Painting your trim, especially baseboards and crown molding, is one of the easiest and most impactful ways to add personality and color to a room. For decades, we’ve been told that trim has to be bright white for resale value. But why be stuck with boring white because a “realtor said so.”
Why do we even have baseboards? What is crown molding for? Simply to cover the gaps between floor and wall, and wall and ceiling. The concept of moldings goes all the way back to classical Greek and Roman architecture. Despite the functionality of it, moldings can also be purely decorative.
Why white?! Probably because some relator told you it had to be white for resale. But the reality is most people stay in their homes for an average of 12 years before they move! That’s a long time to live in your future buyer’s home. So break the mold (ha!) and add some personality. It’s just paint. Don’t be afraid to add color! And a great place to do that is the molding.
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Bedroom
The first time I painted the baseboard a color was in our new home in 2023. Adding wall picture frame molding was on the rise for diy-ers and I fell in love. I knew I had to add it to our bedroom. I color drenched our bedroom with Sherwin Williams’ Endless Sea. I bought my first tool, a miter saw, and got to work.
My husband wanted the trim to stay white, but that was not the look I was going for. I wanted it color drenched. I secretly painted all the baseboard, crown molding, trim and doors before he could say no…..To this day, I don’t regret it. It’s cozy, calming, and absolutely perfect. He’s come around to the idea. I did add off-white linen curtains to give him the white he wanted.
Since then I’ve slowly been going room by room adding color and painting the trim.
Powder Bathroom
In our guest powder bathroom I added Victorian picture rail molding to the upper wall to solve the issue of how to hang a mirror over a corner sink. To compliment the picture rail and mimic the upper white wall width, I added trim a few inches above the baseboard to give the illusion of a taller baseboard without having to rip out the existing baseboard. I sanded down the wall texture between the moldings.
Here I left the molding the original house trim color, because it made sense with the modern white and black art gallery look I was going for. I did paint the ceiling the same white as the trim, but in a flat sheen. Do not overlook the ceiling color in rooms!
Hallway
Since then I’ve gone on to paint more trim where it makes sense with the design. Our hallway (that has a secret door behind the vertical shiplap disguise) has been painted Behr Nocturne Blue.
Guest Bedroom
I added a lot of trim to our guest bedroom and painted the trim 2 different colors. The baseboard and ceiling trim is Sherwin Williams Shoji White. The faux picture rail is Behr Dark Everglades. In this case I painted the moldings Shoji White to compliment the greens and beiges in the wall mural.
Guest Bathroom
In the guest bathroom I left the baseboard white as contrast to the dark wall color I chose – Sherwin Williams Blackberry. I painted the upper wall decorative molding the same color as the wall. This helped add some pretty detail to the wall, carrying in the trim details from the guest room.
Laundry Room
And my current project is painting the laundry room. Here I painted just the trim, but am adding a fun striped detail to the door edge. It will include a fun surprise to be revealed later! Learn how I painted the stripes Here.
Don’t be afraid to add color! Make the space yours. It is your house anyway and should bring you joy. 🙂
Tips:
-Your wall and trim should be different sheens for a slight contrast. Typically walls are matte or eggshell, while trim is usually satin or semi-gloss.
-When color drenching, don’t pick sheens that are too far apart. The color changes slightly the higher the sheen.
Supplies
#affliate #CommissionsEarned
Want to know my go-tos prior to painting? Here’s a list of my all time favs:
Wooster 2-inch angle trim brush
Paint Additive (for a smooth finish)
1/4in nap mini roller cover
