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Many Toronto homes built in the 1980s and 1990s still have orange-toned oak or pine trim and doors. Painting them white or a soft colour is one of the biggest visual changes you can make inside a house, and it costs far less than replacing them. It works well, but only if the prep is done right.
Wood contains natural compounds called tannins, and knots contain resin. When water-based paint goes directly over stained or raw wood, these can bleed through as yellow or brown patches, sometimes days after painting. The fix is a stain-blocking primer suited to wood, applied before the finish coats.
Varnished trim is glossy and often coated in years of hand oils and cleaning products. Paint will not bond well to that. The surfaces need cleaning, then a scuff-sand to dull the gloss so the primer can grip. Skipping this step is why painted trim sometimes peels off in strips.
Once trim is a light colour, every gap and nail hole shows. Filling nail holes and caulking the joints between trim and walls, and at mitred corners, gives the clean lines that make painted trim look professional.
Interior doors can be painted where they hang or taken off and laid flat. Panel doors take longer than flat slab doors because each panel and groove needs care. Both sides and the edges should be painted so the door looks finished from every angle. Hardware is removed or carefully masked.
Keep one sheen and one trim colour through the house. Mixing whites from room to room is noticeable where rooms meet.
Trim and doors take patience: primer, two finish coats and light sanding between coats. A few rooms of trim plus doors can take several days. It is often done together with wall painting, which saves time overall.
Baseboards collect dust and scuffs, so they need a thorough clean before any sanding. Floors are protected along every wall, and the bottom edge of the baseboard is cut in carefully against the flooring. Window casings and sills on the inside are painted with the same enamel as the rest of the trim, with the sash edges left free so the windows still open.
Classic white trim against coloured walls is still the most common choice. Painting walls and trim the same colour, sometimes called colour drenching, gives a calm, modern look and suits small rooms. Dark trim and doors with light walls make a bold statement. Whatever you choose, keep it consistent from room to room.
Clean painted trim with a damp cloth and mild soap. Keep a labelled can of the leftover enamel for touch-ups on scuffed baseboards and door edges. A record of the exact colour and sheen means future touch-ups and new trim will match.
See our door and window frame painting service, or book a free estimate and we will look at your trim and doors with you.
Yes. It needs cleaning, scuff-sanding and a stain-blocking primer before the finish coats, so wood tones do not bleed through.
That is usually tannin bleed from the wood. A stain-blocking primer applied before painting prevents it.
Semi-gloss is the most common choice because it is durable and easy to clean. Satin gives a softer look.
They should. Both sides and the edges are normally painted so the door looks finished from every angle.
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