Back to: Six Methods for Painting
A. Painting Wall and Trim
It is realizing that we’ve become so accustomed to seeing and painting the trim crisp white that we now see it as a norm or some unspoken rule. Therefore, this has raised questions about home design, such as whether it’s compulsory to paint the trim in a room white, and if not, can it be painted to match the wall color? To answer this, below are some reasons to prove that painting the walls and trim in a room matching colors will provide you with a sophisticated style that can be incorporated with any décor regardless of the room size.
Complementing Walls and Trim
An exceptional method to match your trim to the color of your wall is to paint the walls white. This method is because decorations are typically painted white, so painting the walls white is perfect. This method does not mean that you can’t paint the walls and trim other colors; it just means that painting the trim a contrasting color when you already have white walls might make you feel like you’re living within an outline, which may be alarming. Also, painting the trim, walls, and ceiling white creates a blank canvas for your artwork, furniture, and statement items to stand out.
Distinction
One of the common uses of paints is to highlight a specific piece or a place. Therefore, to draw extra attention to a particular article or area, paint the rest of the room or other elements differently. For example, if you have a distinctive wall that you wish to highlight or a ceiling with beams, you should use paints to make all the other elements fade away and then fit in with your room’s unique architecture.
Maintaining Design Consistency
Specific designs give the room a fresh feel and appear even better when the walls and trim are painted the same color. They provide an exquisite and sophisticated style that keeps everything unified and smooth, and at the same time, it draws attention to the whole room so that you can take in the entire design and not just the individual parts that make it up. Also, using the same color for your trim and wall helps maintain the room’s visual lines.
Even Color Palette
Painting your built-in shelves the same color as your trim and wall will have the same effect as hiding your elaborate decoration. This method means that painting the built-in shelves the same color as the walls and trim will give you an even color palette that will allow you to focus on what’s on the shelves while making the structure of the built-in shelves disappear with the paint. This method will also make it easier to choose pieces or aspects of the room that you may want to highlight.
Hiding Elaborate Trims
An excellent and very effective method to hide or tone down an elaborate trim is to simply paint the walls and trim the exact same color. That way, your rooms appear clean and even more contemporary. Therefore, if you seek to take attention off your trim, paint the walls the same color.
Concealing Wood Panels
An easy method to update an outdated or unfashionable room style is to give it a contemporary touch by adding a coat of paint. If this is done correctly, you will have an exquisite design and conceal the wood paneling.
Dramatic Expressions
Choose a matching wall and trim color for an over-the-top or dramatic room style. Examples of recommended colors are plum or deep emerald. However, there are various other monochromatic colors that you may want to try out based on your style preference.
Small Room Set-Up
One of the secrets of painting is that it can trick the eyes into believing that a room is more meaningful than it appears. Therefore, if you have a small space, you can paint the trim and walls with identical colors to make the area appear more prominent. Also, you can add spice to it by ensuring that the ceiling is painted the same color. If the paint used is a bright color, you will feel your room is more significant than it is.
B. Highlighting Colors Using Trim
As you would with any other design decision, it is essential that you first consider your preference and what exactly you seek to achieve before choosing a trim type and color for a room.
Although trims are often overlooked, they significantly impact how a room is viewed. One of the impacts is creating the tone and character of a room. Aside from that, interior trim emphasizes architectural display and gives definition, balance, and proportion to a room. Interior trims include baseboards, pillars and mantels, wainscoting and paneling, crown molding, window and door casings, and chair-rail molding. Trim is the frame of a picture, defining and enhancing the beauty of what’s inside.
Trim, at its most basic stage, adds spice to the elements of a room. For example, the baseboard marks the transitions between the wall and the floor, while crown molding denotes the transition between the wall and the ceiling.
Also, trim has the aesthetic function of improving or modifying the view of the size of a room, and it may be used to enhance and complete the distinct style you envisage for your space. Also, make a room appear more homely by breaking up soaring walls or make it appear bigger by utilizing trim to create strong lines.
