Choosing between painting interior trim or keeping it stained can be a difficult decision for many. The simplicity of white trim can work well with all sorts of room decorations, wall paint colors, or wall designs. White trim paint can also brighten up woodwork and make a room feel fresh and modern.
White trim around windows and doorways is a great way for you to make those aspects of the room look larger. What's more, it makes your ceilings appear taller. This is a great way for you to make a smaller room appear larger than it is.
It's fine to do baseboards white and leave doors/door trim oak. Most people paint the baseboards and trim around the door, and leave the door wood. But it will look AWESOME either way.
Painting all window and door trim, crown molding and baseboards the same colour provides consistency, but is not a rule. Similarly, door casings and doors don't have to match. Having a light casing and baseboard contrast a dark door achieves a very modern look.
Sand with fine grit sandpaper to dull the surface gloss. Sanding between coats of primer and paint too gives you a nice smooth finish. Use a finishing sander to sand the flat parts of your trim and a sanding sponge for the curved parts. Sand the unpainted wood with 220-grit, or 180-grit.
The average cost to hire painters to paint your interior wood trim is $1,199. If you're looking to do it yourself, or just have a small area of trim to be painted either by you or professionals, the lowest average cost to paint interior wood trim is $240. Most homeowners have spent between $627-1,775.
Work with the whitest white in your palette.You just don't want to go too white on your trim, which often makes your creamy colour look more yellow and possibly dirtier than it is. And because paler walls are what we are all craving these days, painting your trim and walls the same colour can work.
White trim looks best when it's a subtle crisp white contrast to the wall color but not so crisp and bright of a white that is a bright jarring white. The magic happens in a space with that subtle crisp white and details pop out in the trim work and the wall color is beautifully complimented.
Repainting trim and baseboards is easy, especially if there is already paint on there. Use the same process as above, but you can decide if your need or don't need primer. If there is white paint on there already, I usually just skip the primer and just apply another coat of white paint.
It's very popular today to have bronze exterior windows with white or natural wood interiors. It's also common to paint window sashes one color and use a second color for the trim and casing. There are many ways to get the look you want with the versatility of today's window options.
Don't forget these basic tips when painting furniture white:
- Clean / Sand / Prep.
- Prime.
- Minimum 2 coats of white paint.
- Sand between Coats.
- Add white paint to tint your sealer.
- Tape off the floor well.
- Using your Purdy brush, apply one thin coat of the Zinsser primer.
- Apply two coats of Ultra White trim paint allowing time between for each coat to fully dry (I know from experience that the paint will peel off easier if you don't allow it to fully dry).
Can you paint over varnished wood without sanding? Yes. There are a few ways to do this, but we choose to use an oil based primer to prepare our varnished wood for new paint. The oil based primer will stick to varnished or sealed wood.
Ask most designers what color they usually paint interior trim — no matter the wall color — and they will tell you the same: white. “Painting the trim a bold color better defines the scale of the room, and it gives the room's architectural elements — windows and doors — more prominence,” Gambrel says.
If you are building and have chosen white cabinets, I recommend painting trim, ceiling and doors the SAME white. If this white doesn't SUIT what you want to paint, then you may need to take a closer look at the white that's currently in your room, as it probably doesn't work either.
Painting the Ceiling the Same Color as Trim and WallsPainting the ceiling the same color as the trim and walls is our favorite option. Using one color on all the walls, trim, and ceiling creates more of a modern open look. Using the same color throughout is also much easier when painting vaulted ceilings.
Pure White SW 7005, Sherwin-WilliamsAs the most popular white at Sherwin-Williams, this is truly a foolproof white paint color.
Undertones: White Dove is not a true white. They rarely are! It has a creamy undertone that makes it a soft, rich white paint colour to work with for your interior decorating projects.
Simply White is clean and bright but not tinted to appear gray or blue when rolled on a large area. It is sharp but still on the warm side so it's great with hardwood flooring or wood furniture. It is more modern than Cloud White as it has even less yellow in it.
Best Sherwin Williams White Colors
- Best All Over White: Sherwin Williams Alabaster SW 7008.
- Best Cool White: Sherwin Williams Pure White SW 7005.
- Best Off White: Sherwin Williams Natural Choice SW 7011.
- Best Modern White: Sherwin Williams Egret White SW 7570.
- Best Gray White: Sherwin Williams Eider White SW 7014.
Simply White has an ever-so-slightly cream undertone, although it's still pretty light as far as whites go. This provides a contrasting warmth to the cooler tones of Gray Owl and Wickham Gray. It perfectly complements the warmer Edgecomb Gray.
In most cases, the best paint for baseboards is a water-based or Acrylic-Alkyd hybrid paint with a semi-gloss paint sheen is the best choice for painting baseboards and trim. Benjamin Moore Advanced is a popular choice; it can be purchased at one of their paint stores.
Most experts say that you'll need to paint every five to ten years, depending on factors such as where you live, climate and weather, and the previous paint job. Also, keep in mind that every surface will be a little different. For example: Wood siding - every 3-7 years, or every 4 years if it's stained.
Victorian PaintOil based paints continued to be used for wood work and metal. Wood work was still painted in dark colours to mimic hardwoods and that style did not change until the 1870's when the Queen Anne style preferred white woodwork.
Sand the painted surface with 100- or 120-grit sandpaper or a medium sanding sponge. Make sure to eliminate all ridges. Then finish-sand with 180-grit sandpaper or a fine sanding sponge. Spot-prime the filler and any bare wood.
TIP 1: PAINT IT COOLTo make wood trim look more current and fresh, I suggest staying FAR AWAY from any warm tone on the wall. Nothing is going to make your dark wood trim look more orangey or “dated” than choosing a warm color tone on your walls (yellow, tan, orange, red etc..).
How to: Repaint trim
- Inspect the trim under a bright light; mark dents and scratches. Sand away any peeling paint or bumps with a sanding sponge.
- Lay down a drop cloth and tape off the trim with painter's tape.
- Right after applying the coat of paint, carefully peel the painter's tape back at a 45-degree angle.
Trim Painting Tips
- Careful sanding is the key to a perfect job. Sand all moldings.
- Fill holes and dents. Fill all holes.
- Caulk for a seamless look. Caulk all cracks.
- Spot-prime to avoid blotches. Prime bare wood and filled areas.
- Add an extender to latex paint.
- Slap, don't wipe.
- Cut in edges before you fill the center.
- Lay on, lay off.
