Oil/Alkyd. Good adhesion, excellent durability and stain resistance make Sherwin-Williams oil/alkyd-based paints excellent choices for trim in high-traffic rooms, such as kitchens and bathrooms.
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.
Trim work should be done in nice neutral white in a semi gloss or gloss finish.
SW Pure White is an all-around classic white that can be used just about anywhere: walls, trim, ceilings, cabinets, doors, and more. In our home, we've used it on EVERY wall, EVERY ceiling, EVERY door, and on ALL of our trim & wainscotting.
Spray The Trim With A First Coat
It's time for your first top coat, which should be a high quality trim paint! At Culver's Painting, we use Sherwin Williams' Pro Classic or Emerald Urethane. These premium products are specially designed for woodwork and will provide a beautiful and durable finish.
We recommend Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Paint. It is a mix of oil and latex paint that creates the best paint for trim and for baseboards.
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.
Sherwin-Williams White Duck (sample) is a warm and muted off-white light paint color. With warm, subtle green undertones, we consider it a complex cream. White Duck is the color I pick if I'm looking for a creamy color that won't shift to yellow.
SW 7006Extra White
For a clean and crisp look, this white does the trick. Its high light reflectivity makes it an ideal choice for trim and ceilings. Actual color may vary from on-screen representation. To confirm your color choices prior to purchase, please view a physical color sample.
Semi-gloss finish: This is the best finish for your trims such as baseboards, mouldings and even cabinets and doors. It's also a good choice for highly trafficked area that gets lots of wear and tear such as a mudroom.
Satin and low-lustre paints have a slightly higher sheen than eggshell finishes. Paints in this category are warmer and provide a greater appearance of depth than flat paints. They also resist stains better than flat paints.
Medium Lustre - This higher-gloss finish is perfect for doors and trim. We like this sheen for: Doors. Trim.
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.
Because trim gives the space a sense of harmony in relationship to the wall color(s), many people choose a complementary color that is a either a lighter or slightly darker shade of white, cream, natural wood, or stain, or black (more on black trim later).
Sherwin Williams Alabaster is what I often refer to as my tried and true white paint color. It's a neutral white that brings a softer cozy feel to a space. With an immense amount of white paints available, this is one that always hold true to how I expect it to show up in a room.
No! Alabaster does not read yellow at all. What your eye sees is a soft, creamy white with a bit of warmth, so it isn't stark white or clinical (like the walls of a hospital or office). Some people may call it an off-white or cream color, but I would disagree with both of those labels.
The Two Most Common Options For Trim Paint:
Paints made of 100 percent acrylic are more expensive but will cure harder and are less porous, making them durable and easy to clean. Acrylic latex paint can be a great choice for interior trim, but it won't match the toughness of oil-based paint.
Sherwin-Williams Pure White is an excellent trim and ceiling color. Try wrapping a room in Pure White, using different sheens for each type of trim, ceiling, or wall. Don't use Pure White in a room with cool Northern light or low light because it can look dingy.
White trim may be the rule in most homes, but it isn't the only option for trim color! Painting the casings and baseboards to match the wall color creates a cohesive, modern look. For example, if your walls are light gray, consider using the same gray color on the trim instead of white.
Sherwin Williams Alabaster (SW 7008)
This color is apparently used in Joanna Gaines' farmhouse, and frequently used in Fixer Upper episodes.
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.
Joanna often uses Sherwin Williams Alabaster for her trim, and occasionally Sherwin Williams Pure White. Use one color for trim throughout your home and you'll have a home where rooms just flow from one into the next.