Some notable factors may influence choosing a trim color or design. Some of them include personal preference and the architectural style of the house. For example, using a heavy Victorian trim will be inappropriate if you seek to achieve a ranch-style home or cottage precisely mapped out for arts and crafts. Also, using a minimalist decoration when looking for a Georgian design will be wrong.
Types of Trim
Trim is categorized based on the material used to construct it. These materials range from high-density polyurethane to medium-density fiberboard and wood.
High-density polyurethane (HDP) Trim
This is available in various designs. Since it is low-cost and primarily used to replicate expensive and exquisite classical wood trims, HDP trim does not require priming or sanding before painting and is effortless to install. Another feature of HDP is that when subjected to extreme temperatures, it expands and contracts much less than other materials, especially wood. Also, HDP is lightweight and does not decay.
Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) Trim
Unlike High-density polyurethane, MDF trim is heavy and, as such, requires more effort to install. It is pre-primed and has a highly smooth surface. Also, it can be completed with one coat of paint, requiring little to no sanding. MDF trims are more resistant to dents than most wood materials and quickly reflect undulation in an uneven wall. A fun fact about MDF trim is that it costs less than wood, but it is tough to tell the difference when painted.
Wood
This is the most commonly used for interior trim projects. Typical examples are basswood, pine, and polar. Hardwoods like maple, oak, and cherry are recommended for clear-finished trim work. Paint-grade moldings may have visual defects or be created with multiple shorter pieces that are finger or butt-joined together, while stain-grade moldings are made from individual hardwoods with no knots.
Using Identical Colors
The easiest way to give a room in a contemporary setting a new and cohesive appearance is to ensure that the trim merges with the room’s color. Design experts recommend that they utilize techniques that make the colors blend. You may accomplish this by painting the trim the same or a tinted version of the color of the walls. Using the same undertones helps a room appear disconnected and stops the colors from looking muddy. Therefore, you should use cool wall tones with cool trim tones, and if the walls are warm-toned, it’s typically a good idea to keep the trim warm. Keeping tidy style and color similar across an open floor pattern, where rooms flow into one another or are adjoined by open entryways, creates a feeling of unity, especially if the wall color changes from one room to another.
Using A Lighter Shade
Many design experts consider white the most appropriate color for any trim, regardless of the room’s wall color or interior design. For example, when used with dark walls, white decorations make the original room color more visible as it brightens and lightens the room, while it makes the room appear clean and crisp when used with walls painted light colors. Therefore, you must consider the room’s lighting for a light shade trim. A pure white border is the most appropriate in a room with natural light, while creamy whites with warm (yellow) undertones are recommended for rooms with minimal natural light. In summary, white or off-white paint is more likely to bring out the trim and highlight the distinct qualities of a room with a classical interior.
Using A Darker Shade
In recent times, using dark colors for trim has become a trend. Interestingly, black isn’t left out. It has been discovered that dark-themed decoration adds more depth to a room than light-colored trim. In addition, it enhances the frame view when used on window and door casings. Using a darker shade means choosing a darker color than the color you’ve chosen for the walls by several shades. Many houses built around the 19th century exemplified this color match. Today’s trendiest room colors that perfectly contrast with dark trim are powder blue, light aquas, shades of gray, and green, ranging from lime to celadon.
Trim Techniques
Trim, like wall color, may influence a room’s shape, look, and size and even alter the room’s mood. A list of the things that you can complete using trim.
Make a Room Appear Larger: When you paint the trim the same color or a lighter shade of the walls in the room, you make the walls appear to recede, and as a result, the room seems more significant.
Make a Room Appear Smaller: Installing wood panels and trims on the end wall of a room would make it appear smaller.
Raise the Ceiling
There are two methods to achieve this. The first is to create an entablature, which is done by extending the door trim to the ceiling. The other method is to draw attention upward by installing crown moldings around the ceiling perimeter and painting it a darker color or shade of the ceiling.
Lower the Ceiling
The first step is to install chair-rail or picture-rail molding on the room walls. The next step is to use a darker shade of the room color to paint the rail and the wall space above it to pull the eye down to the ceiling.
