Painting, varnishing, or replacing wooden windows and interior doors?

I need some experience and tips again on the topic of "refreshing old dark windows and doors." The door leaves and frames are real wood veneer and the window frames are real wood. Our building inspector said that technically everything is fine and a replacement is not necessary... so we want to preserve all components.

The goal is for everything to become light (white, light beige, for example) and of course it should be significantly cheaper than a replacement. Is it possible to do something like this yourself, or is it better to hire a painter or carpenter?

Does anyone know approximately how much this costs per door and window?

Thanks to you all!

Does anyone know approximately what that costs?

Paint! So varnish and/or glaze :) There is a range from ... to ... check if you can sand it down and if washing with lye is enough or if a primer is necessary. I've never calculated the price exactly: whatever is necessary gets done, and that's that. It's always cheaper than replacing it or paying a craftsman. You can do that yourself if one of you two has two right hands. ... it depends on how much precision you value. The painting itself: door leaf per side 10 minutes, frame quarter to half an hour. But preparation and multiple layers of coating of course add up. You usually do that on the side during a renovation because the layers need to dry. For windows, you'd have to see what is on there now. Possibly thick-layer glaze is best. Preparation takes time. What is often not considered with windows: renewing the window putty (because of the paint).

Ps get informed and choose what suits you and is feasible. You should read up a bit on the phenomenon of color, paints, and glazes and what is compatible with each other or suitable for which surfaces. Tips from here and there may refer to different circumstances, for example, acrylic is quite different from solvent-based paints.

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Color! So paint and/or glaze :) You have to look at what kind it is from ... to ... see if it can be sanded and if washing with lye is enough or if a primer is necessary. I never calculated the price high: what is necessary gets done and that's that. It always comes cheaper than a new purchase or craftsman’s labor costs.

You can do that yourselves if one of you has two right hands. … it depends on how much precision you want. The painting itself: door leaf per side 10 minutes, frame a quarter to half an hour. But preparatory work and multiple coats naturally add up. You actually do that alongside a renovation anyway, because the layers need to dry.
For windows, you’d have to see what is on them now. Possibly thick-layer glaze is the best. Preparatory work takes time. What is often not considered with windows: renewing the window putty (because of the paint)

Yes, thanks for the assessment. My consideration is how fast and good a professional is and how big the price difference is. I had read prices per door and frame of about 170 euros. If I need a total of 2 hours per door and frame plus material, then you have to weigh that up. If my result is significantly worse than the painter’s, then the savings do me no good.

Oh, you mean the price from the professional?! No, I can't tell you that. I'll put it this way: whoever has it done has too much money. If you, of course, have everything done (including walls), then get a flat rate. If you can't paint, then don't do it. It will be noticeable.

As I said: I misunderstood your question. Many aim exactly to save money – every hundred bucks hurts when you have to pay for something you can do yourself.

The community around the colors of "Miss Pompadour" has an extremely large number of examples online of people who have painted their old wooden doors. The results are consistently quite impressive, and you can find a lot of guidance and support there. Taking a look can’t hurt; I think you’d be well served with a few hundred euros for the doors. You can choose any color you want. You can even get the doors in white. Normally, real wood is treated with a kind of primer (they’re either called "zum Halten" or "zum Blocken," from the brand), and then you can paint over it in 2-3 coats with full coverage, also in white or light colors. I used the colors in our transitional house bathroom. I didn’t work neatly because I didn’t want to invest much time or money (we won’t be living here long), and I didn’t use a primer; I basically slapped the paint directly onto the tiles, and only did one coat. I’m still very satisfied with the improvement. With the necessary care and 2 coats, you could get top results. And I’m really no skilled craftsman.