FD,
- Don't give up on your old moldings. Take a look at the price of new moldings and the quality of the stuff on the shelves. Then, imagine cutting all the required pieces to the exact right length and getting the corners right. You'll probably decide to stay with the wood you've got if at all possible, even if it means removing it all, stripping it, and refinishing it..
- Do you know what type of finish is on the wood now?
- One product I would NOT recomend is the Minwax Polyshades line. Minwax makes many good products, but this line is a stinker. They have the stain mixed in with the protective polyurethane coating, so you can refinish in one step. It doesn't work: The places where the coating varies in thickness (e.g. brushstroke overlap areas, minor dabs and drips, etc) are very noticabe due to variations in the finish color. Also, when the finish coat chips it is very noticeable, since the stain comes off with it. Not recommended.
Just to throw out an idea-- would painting the trim work? I know many of us have a visceral reaction to painting real wood, but sometimes it looks good if you have the right wall color and pick a nice paint. Advantages: You wouldn't have to do a thorough job of stripping what is on there now, just sand it until it is smooth and anythng loose has come off. Good paint is tougher than most any clear finish, and very easy to touch up. If you get a gouge (from moving furniture into the quarter molding, etc) you can use wood filler and repaint--takes 10 minutes. And, if you paint it and decide you hate it, you'd strip it off, which is probably what you'd want to do with your present finish anyway. It might be worth doing a small area with a color that matches or complements your walls/other trim/floor color and see if you like it.