Create an Archaic Style
If you want your room to reflect history like houses in the 19th century, you can match white, off-white, or cream walls with contrasting trim such as mustard yellow, gray-blue, barn red, or green.
Highlight an Architectural Design: To highlight or draw attention to a statement item, furniture, or design, you should paint the piece with a color contrasting the wall. However, you must ensure the color is the same intensity as the walls.
Natural Look
If you want to have a natural texture and warmth in a room, it is recommended that you paint the room’s high-quality wood trim and doors a natural color.
Lighten Up The Walls
Dark walls are known to be intimidating or oppressive; hence, you should consider adding a wainscoting or chair-rail molding to the lower part of the wall to lighten it up.
Colors For Interior Trim
Interior trim affects the overall outlook of a room. Hence, before you paint your home’s trim, you must choose a color that perfectly blends with your ceiling, walls, and furniture. But if you can’t do this on your own, it is recommended that you employ the services of a design expert or professional painting company to help you decide. One of the perks of hiring professional help is that their services often include helping you change the color of your window trims, crown molding, door frames, baseboards, and cabinets, among other things, to ensure that your home has the perfect outlook. Below are some interior trim painting tips and concepts to assist you in determining the ideal little paint color for any space in your home.
Use Identical Colors For The Trim And Walls
Design experts recommend painting the walls and trimming the same colors, especially in a small room. This method is because this technique makes the space appear more homely, gives it a more contemporary outlook, and makes it seem more significant than it is. Also, consider using a polished finish for the trim to stand out when the room is lightened.
Paint The Trim White
White is a universal color that easily and undoubtedly matches everything. White trim is timeless; it is a safe choice if you can’t seem to choose a suitable color for your trim. In addition, if your wall color is dramatic or dark, a white trim can help lighten up the room, and if you have bright, neutral, or soft walls, white trim paint will help create a subtle contrast. Hence, most homeowners have adopted white trims to complement and give their homes a classical outlook. You should note that there are variations of white paint; therefore, your preference and goal will determine which shade or undertone will suit your room.
Paint Trims With a Darker Color Than the Walls
This technique creates a sense of depth. For example, suppose your house was designed to model 19th-century houses. In that case, you can employ the services of a professional painter to paint the woodwork in black-brown or dark mahogany to highlight the exquisite features of the house. Also, a perfect way to create a contrasting effect or draw attention to your beautiful window or door frames is to choose a trim paint color with a darker shade than the walls in the room.
Neutral Trim Colors
Although white is the most common neutral trim color used by homeowners, it might interest you that other neutral colors may provide a feeling and create an outlook that white alone cannot achieve. They are;
Gray Trim
Pairing dark gray trims with light gray walls or matching delicate gray trim with white walls will add sophistication to the room and provide a more refined effect.
Black Trim
This color doubles as a bold and neutral color. Pair black with white or light-colored walls to create a perfect balance for the room. Also, black trim provides an exceptional contrast to a room with many molding and decorations. Hence, if you want your window or door frames and crown moldings to stand out, you should opt for black.
Brown/Cream/Beige Trim
As long as the ceiling and walls in the room have the same undertones as your trim, your best choice should be brown, cream, or beige trim.
Consider using a neutral color that matches your ceiling to create a more intimate mood in the room.
Bold Trim Colors
Understandably, one may get bored from seeing or waking up to the same color for a long time and then decide to do something different. For this cause, replace your neutral-colored trims with bold ones. White or light-colored walls provide a blank canvas, making it easier to paint the trim in any color you desire. You may be daring and take a cue from the furniture, picture frame, or throw pillows in the room. Examples of bold colors for trim include yellow, green, purple, and blue, among others.
What Shine is the Most Appropriate For Trim?
The most commonly used trim polish is gloss or semi-gloss. However, trim and molding broadly define the style of a room; therefore, instead of choosing a tidy polish because it is trending, consider a more practical reason, such as how you want your room to appear. A gloss polish is known to blend well with interior trim because it has a reflecting quality. Also, it is highly durable and beneficial in concealing scratches, blemishes, bumps, and other defects on the wall. In conclusion, consider a trim polish that makes the trim stand out from the walls.
