First, let me say that the idea for this post comes as I gaze upon my orangey gold 1950′s era trim with derision. I would LOVE to paint it white, but my husband is a trim snob. He says that our trim’s singular redeeming attribute (and that’s a stretch, my hunky husband), is that it’s maybe some type of African mahogany. Sure, whatever. To me it’s just orangey gold, skinny and whimpy. I lust for chunky white trim and solid six pack –errr, I mean six panel doors. And if I was to be so lucky, here’s how I’d choose the right white paint for it all.
Choosing the right white can be a little daunting. I’ve certainly made the mistake a few times. The Benjamin Moore fan deck has over 100 whites with tints ranging from red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and gray. But for trim, the reason you are choosing white is for the contrast with your wall color, so it’s best to stick with the creamier whites (the ones with the yellow undertones), or the cooler whites (with grayer undertones). Still it can be tricky. The trim in the photo below looks cooler to me. What do you think?
Photo: Antoine Bootz
Confused yet? Don’t be! The first step to take is to look around you to see if a white color already exists in your space. This is called a “fixed” white, and it could be your kitchen cabinets, or bathroom tile, or even an appliance, such as a refrigerator. It’s important to work with this fixed white. If your kitchen cabinets are a bright white, then you’ll want the closest match for your trim color. If your white bathroom tile has creamier tones, then you’ll want to go towards a white with a yellow tint.
Photo: Restoration Hardware
If you don’t have any “fixed” white colors, then your best bet is to save your trim color choice for last. Once you have selected your color palette, then you can look to those colors to determine whether you should go for a creamy white or a cooler white. If you’ve selected rich colors, a creamier white trim might soften the contrast, whereas a bright white trim might look too harsh. If you’ve chosen a popular color like Silver Sage, then a crisp white would be the right choice for the trim.
Photo: Jeremy Samuelson for Cottage Living
Stay tuned for a tutorial on the best way to “read” your whites to determine which ones trend creamy and which trend cool and crisp.
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Great! Now, we just need to know HOW to paint the trim… I started in the kitchen, and am having trouble with the method of taping off. Really, I was just stupid and used tape not meant for this job (too early and not enough coffee to remember what it’s called!)… anyway, tips would be great!
Candice, I hear you! The taping is a hassle, but if not done right it can make your hard efforts painting go to waste. I found an article that has good tips here. Hope the suggestions help.
What do you think about ceilings? Should they be painted the same color as the trim? (I just scheduled our painter to bring your room reinvention to life and realized I don’t know the answer to this one.)
Tera, This is subject material for an entire blog post! I’ve read recently that the trend for ceilings is to go with the lightest shade on your wall paint sample card for the ceiling, but that can be tricky when the rooms flow into one another as yours do, and when you’re using different paint colors on the walls of each room. Where would you stop and start? It would look too choppy. Perhaps that is better saved for a bedroom or bathroom. As for your trim color on the ceiling, I think certainly do NOT paint the ceiling with the same can of paint you’re using on the trim. Trim paint should be a glossier finish. It wears more easily and is easier to clean. For your ceilings, use a flat ceiling white paint. It won’t reflect the lighting in the room and won’t show imperfections in the ceiling. Hope this helps! Can’t wait to see your “after” pics. xo, Lisa
I love Behr Swiss Coffee. It’s a great trim and ceiling color and it’s on the shelves at Home Depot. No need to wait for it to be mixed! Boring? maybe, but oh so simple and convenient. And it looks good too.
And Lisa, we have a similar mahogany wood trim in the living room and dining room. Since it’s original and unique, I’m starting to embrace it. Though it could really use some sprucing up – many nicks and scratches over the years. Any ideas to make it look new again – or at least newer?
Hi Heather! I was just reading about Swiss Coffee in HB. Here’s what they said: BEHR SWISS COFFEE 1812: “You know how Navajo White was big in the 1970s? Now it’s Swiss Coffee — lighter, more airy, an off-white with subtle taupe undertones. It’s really popular for trim because it has that little bit of color, which means it blends easily with colored walls. Bright white can be too intense. This is so much better alongside the muted, more sophisticated shades.” -Quinn Larson Do you use a flat finish on the ceilings or same as trim? On the trim front, I’ll check w/ Steve on how to revive the wood trim in your front rooms and get back to you. Thanks for the Swiss Coffee tip. xo, Lisa
[...] back we posted about Choosing the Right White for Trim. It’s been one of our most popular posts. We promised a follow up on which whites trend [...]