I have bead board in the back of my glass front cabinets. It is tongue 'n groove & stained to match my island -- kind of a chestnut brown. The cabinet is above a lower cabinet & a subway tile backsplash with a taupe-ish brown color that is similar to the wall paint color. The tile & paint color pick up the quartz color in the granite countertops. The cabinets are beige with a dry brush Van Dyke glaze. I always wanted to set the backs of my cabinets apart with paint or stain to show off the ceramics I'm displaying in the cabinets. It seems you can find a color that coordinates with something in your kitchen, such as the island, that will be a nice compliment. Good luck!

Pcweary, how is the cabinet stripping on "our" cabinets going? Ive done minimal stripping in my day. Any advice based on what products/methods worked and didnt work for you? Im leaning against the trim and the beadboard veneer afterall. I read the article volleyhead posted, and I think Ill just keep it simple. Im leaning against painting due to the lack of details in the cabinets. I definitely decided against painting them white, as I dont like to clean cabinets. I dont like to clean anything, actually. Having decided against white is another knock against the beadboard and trim idea, because I think that would have looked so nice in white but not many other colors. I read a post by rhome410 on Satin Waterlox on wood, and rhome410 was kind enough to send me pictures of wood that she has done with this product, and it looked good enough to eat! Im very excited, I think I will give that a try on a door and see how it goes. I dont, however, want to strip the face and sides of the cabinets, wonder if I could paint those? Or maybe leave the faces as is and strip the sides. Ill have to experiment and see what color I come up with on the doors first I guess. So, for the moment, that is the current plan. Knowing me Ill be on an entirely different track tomorrow. Amy

We are acquiring a Victorian cottage to reno for a guest house and will be removing paneling back to Bead Board on the ceiling and walls - in all most all rooms! I think we will loose the bright large feel of the rooms with all the darker wood tones. I want to stain or paint and have read about nightmare knots and dealings with rough spots, uneven boards and such. I want to at least have the kitchen walls lighter. Any input or experience with changes to these walls? As is pictured here. Middle pic is of ceiling boards under tiles.

My first inclination is to say new wood flooring with the existing beadboard would be overkill but if you are going for a truly vintage look then maybe not. I've seen photos of homes from the late 1800' that feature pretty much all wood floors, walls and ceilings. I don't think all wood rooms are conducive to modern living but, one again, if you are going for a vintage look it might work. If you are going truly vintage I wouldn't paint the beadboard. Also, if you ever want to strip the paint and return back to stained wood finished it will be quite a job. Good luck with your decision!