C. Contrast Trim Ideas
Using contrast trim has recently become a trend in almost all parts of the world, and this trend was developed out of a good cause. Therefore, this should interest you if you like using a different paint from your walls for your trim.
What is Contrast Trim?
Contrast trim refers to when door casings, window casings, interior doors, and baseboard trim are painted in a different shade, particularly a color darker than the walls of a room. Usually, the contrast trims are painted beige, brown, or gray because they are expected to stand out from the walls, often white or light-colored.
What is the Most Appropriate Trim Color?
Although most house owners use white trim because it perfectly blends with every interior design or style, this does not mean you can’t spice up your room using a contrast trim. Therefore, the best trim color is the one that gives the room the kind of mood you want.
Is It Compulsory For Baseboards and Window Trim To Match?
The honest answer is “No.” Although having both window trim and baseboards in the same color can be advantageous, it doesn’t mean that it is compulsory always to have them that way. Many contrast trim on baseboards has produced the most exquisite interior design and white trims around windows.
Pairing Colors For The Trim And Wall
The perfect pairing will always remain a light color against a dark color. For example, when you have a light-colored wall like white or any shade closely associated with it, you should use a dark-colored trim like gray or beige, and when you have a dark-colored wall, you should opt for a neutral trim. This pairing makes the trim stand out and gives the room a classical definition. However, these pairing suggestions are subject to individual styles and preferences.
Conclusion
You should be creative regardless of your notions about contrast and neutral trims. Sometimes, get out of your usual zone and take that color risk. You would be amazed by how appealing it’d be to you and how much it’d suit the room.
D. What Is The Ideal Color For Your Trim?
Whether simple or elaborate, the interior trim is a finishing touch often overlooked. Usually, it remains the same color it has always been without considering the numerous beautiful alternative colors. Therefore, if you want your room to appear a certain way, there are several methods you can adopt. However, learning the reasons and benefits of painting your trim a specific color would be better.
Bold Colors
One may choose bold trim colors out of the blues; however, you must ensure you’d be comfortable with the result. Since trim takes a relatively small surface area, spicing up the room with a bold color can dramatically affect the room’s overall outlook. For example, colorful trim like sky blue, lemon, or pick may be a part of an eclectic look or a lively element in a low-toned room. The common reasons for choosing a bold trim include:
You want to connect your colorful cabinets with the rest of the room
You want to add a new color to the walls without going overboard.
You want an eccentric or unique outlook.
Neutral Colors
Painting your trim in neutral colors gives the room a refined, homely, and sophisticated appearance. Although the trim becomes the center of attention, you can change this by using exquisite furniture to provide warmth. Neutral trim is known to complement colored ceilings. Therefore, you may consider using a neutral trim if:
You want the room to have a more personal atmosphere
You want to highlight an architectural piece without having to tamper with the walls
You want the room to model an archaic style
You love a transitional look that balances modern and traditional elements.
White
White is regarded as a “go-to” choice for many people because you can easily combine it with colored or white walls. It is a color that perfectly complements both simple and elaborate moldings. Also, through its unique feature, classic white can connect various molding forms uniquely, making everything in a room appear harmonious. Hence, when matched adequately with colorful walls or decorations, a white trim creates a bright and refreshing atmosphere and becomes a frame to showcase each room without conflicting with the other colors. In addition, when white trim is paired with neutral wall colors, it brings alive the surrounding undertones by highlighting and making it appear more contemporary.
