scrapnnana
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,193 
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Post by scrapnnana on Apr 27, 2015 11:51:01 GMT
UPDATE: I am taking everyone's advice and painting over it! Thanks for your input!
Original post:
I need to get my house ready for sale, and I am going to be painting in preparation for that.
My living room and dining room both have a stenciled rose border around the top of the walls. It's pretty, but I am wondering if I should keep the stenciling or just paint over it?
The model homes I looked at recently have some fancy paint jobs, and I am thinking I could put molding above and below the stenciling, to set it off, but paint the walls below. However, I am also wondering if stenciling is so old fashioned that I need to just paint over it instead. I am trying to figure out if stenciling would be considered weird, retro, or if it would be refreshing and appealing to a prospective home buyer. I have not seen stenciling in homes for years, so it might just make it seem dated, but some retro decor can be popular. I really don't know where stenciling falls in these days. I think it's pretty, and would be even prettier set off with molding, but I would be willing to just paint over it if it would make the difference in whether or not my house sells.
Opinions?
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MerryMom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,539
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Post by MerryMom on Apr 27, 2015 11:54:52 GMT
In my opinion (and I am 52 years old), stencils and especially rose stencils may be pretty, but they read as outdated. It is not outdated enough to be "retro" and reads as "grandma-ish". I would paint over it.
Although a stencil wouldn't deter me from a house, it is something that registers as outdated.
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Gravity
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,231
Jun 27, 2014 0:29:55 GMT
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Post by Gravity on Apr 27, 2015 11:59:17 GMT
I would paint over it. Otherwise buyers may ask for you to paint before closing or provide a paint allowance. Either way, you would then be out the money for paint twice.
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blue tulip
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,991
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Post by blue tulip on Apr 27, 2015 12:05:42 GMT
paint over it. and give it a light sanding before, because often when you paint over things like that the tiny differences in paint thicknesses come out, and you can still see the outline of the stencil. found that out the hard way when I thought I would be funny and paint a "twig and berries" on my friend's bedroom wall when I was helping her repaint. unfortunately it dried before we painted over it, and you could still see the outline, 2 coats later. :/ we had to sand it out.
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Post by peasapie on Apr 27, 2015 12:08:26 GMT
I had some stencils and some decal words and I did away with all of it when I sold my house. The more personalized it is, the longer you have to wait for someone who likes your personalized style. I painted everything a light gray and it sold quickly.
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Post by scrapsuzy on Apr 27, 2015 12:11:04 GMT
We just sold our house last year, and took down a wallpaper border that I loved in prep for putting it on the market. I would most definitely paint over any kind of stenciled border.
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Post by mom on Apr 27, 2015 12:12:43 GMT
definitely paint!
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akathy
What's For Dinner?
Still peaing from Podunk!
Posts: 4,546
Location: North Dakota
Jun 25, 2014 22:56:55 GMT
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Post by akathy on Apr 27, 2015 12:13:20 GMT
To me they look very dated and if I saw them in a prospective house, I'd immediately think of the work I'd have to do to get rid of them. If they were mine I'd paint over them.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Jun 17, 2024 1:27:44 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2015 12:18:01 GMT
Repaint the room. It is a personalization that is going to need a unique buyer to wants to keep it, thus cutting down on your potential buyers. Majority of people are looking for a house that is clean and "move in ready" without left over personality from the previous owner.
eta: not to mention I see paint stenciling on a wall and I think 1980s... those walls haven't been painted (and likely not cleaned well) in 30 years even though that may not be true.
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Post by leftturnonly on Apr 27, 2015 12:18:11 GMT
Sand it and paint over it.
It'll be a good step for you on the path to moving on.
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YooHoot
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,418
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Post by YooHoot on Apr 27, 2015 12:18:45 GMT
Paint over it. There was a house I was in love with. Everything about it was fantastic...except the paint. Every room had crazy paint jobs. I couldn't see past it as much as I tried because there would be so much work.
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Kerri W
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Location: Kentucky
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Post by Kerri W on Apr 27, 2015 12:21:45 GMT
Paint over it
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sweetpeasmom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,604
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Post by sweetpeasmom on Apr 27, 2015 12:32:20 GMT
We are in the process of looking to buy a house. We are open to there needing to be some work done but the price needs to be right as well. We have seen several houses that were priced rather high for the work and updates that needed to be done.
