A trim-only job is its own kind of job
Sometimes the siding is fine and only the trim looks tired: window casings, sills, sashes, fascia, corner boards, door frames and the front door itself. A trim-and-doors job is common, and its cost logic is different from a full repaint. Trim is narrow, detailed and full of edges, so it's priced by time and detail more than by area. This guide explains what drives that time. It quotes no prices.
Measuring trim
Painters may count trim in linear feet, by the number of windows and doors, or simply by the hours they expect. What adds time:
- Profile. Flat boards are quick. Molded casings, dentils and brackets are slow.
- Number of windows. Each one has casing, sill, apron and sometimes sashes and muntins.
- Two-colour schemes. A body color, a trim color and an accent on sashes or doors means more cutting in.
- Height. Upper-floor windows need ladders or staging.
The sill problem
Window sills face up. Water sits on them, sun bakes them, and paint fails there first. Sills often need the most scraping and sometimes epoxy filler or replacement. NOAA's engineering weather data for South Bend, near Michigan City lists a 50-year basic wind speed of 90 mph (3-second gust at 33 feet), a 100-year rainfall rate of 3.0 inches per hour and about 54 freeze-thaw cycles in an average year. Freeze-thaw cycles work on any water that gets into a cracked sill or an open joint, so good preparation on sills is where the money is best spent.
Glazing and sashes
Older wood windows have glazing putty holding the glass. When it cracks or falls out, it needs to be removed and replaced before painting, which is slow, careful work. Painting sashes means masking or scraping paint off the glass and keeping the sashes from sticking shut. If you want windows to stay operable, say so; it changes how they're done.
Caulk and rot
Every joint between trim and siding, and around each window, is checked and re-caulked. Soft wood is probed. Small soft spots can be consolidated and filled; larger ones mean cutting in new wood. Ask how rot repair is priced: per repair, per board, or by the hour.
Doors
An entry door takes daily handling. It's usually painted in a durable enamel, often in a higher sheen. Removing the door, painting it flat and rehanging it gives the best finish but takes longer. Painting in place is quicker but needs care so the door doesn't stick to weatherstripping. Hardware is removed or masked. Storm doors and garage doors are separate items.
Product choice
Exterior trim enamels cost more than body paint, and they're used in smaller quantities. Semi-gloss and gloss sheens show every flaw, so preparation has to be careful. See paint sheens and finishes for more.
Older paint on trim
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. On a house built before 1978, window and door trim is exactly where friction and scraping disturb paint. Expect containment below each window, careful cleanup of chips from sills and the ground, and no dry sanding without dust control. Those steps take time and show up in the price.
Where quotes differ
- How many windows, and how detailed the trim.
- Whether sashes are painted and kept working.
- Glazing putty replacement.
- Amount of rot repair.
- Doors removed or painted in place.
- Older-paint work practices.
See exterior painting for how an exterior job is done, and our pricing guide for how painting prices are put together.