Furthermore, white trim is beneficial for toning down an intense room color. For example, a room with dark-colored walls wouldn’t overwhelm the space when matched with all-white window trim and deep crown molding, and this is because the trim has taken the attention away from the walls. In conclusion, you may consider choosing white trims for one or more of the following reasons:
If you can’t pick a color
If you want to give a room with many kinds of wood a contemporary appearance
If you’re going to highlight the subtle undertone of a wall painted with neutral colors
If you’re going to draw attention to an architectural design or furniture
If you’re going to soften dark-colored walls
If you want to avoid any attention to some basic moldings,
Black
Unlike many bold colors, black is timeless; you don’t have to worry about getting outdated. Hence, you can make a statement by painting your trim black and leaving it that way for as long as possible. Using black trim gives the window or doorway an immediate high-fashion appearance so that some people would pick black trim over white. A technique that works well with dark wood doors is painting only the ceiling and crown molding black. This method helps to highlight hideous details such as medallions, lighting, and other embellishments. Ultimately, it gives the room an overall balance. You may consider black trim if:
You want to make the neutral colors come alive
You want a sophisticated yet dramatic appearance
You want to create a unique contrast
Gloss
A terrific way to showcase exquisite moldings while keeping a clean palette for a sophisticated appearance is to apply a slight gloss finish to the trim. Also, since humans and objects are often more likely to come in contact with trim than walls, design experts recommend applying an easy-to-clean paint finish. A proven way to handle this is to use the same color for the ceiling, trim, and walls, after which you’d use a satin finish for the trim and a matte finish for the walls. This same color is done to instinctively draw attention by allowing light rays to reflect off the trim. However, you cause an even more intense effect by using off-white paint.
Wood
Wood trims offer a more profound feeling of texture, which may make a room appear homely even if there aren’t many decorations. Depending on the tone and polish of the wood, wood trim may range from rustic to contemporary. Matching wood trim to wood cabinets gives the impression that this natural feature is interwoven throughout the room, resulting in a feeling of connection and beauty. However, if you want to avoid the rustic look, don’t blend more than three wood tones at a time. Wood trim is frequently marked to match the room’s flooring, but because woods naturally mix and match, it can vary in tone and yet complement magnificently. Wood complements wall colors that add warmth to the room as they share similar undertones. Additionally, wood trim on a window will warm up that area, particularly if you don’t intend to add drapes. You may want to consider wood trim if:
The room requires an extra texture.
The trim was originally wood trim or something similar
You want to install an element of wood in the room
E. Color Ideas For Interior Trim
Various wooden elements are used in the house of names, such as trim, molding, and millwork. These elements collectively and individually contribute to a room’s decor by providing depth and character to the walls. Door molding and baseboards are particularly important as they serve a valuable purpose – hiding the loopholes in most houses. Using white trim can be traced back to the 1940s when homes were built hastily to save cost. Many years later, this practice is still in vogue. For example, the probability that more people will recommend white trim over any other color if you ask them for interior trim or door recommendations is about 90%. That aside, the notable color ideas that you may choose from are.
Identical-Colored Trim: Unlike white and light-colored trim that mostly suits a traditional home, identical-colored trim perfectly complements a more modern housing style. This method is important because using the same trim color creates an open and airy atmosphere for the room and gives a smooth overview.
Light Trim
Ordinarily, when people hear “light trim,” white trim pops up in their minds. Although white trim is an example of light trim, many other colors fall under that category. In this case, light trim refers to a light-colored trim and a trim that is a lighter shade of the room’s wall. A light-colored trim highlights and refines architectural designs such as decorative molding, wainscoting, and classical window designs. Also, highlighting is done by painting every part of the room with one color and then using a lighter shade for the item or area you want to highlight. Furthermore, if you are a fan of dark-theme walls but don’t want the gloominess it brings, you could choose a dark color for the walls and complement it with a shade or two shades lighter trim.
Dark Trim
This recent innovation has evolved as a daring interior design for several years. Rant Dark trim refers to deep-toned accent colors usually inspired by room features such as accessories or clothing. It gives an intimate feel and greatly complements a contemporary housing style. Also, dark trim adds intensity and depth while contrasting a light-colored wall. In conclusion, one crucial thing to ensure before painting your trim is that the trim is in good condition.
Trim Painting Rules
As much as you want to have a contemporary and exquisite interior design, there is some basic information that you must have about trim and painting before you choose your unique design structure. Some of the rules include:
You can use a lighter shade of trim paint to contrast your wall colors
Glossy paint lasts longer and is easier to clean than flat paint. Hence, you should apply it on doors, window frames, and door frames.
Painting the trim in the house the same color creates a connection and harmony for the rooms.
