i think i would definitely paint the doors and door trim the white color. i would probably try to darken the stain color on the banisters and newel posts... possibly paint the spindles white, tho i am kindof tired of the white spindle look myself....

Technicolor - After reading your original post again, I never thought about porch and floor paint but that would make sense. What brand (Ace?) were you talking about? Oh, and wouldn't you still need to sand - at least scuff sand and use a (bonding) primer like Zinsser first? *NOTE - Just a general heads up, I don't recommend anyone using SW Porch and Floor paint. Total crap. I supposedly got a 'bad batch' (it never got past tacky and I went above and beyond to do that job right.) and had to redo my stair project which was MISERABLE. They gave me a new gallon of paint and threw in some tape and sandpaper but that still didn't fix my stairs. I was told they were discontinuing the product but I believe it's still available. Your kitchen sounds really pretty. And I like red - have a bathroom painted BM Moroccan Red. You think bb around my DR side too? "My senses tell me it is the dining room that is making this so difficult for you. I know you don't want to change it, but the styles are clashing regardless of color." I almost hate to ask, but can you be more specific? I look at it everyday and I'm sure can't 'see' it like someone else. I'm assuming it's too formal/stuffy for the kitchen side? I've been trying to get away from that a bit, tho the rug didn't bother me enough to make it a replacing priority right now. I figured I'd have a better chance of stumbling across art I liked first. Even if I had more money, I don't know what I'd pick or replace first. Ha, it's a little tough to change anything if you don't have a clear game plan. It's interesting, in the past when I had a project, I'd throw ideas out and go back and forth, back and forth with what I wanted to do and I always have to WAIT, sometimes months, until I figure out what's going to work for me. I wish I knew how to speed the process up. I'll post a photo with the new hardware on when it comes.

My experience is “DON’T USE MINWAX FOR ANYTHING, ESPECIALLY THEIR POLYSTAIN”!!!!! I sat around for 2 weeks trying to stain everything and having issues with stain dripping or being uneven and stripping it back off to do it again. I knew it must be the stain because I was doing everything according to what I’ve seen on YouTube by Bruce for the Minwax products. The only problem was that that was the only color in the stores that I liked (Bombay Mahogany) When I started reading reviews I saw that everyone was having same issues. I finally got in touch w/ painter friend who said that’s why he didn’t use Minwax products anymore. He hooked my up with Old Master Gel Stain in Rich Mahogany and wow what a difference. Bad news is I had to strip all the old stuff off so it’s like I did my cabinets 2x. Still not quite done but I’ll post pics off my progress and the Minwax nightmare vs what Old General looks like. My cabinets are pine and with gel stain you don’t have to condition wood but with regular stain always use wood conditioner first or it will be a blotchy job. Also you need to make sure any scratches or flaws in wood are sanded out or stain will highlight them big time. The last piece of advice is that when you’re sanding to get scratches out, you must sand through the grits. For example: if you’re using 80 grit to get out a deeper scratch, you’ll want to follow up with a 150 grit then a 180 grit or 240 grit. You can’t just jump from 80 grit to 180 or 240, trust me I tried. 240 can remove scratches 80 grit leaves, by sanding through the grits you’re leaving smaller scratches until with the last grit the eye can’t see any scratch. To check if scratches are gone hold wood horizontal while shine light from the bottom of wood piece, with eyes just above eye level peer down wood toward light and any flaws should be visible. Also when using oil based stains if you wipe wood down with mineral spirits first any scratches will show up right away. Let the mineral spirits dry and then sand out.

After quite a bit of experimentation (luckily I had lots of room in to-be-covered areas), Minwax gel stain proved to be the best option. Varathane brand gel stain didn't seem to adhere as well, and Polyshades couldn't achieve a dark enough colour even in several coats. The key was to apply a reasonably healthy coat (or several) ONLY to the peeled areas, carefully wiping any excess off the surrounding areas to avoid darkening the existing stain and leaving a ring. The end result is far from pristine but it does a satisfactory job of camouflaging small imperfections until a full refinish can be done some years down the road.