That being said, if it were just a boarder that needed to be painted over, I'm not sure that would deter me from making an offer if I liked the rest of the house.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Jun 17, 2024 1:27:44 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2015 12:36:09 GMT
It's been said, the more neutral, the better. Our house was pretty neutral but it had several wallpaper borders throughout the house. I spent several hours removing them before painting. Odds are, the buyer is going to repaint anyways but would rather have blank canvases than to wonder if the stencil can be covered.
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Post by gonewalkabout on Apr 27, 2015 12:38:53 GMT
Paint over it
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Post by mikklynn on Apr 27, 2015 12:39:39 GMT
I love them, but I agree with the others, paint over them.
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Post by Patter on Apr 27, 2015 12:42:50 GMT
When we sold our house, we had a really nice flower border at the top of our walls in the kitchen and dining room. Even though they were pretty, our realtor told us it need to be removed as it was dated. I was sad because it was pretty; however, she knew what she was doing and our house was only on the market for a couple of days.
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pinkhelen
Shy Member
Posts: 24
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Post by pinkhelen on Apr 27, 2015 13:07:47 GMT
As someone who is getting ready to put their house on the market within the next 2 weeks, I say paint.
I am waiting for my painters to come as I write this. Luckily, my paint is neutral, so I am just getting touch ups and a few rooms repainted with the same colors.
It seems as though, I guess due to HGTV, you need to make your house to look as unlived in as possible and as much like a new house as possible.
Much different from when I sold my last house ten years ago. I'm just thankful that my house is only 10 years old and in good shape. My realtor thinks it may sell quickly in the current market.
Needless to say, I've been running around like a maniac over the last week organizing and boxing up unneeded items. It's tough with a sloppy husband and two teenage boys. They say "We aren't moving until August". I say "but the photos are being taken Friday!
I have to hit my scrap room next!
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Post by alittleintrepid on Apr 27, 2015 13:26:55 GMT
It's not a question of whether or not it is pretty..... If it looks dated, potential buyers will wonder what else needs updating and see it as work that needs to be done.
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Post by epeanymous on Apr 27, 2015 13:28:18 GMT
I just went through the home-buying process this spring. A border wouldn't bother me -- I assume I will have to make some minor changes, and a border is minor. However, it would contribute to an overall sense that a house hasn't been updated/will need more extensive updating, which would be a turnoff.
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Post by workingclassdog on Apr 27, 2015 13:40:14 GMT
If the border was the only thing of me buying a house or not, that would not stop me at all. That would be an easy fix if I didn't like it. That being said, I understand why realtors want a blank canvas.....
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Post by eebud on Apr 27, 2015 14:04:43 GMT
I agree with those saying to paint over it. It is definitely something that is taste specific.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Apr 27, 2015 14:14:39 GMT
Put me down in the "paint it" camp. The less personal your home is, the easier it is for other people to imagine their own stuff in it.
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MaryMary
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Lazy
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Post by MaryMary on Apr 27, 2015 14:14:41 GMT
Paint it.
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Post by dazeepetals on Apr 27, 2015 14:26:59 GMT
Paint it!
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Post by myshelly on Apr 27, 2015 14:30:22 GMT
Definitely don't ADD to it!
I assume I'm going to have to paint everything when I move in, so the stencil alone wouldn't bother me. But having a frame around it would make me feel like there is something structural I need to change, which would be a strike against your house.
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grammanisi
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Post by grammanisi on Apr 27, 2015 15:03:35 GMT
I guess I am really old school when it comes to stuff like this. When we have bought houses we have always painted the rooms to our liking, I don't understand why a stencil border would keep someone from buying a house. Maybe that's just me!!
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Post by ~summer~ on Apr 27, 2015 15:08:56 GMT
Paint over it
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amom23
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,342
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Post by amom23 on Apr 27, 2015 15:09:59 GMT
Keep in mind that as you try to sell your older home you will be in competition with all of the newer construction. It'll be important to present your house as modern and updated as you possibly can.
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scrapngranny
Pearl Clutcher
Only slightly senile
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Post by scrapngranny on Apr 27, 2015 15:10:28 GMT
Paint it. Outdated
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