It’s no secret that painting your home’s wood trim can drastically change its overall look. But should you paint your wood trim? The answer, of course, depends on a variety of factors. In this blog post, we’ll explore the pros and cons of painting wood trim so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not it’s the right choice for your home.
3 questions to ask yourself
1. Do you want a brighter feel?
Some people struggle with whether or not to paint wood trim white. They want a new fresh bright look but are not sure about making the change. Is it okay to change it from a real wood look? My answer is usually, it’s totally up to what you want. You should never feel bad about painting wood, probably half of all homes have wood trim that is painted white.
If you are ready for a lighter look or a more modern feel then white trim is a great choice. You should enjoy your home. Something I have learned owning a home for 30 years is, if we don’t like it today, we won’t like it tomorrow. So make a change and move on to where you can just enjoy your home rather than spending time debating about or not liking your home.
2. Are you ready to do it right?
Transitioning wood to paint is a multi step process of sanding, priming, and multiple finish coats. Wood is a very porous product and is sealed with a clear coat. That clear coat must get broken down by a light sand, then primers are designed to soak into the wood. Once painted, white holes and cracks show up that weren’t there before which also need to be filled. Multiple coats will need to be used because white is a difficult color to cover due to its reflective nature.
Painting trim is a process that requires very detailed painting compared to just using a paint roller. This means it’s a time intensive process that requires skill and patience. Repainting white trim is usually three times less than the cost to transition from wood to white. However, it’s still usually cheaper than replacing wood trim because new wood still has to have a finished coat of paint.
For example: to paint the trim in a 12×12 office (baseboards, 2 doors/doorways, 1 widow) would run around $275 with paint and supplies. To transition that room from wood to white would run around $750.
3. Will it last?
Painting your wood trim is a big step! I would not recommend doing it yourself. There are many steps and the right products to make sure the durability holds up and looks good. Professional painters have learned the steps needed to produce a quality product.
We use a 5 step process that continues to produce a quality, durable product. We’ve been using the same process and products for over 5 years and complete on average 40 cabinet/trim jobs a year.
Some paint companies spray others brush and roll. We use a product that has a self-leveling feature and prefers to use a brush and roller. We’ve noticed the durability is much better with a brush and roller compared to using a sprayer.
Now let’s talk about the look for a minute.
What if painted trim goes out of style? Trends come and go, but there are a few things that never change. Modern updates always bring life to rooms and increase value, whether painted or wood! White will never go out of style. Wood trim has been painted white ever since the invention of paint. Deciding to go white is never a bad decision, it just depends on your personal preference for your home.
I hope this article has been helpful to you in deciding if you should paint your wood trim! If you are interested in taking the step to transition your trim to a brighter modern white look contact us for a free estimate.
