Semi-gloss finish: This is the best finish for your trims such as baseboards, mouldings and even cabinets and doors.
The best paint finish for trims and doors is typically a semi-gloss or high-gloss finish. These finishes are durable, easy to clean, and provide a smooth, glossy surface that can withstand wear and tear.
Trim, Door and Wainscoting Sheen
The shine sets it apart from the walls, which is important if you're not distinguishing the trim and door with a different color. Do trim and door sheens have to be the same? We recommend baseboards, crown molding, window trim and doors be in the same sheen. We recommend semi-gloss.
The best option for painting trim and doors is an enamel paint like Benjamin Moore Advance or Sherwin Williams Urethane Trim Enamel! Enamel paints dry smooth and hard, making them the most durable option.
Semigloss is the best paint finish for interior doors and trim. The reason being, semi-gloss can take up quite an abuse and stand up to nicks and scrapes better than any other sheen, flat or eggshell finish. The large surfaces gather dust just like your furniture.
1. Semi-Gloss Latex Paint. Latex paint retains some of its flexibility even after it dries, making it the ideal option for interior doors that see exposure to moisture, like those leading into bathrooms, laundry rooms, mudrooms, or pantries in the kitchen.
Avoid using eggshell paint in high-contact, high-traffic areas such as door and window trim, baseboards, cabinetry, and doors. It's best to use semi-gloss paint in these areas.
Best Paint for Interior and Exterior Doors
For doors that serve both interior and exterior purposes, we recommend the Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane Enamel or the Sherwin-Williams Porch + Floor Enamel for your doors.
Of the two, satin is more durable and is slightly less likely to scuff or mark than eggshell and it's easier to clean when it does get marked. This makes it a better choice, especially for woodwork such as painting skirting boards, than eggshell for high traffic areas like hallways and living rooms.
Benjamin Moore White Dove is one of the most popular white colors for trim and interior painting. This classic shade of white is perfect for creating a timeless look in any room, while still providing an updated feel. It's also great for highlighting other elements within the space since it won't overpower them.
However, the trim often gets beat up, so it is also important to factor this in. For these reasons, an eggshell finish for trim is typically the go-to for the pros. It has a light shine and will stand up to scuffs and dings from the vacuum or children playing. Plus, it is easy to scrub clean.
MYTH: Everything should match
Painting all window and door trim, crown molding and baseboards the same colour provides consistency, but is not a rule.
We recommend higher sheen levels such as Semi Gloss or High Gloss for trims as they tend to be high-tough and high-traffic areas. In areas like this higher sheen levels are ideal as they are easy to clean, hardwearing and have mark and scruff resistance.
Benjamin Moore's Advance Interior Paint – Semi-Gloss finish reflects light, providing a bright and light sheen. Highly resistant to moisture, it is ideal for trim, doors and walls that need to be cleaned often.
High Gloss Paint
It is easy to clean, stain-resistant and will add a stunning look to doors, trim, and even a high-traffic kitchen. Many interior designers (and adventurous homeowners) like to experiment with high gloss paint in unexpected areas, such as the ceiling or an accent wall.
Go for a semi-gloss finish, which is as durable as it is attractive. Exterior paints are sold in flat/matte, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss, and gloss sheens, in order of the lowest to the highest luster. Semi-gloss is ideal for front doors, as it's more wear- and stain-resistant than flatter sheens.
Satin and semi-gloss finishes are popular choices for doors due to their subtle shine and easy-to-clean characteristics. Glossy finishes can provide a more striking look, but they may highlight any imperfections on the door's surface.
Is satin paint too shiny for walls? In most cases, satin paint isn't too shiny for walls. In fact, satin is likely the glossiest sheen that will work on walls. However, if you're looking to hide imperfections on your walls, opting for a flatter finish will be better.
Eggshell is always an interior designer's preferred paint finish, which is why we chose this as our ultimate finish for walls. The name eggshell stems from the fact the finish appears mostly flat with just a touch of luster... similar to a chicken egg!
The most common and best sheen for interior trim is a satin or semi-gloss finish. Satin paint finishes have a medium sheen and are durable and easy to clean. Semi-gloss paint finishes have a higher sheen and stand out in a room. They are easy to clean and stand up to dirt, stains, mold, and mildew.
Alkyd/Oil Based
Oil-based paint is the classic trim paint.
MAGNOLIA HOME BY JOANNA GAINES TRIM & CABINETRY INTERIOR SEMI-GLOSS Paint is a water-based acrylic product designed for surfaces such as kitchen and bathroom cabinets, trim, window frames and doors. It offers the hardness of a traditional oil-based paint in an acrylic formula.
Eggshell paint offers a soft sheen that adds elegance and is more washable than flat paint, making it ideal for moderate-traffic areas. However, it shows imperfections more than matte finishes and lacks the durability of glossier options, so it may need more frequent touch-ups in high-traffic areas.
When it comes to interior doors & other woodwork, the choice is between an eggshell, satin or gloss finish, depending on the level of durability and the finish you desire. Eggshell as the flattest finish can provide a beautifully modern look, while gloss provides the most durability against scratches and knocks.
Short or medium pile microfibre mini rollers are the best when applying water-based, woodwork paints, such as Quick Dry Eggshell, Quick Dry Satinwood or Quick Dry Gloss. Avoid using foam mini rollers when applying Quick Dry products, as these can cause paint bubbles to form when rolled onto the surface.