If you wish to highlight certain features within a room, you may deviate from painting the trim using the same color. For example, you may paint the baseboards, window frames, doors, doors, and crown molding the same color while using a different color that may complement or contrast the other colors for your fireplace.
F. Concepts for Interior Designs – How To Include Black Trim
Using black trim as contrast is one of the most exceptional design ideas ever surfaced, and it fine-tunes the overall appearance of a room while maintaining its original outlook. Although, this depends on how you pair it with other decors in the room. Regardless of your style, introducing black trim is a terrific technique for creating clean lines and a classical outlook.
Concepts for Interior Design
If you seek an instant outlook update for your home, you should introduce a solid black front door that is elegant and simultaneously complements the other colors in the house. You might settle for a black tile bathroom floor, a black stone kitchen bench, a black front door, or stair treads if you need to contrast other colors or features of the room, but not too much that the space feels weighed down. Aside from using black doors, furniture, wallpaper, baseboards, or lighting, add some classical outlook to the room. Black baseboards were originally an unusual variation from a typical builder’s conventional finishes, but they are now more accessible. You can use dark metallic or water-based oil paints for a more contemporary look. All you’d need is black paint in most situations if you want to do it yourself. In summary, you must find a balance for all the items in the room so the home design can appear personalized and well-tailored.
Black Interior Design Concepts
Over the years, black has become a significant part of interior design as it can be applied to any surface, including stair treads and furniture. Utilizing various materials and textures such as wallpaper, stones, tiles, and fabrics quickly introduces black into your design concept.
Ways to Incorporate Black Into Your Home’s Decor
Bold colors like black are known to bring gloominess to a room. Hence, below are suggestions for removing the gloominess and retaining an exquisite design.
The Front Door: Usually, this is the first thing guests notice when they come to your house. Therefore, your front door must depict class. An entry with an internal black front door greatly complements a white hallway. High-gloss oil paint is recommended for the best black front door, but you can use latex paint if you like matte looks. Please use a sponge roller to apply it. However, it is essential to note that even if you apply glossy polyurethane on Latex paint, it cannot give the same shine or depth of color you’d get from oil paint.
The Baseboards
Black baseboards perfectly align in framing a room, outlining it and making it appear more defined. Also, if paired with wooden floors, the contrast lightens up the room and gives it a more homely feeling.
The Bookshelf
You may consider painting the interior of a bookshelf black or adding a black framed door to it. You may customize this quick feature to store and emphasize items. However, it is the central point in a room without visual weight.
The Furniture
Pairing various furniture of the same color and a different table is a perfect match and vice versa. Therefore, you can achieve this by applying a couple of coats of paint to a piece of furniture to contrast with a black wall or another piece. Chalk Paint, Latex, and Milk paint can all break up excess black shades in a room.
Crown Molding
Painting a crown molding black gives the room a dramatic appearance that requires little or no décor to look good.
The Door Frame
For someone who is daring, bold colors would interest you more than light colors. Therefore, introducing black door frames will highlight the other colors in the room and cause them to pop.
The Walls
Bold-colored walls like black significantly impact the overall appearance of a room. Therefore, to get a softer effect and balance the space, contrast black with a light color.
The Wallpaper
Instead of fixing or repainting damaged walls, wallpapers are often used to cover up loopholes. Aside from that, they add beauty to a room because they are attractive and are not limited to a particular area. Introducing black wallpaper is synonymous with introducing an expensive piece to the room.
The Marble
Although black marbles are expensive, they are timeless. This method means you’d eventually get your money’s worth and wouldn’t even worry about changing the marble style when it becomes outdated.
The Mantle
The mantle painted black will draw your attention to create a focal point and help the other colors in the room stand out.
The Ceiling
Adding a beautiful pendant light or chandelier will draw attention to the ceiling and make it appear distant. On the other hand, design experts recommend that it is best to paint the ceiling with flat black paint to vanish.
In conclusion, introducing black to any room is a great addition, and it sets a homely mood and, in some cases, adds a dramatic effect. Overall, black themes make the room appear classic and sophisticated.