Craftsman Interior Painting with Stained Trim and a Restored 1909 Door in Ballard, Seattle

The easy path on a century-old interior is to paint over the original trim and call it done. On this 1909 Craftsman in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, WA, the plan was the opposite: keep the historic woodwork and let it show. The walls and ceilings were repainted in Sherwin-Williams Emerald Interior, while the trim was stained rather than covered.

This craftsman interior painting project was a partnership with Bluewater Design and Build on a full remodel of the home. Damaged trim and doors were replaced with era-appropriate pieces, and the new trim was stained to match woodwork more than 100 years old. One original door was stripped of its many layers of old paint and stained to bring back the bare wood.

The interior house painting and trim work took two and a half weeks across the whole home. Matching new stain to century-old wood is slow work, since each piece has to blend with trim that has darkened for decades. The result is an interior that reads as original, not repainted.

Background Story:

This 1909 Craftsman in Ballard came to us through a full remodel led by Bluewater Design and Build. Historic homes like this one carry details that are difficult to replace, so the plan protected the original character wherever possible.

The trim was the heart of the project. Instead of painting over the aged woodwork, the original trim was stained to brighten and highlight it, and any new pieces were matched to the 100-year-old originals.

One original door had been buried under many layers of old paint. Stripping it back and staining the bare wood returned a piece of the home’s history that had been hidden for decades.

Scope of Services:

• Wall and Ceiling Painting: All walls and ceilings were repainted for a clean, updated base throughout the home.
• Trim and Door Replacement: Damaged trim and doors were replaced with newer pieces or era-appropriate doors salvaged from the same period.
• Trim Staining and Matching: The original trim was stained to highlight its grain, and new trim was stained to match the 100-year-old woodwork.
• Original Door Restoration: One original door was stripped of its many layers of paint and stained to bring back the bare wood.
• Historic Detail Preservation: Original character was kept and highlighted wherever possible instead of being painted over.

Paint Products Used:

• Sherwin-Williams Emerald Interior

Results:

After the work, the home has a bright, refreshed interior that still feels true to its 1909 roots. The stained trim stands out against the freshly painted walls, and the restored door anchors the space with original wood grain.

Because the new trim was matched to the old, the woodwork reads as one continuous, century-old detail rather than a mix of new and salvaged pieces. For a historic Craftsman interior, this kind of care is what separates a repaint from a restoration.

If you own a historic or Craftsman home and want to protect its character while updating the space, staining and matching original woodwork is worth the extra care. It keeps the details that make the home worth preserving.

Call us at 425-671-2462 for a FREE estimate today.