress.

I noticed in another forum that people were painting a house grey and planning wood stained garage doors about the color of your floor, so color tastes today are changing, if that helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: eHow

Thanks, eibren. No, since it's the dining room, no carpet.

I'm afraid that putting a mahogany table in there is going to raise the clash to the screaming point. If the wood were actually gray, it would be okay with the right treatment above the wainscot, but it's kind of an orangey-pink, like raw new cypress.

Why no carpet in the dining room?

If this were my house, I'd paint the wainscotting without hesitation. I'd want the more formal look of the painted wood, rather than the casual, less formal "weathered" look. In addition to the clash of wood tones, I just don't like the look of the paneling as is, so I'd want to change it.

Thanks, camlan.

Partly for ease in cleanup and mostly because the room is so small. You'd have to go wall to wall to avoid that off-the-carpet bump when pulling back a chair. Also, although it's not clear in the photo, the floor in each room has a mitered border around the edges, which it seems a shame to cover up.

It looks more like "bad job woth the paint stripper" than "pickled".

I'd paint it in a flash.

Thanks, lazygardens. That's pretty much my impression, too.

It's nice to know that people don't think it would be an architectural crime to paint it.

writersblock:

Before I issue a painting pass, I'll insist on you having a professional finisher look at it. You would be amazed at what these guys can do with glazes. He may match the floor perfectly.

Pickled or pecky, a higher definition picture would be helpful.

If it's high quality I wouldn't necessarily cover it. Just as matchy-matchy wood is no longer the standard in furniture, the same applies to floors, walls, ceilings.

As mentioned by another poster, a carpet could tie it together. See pic below of a room juxtaposing original 1896 pickled cypress panelling and darker floors.

Yes, I wish I had a better photo. I wish I had more info about a lot of things pertaining to this house, but until we get some answers from the current owner (why did the fireplace recently get converted to gas as part of the restoration, for instance), we won't be back in there again till the inspection.

Yeah, what worthy said - cant see all that clearly but if it is in fact an unfinished stripping job perhaps you are much closer than you think to a really lovely refinished surface like worthy's pic - maybe just needs some sanding - attacking it with an orbital sander hooked up to a shop vac to suck up the dust. f not pickled white there are also silvery gray stains made to give a nice weathered wood effect (google weathered wood stains)

Aside from the esthetic considerations, I think refinished wood simply is easier to maintain over the long haul - paint chips off, get stained and funky and before you know it the profile of the wood is buried under globby layers of paint.