From what you've said, I'm guessing the best solution for you is to figure out what is really bugging you, and address that with the least possible work for the short term. Either match the grubby patches with the creamy colour, or paint it all so it matches the addition. You are in the busiest years of your life! You'll have more time later. Later, figure out what you want to do in the long term. Do it later. The only thing you want to avoid now is doing anything irreversible - like removing and discarding all the old moulding. Remove by all means, if that's what it takes to keep you sane, but don't discard! If your moulding has a nice profile, it is worth stripping even if you are going to repaint. Even if it is flat board, it's probably lovely old-growth wood, so give a future owner a chance even if you don't want to see it. You cannot strip "some" of the paint - it's pretty much all or nothing. But there is nothing forcing you to accept wood frames if you strip. Just clear-coat or shellac before you put more paint on, so a future owner can go that direction if desired. I have been living for 20 years with just the kind of paint you describe. Globby, put over unsanded filler, and drippy. Unbelievable that anyone could paint like this! It's on doors, moulding, and wainscoting. Actually we removed a lot of the moulding, but not all, and have done a lot of stripping. So I had some un-framed doors and windows for a long time, but they are almost all done. We will eventually strip more (kids are now grown), and probably repaint some of it. There is so much to do if you have an old house while the kids are small, we have always done whatever bugs us the most, and the rest, you just promise yourself you'll do it someday. What I have found the worst is living with half finished jobs - finished or unfinished is almost easier, though of course you have to get through the transition. And you know, someday comes before you know it. Enjoy the kids, put the time into them! One thing I have discovered is that painting over the drips and globs and ridges softens the old paint, so for about a day or two after your paint dries, you can relatively easily cut, with a utility knife, the worst offenders. That's been a lifesaver upstairs, where the attic is all beadboard that I am NEVER going to strip. I'm assuming I'm dealing with both latex and oil layers when this happens, so I hope it works for you. Karin L

Well, it's too bad she's not ready to move on things yet. Even without fori's amazing range. BTW, did you know those sell for 6 to 8K at the specialty shops on this coast, fori? You could have a second career. In just one day I was able to dig up these--wouldn't they make a darling kitchen? You'd have to have a larger companion or two made to the side piece, but how Florida these colors are. Range (considering electric as well as gas, since gas availability varies in those neighborhoods--not worth it if she has to foot the bill to run service, and unfortunately a lot of the area is the kind of neighborhood where people would steal propane). I just lost my heart to the color scheme here, although we could have something else redone in the same buttercream+sea green, I suppose: Hoosier with side (original paint). Small, but with a repro side or two, could work: Reproduction cast iron sink. There are lots of old ones, but there was a problem with getting iron reporcelained recently, so this would be the fallback if we can't find a real one in good condition or a steel one that can be redone. Would love an old one in buttercream yellow, though. Not bad for less than a day's worth of looking around, and the total cost of everything including modern fridge and re-enameling a vintage table to match would be under 5K, even with repairs and shipping.

Hi Lady_West, I frequent other forums normally, but I noticed your post when signing onto gardenweb today. I wanted to tell you that I love your bungalow and, fwiw, add some suggestions/thoughts on choosing dining tables and chairs :-) Of the choices, I like the table in #4 best. It looks like Tell City furniture to me. My Mom has Tell City in a little different style and she always says the wood is called "hard rock" maple. It has mellowed to rich brown tones and I guess it just looks like home to me :-) Also, about the table in choice #4, the long sides look like they are drop leaf. The bench could go along the side with 2 chairs on the other side and one at each end. That is probably the length it will be, I doubt it has leafs. You will want to measure your dining space to be confident of the max size of extended table that will fit in your dining room. Consider getting around with the chairs in place as well as if there is room for a hutch buffet, if that is included. With a "real" wood dining table, the top is not Formica and will stain and ring (over time) from drink glasses and spills that are not immediately wiped up. Heated dishes can mar the finish as well. That is why most ladies of the "dining room" era would have used table pads under the table cloth, to protect the table surface. For daily use, a Formica top table, while not as pretty, is more scratch resistant, durable and practical for young active families. When viewing the chairs in person, test them for joint strength. Put one hand on the back and the other on the seat, using downward pressure wiggle the chair. You can tell very quickly if they are sturdy or worn out. Also, sit in them and if the back "gives" or makes a pop or crack noise, beware. Long tables, like the one in choice #5, tend to sag in the middle without support. Vintage 5 leg kitchen tables had the support for extra length. A 5 leg kitchen table is another style you might consider in your new home. Also, if the leaves of the table are stored in a closet or under a bed, they can become a different color hue from the unprotected everyday used table. Be sure to examine it all together in daylight, so you can see more clearly what you are getting. You might consider waiting to buy wood dining furniture set until you uncover and refinish your wood floors. If the wood furniture matches the floor too closely, they blend in and their beauty is lost. Congrats on beginning a new chapter in your life. Take your time, purchase what you love and it will feel comfortable and look like your home. Have fun, Deb

Hickory's pretty to me, too (though I can totally see some people thinking it's too busy). Matching--I'd've said there's so much variation in that wood to begin with that you wouldn't need to worry THAT much about matching issues. Try to get the sheen the same, I suppose? Not sure that something where you just have a new extension of the base cabs painted would look that good, though mixed cabinetry works in many circumstances--I just can't picture what your details are! And ditto the others on knowing what you are getting into--I've stripped things other than cabinets, it's way more time consuming than TV makes it look, that's for sure!