Why trim is the slow part of a room
In most rooms, the walls go fast and the trim goes slow. Baseboards, door and window casings, window stools, crown molding and the doors themselves are narrow and detailed, and they take the most knocks. In a house built before 1978, trim also tends to carry the most layers of old paint. This guide covers what drives the price of repainting it. It quotes no prices.
The federal rules that shape the job
Under the federal lead Renovation, Repair and Painting rule, since April 22, 2010 firms doing renovation, repair and painting work that disturbs lead-based paint in homes built before 1978 must hold EPA or state certification and follow specific work practices.
Under EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, anyone paid to do work that disturbs paint in homes, childcare facilities and preschools built before 1978 must hold RRP certification, firms included, even sole proprietorships, and their workers must be trained in lead-safe work practices.
Trim is where those rules bite. Doors rub against frames, windows slide against stools, and baseboards get scuffed, so old paint on trim is often worn and chipping. Sanding it to prepare for new paint disturbs it.
Setting up the room
Lead-safe interior work usually starts with:
- Furniture moved out or covered and sealed.
- Floors covered with plastic, taped at the edges.
- Doorways to other rooms covered.
- Heating and cooling vents in the work area closed and covered.
That setup happens before any scraping. It's real labor, and it's repeated in each room or group of rooms.
Preparing the old finish
Most older trim was painted with oil-based enamel at some point. Water-based paint won't stick to glossy oil enamel without preparation. The usual steps are cleaning, scuff-sanding with dust control (wet sanding or sanders with dust collection), filling dents and cracks, and caulking gaps between trim and wall. Then a bonding primer is applied so the new coats grip. Chipped areas are scraped back to a sound edge, carefully and wet.
Doors
Interior doors can be painted in place or taken down and laid flat. Panel doors take longer than flat doors because each panel has edges and recesses. Doors that stick may need to be planed, which raises a question about old paint: planing the edge of a door disturbs paint, so ask how that's handled. Hardware is removed or masked.
Finish coats
Trim usually gets two coats of a durable enamel in semi-gloss or satin. Waterborne enamels that level well cost more than wall paint but hold up better on surfaces people touch. See paint sheens and finishes for how sheen affects durability and how much it shows flaws.
Cleanup and the final check
When the painting is done, cleanup in lead-safe work goes beyond a quick sweep. Plastic is misted and folded inward, surfaces are cleaned with a HEPA vacuum and wet wiping, and the area is checked for dust and chips. This is part of the price, and it's worth it if you have children in the house. You may ask whether the firm holds RRP certification.
What changes the price
- Linear feet and detail of trim.
- Number of doors, panel or flat, in place or removed.
- Condition of the old paint.
- Containment setup per room.
- Sanding method and dust control.
- Bonding primer and enamel coats.
- Cleanup and checking.
Our interior painting page covers the steps of an interior job, and the pricing guide explains how painting prices are built.