Trim is a fraction of the surface area of a room and often half the labour. It is also the first thing anyone notices.
Why it takes so long
Every foot of trim has two edges to cut in, and doors have panels, edges and hardware. There is no roller work — it is brush and time, and it cannot be rushed without showing.
The preparation is different too
Old trim is usually gloss or semi-gloss, which nothing will stick to until it is sanded. Skipping that is why repainted trim sometimes peels off in sheets a year later.
Filling nail holes
Original trim was nailed and the holes filled with putty that has shrunk over twenty years. Refilling them is fiddly, and it is the difference between trim that looks painted and trim that looks new.
When to do trim alone
If the walls are fine and the trim is tired, doing only the trim transforms a room for a fraction of a full repaint. It is one of the better-value jobs we do.
Colour
White trim against coloured walls is the default because it works. Changing trim from a builder’s off-white to a true white does more than most people expect.
Interior painting covers trim, doors and walls. Finished work is on our Facebook page.
