Trim is priced differently from walls
Walls are rolled; trim is brushed. A painter can cover a large wall in the time it takes to prepare and paint a single six-panel door properly. That's why a proposal for trim and doors alone can surprise people who expected it to be a small add-on. This guide sets out what drives the cost of this job, so the proposal makes sense when it arrives. We don't publish prices.
Counting what's there
Painters usually price trim by the piece or by the linear foot, and doors by the side. Before anyone visits, it helps to make your own list:
- interior doors, counting each side and noting panel or flat style;
- door casings and the jambs inside the opening;
- baseboards and any shoe molding along them;
- window casings, stools and aprons;
- crown molding, chair rails and other decorative runs;
- closet doors, including bifolds and sliders;
- stair stringers, balusters and handrails.
Panel doors, louvered closet doors and turned balusters take far longer than flat surfaces. A house with many of them will cost more than its size suggests.
What's on there now
The existing finish shapes the preparation:
- Glossy enamel in good condition needs cleaning and a scuff-sand so new paint can grip.
- Old oil-based enamel needs a bonding primer before water-based paint goes over it; latex straight over oil can peel off in strips.
- Chipped or alligatored paint needs scraping and sanding to a smooth edge, or stripping in bad cases.
- Stained or clear-finished wood being painted for the first time needs cleaning, sanding and a stain-blocking primer.
A quick test tells which you have: rub a hidden spot with rubbing alcohol. Latex softens; oil doesn't. Ask the painter whether they've tested.
Caulk, filler and the look of the finish
Gaps where trim meets the wall, nail holes and open miters all show through glossy paint. Filling and caulking them is slow, careful work, and it's what separates crisp trim from tired trim. Ask whether caulking and filling every gap is included, or only the obvious ones.
Coats and enamel
Trim and doors usually get a durable enamel in satin or semi-gloss. Enamels level better than wall paint but need time between coats, and doors have to be laid flat or hung to dry. Expect two coats over primed repairs. Some painters remove doors and spray them; others brush them in place. Spraying needs masking and a place to work; brushing takes longer per door. Our sheens guide explains why trim usually gets more sheen than walls.
Older trim and lead
EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule requires anyone paid to do work that disturbs painted surfaces in homes built before 1978 to use a lead-safe firm and trained workers; EPA says about three-quarters of U.S. homes built before 1978 still contain some lead-based paint. Trim, doors and windows see the most sanding and friction, so in an older home they're the surfaces where this question is most likely to come up. Containment, dust control and cleanup add time to the job, and the price reflects it.
The C-33 classification
California's Contractors State License Board issues a C-33 Painting and Decorating Contractor classification. If it matters to you, ask the painter whether they hold it; that is the one credential question on this page.
Paperwork on the contract
CSLB's consumer guide says contractors must give home improvement consumers a "Mechanics Lien Warning," and subcontractors and material suppliers must give the owner a Preliminary Notice of their lien right within 20 days of delivering materials or starting work. If a notice like that arrives in your mail, don't ignore it; read CSLB's guide, linked in the card below, and ask the painter about it.
Sorting out a proposal
- Is every door, casing and run of baseboard listed?
- What primer, if any, goes over the old finish?
- Will doors be removed and sprayed, or brushed in place?
- Is caulking and filling included throughout?
- How many coats of what enamel, in which sheen?
Our interior painting page explains interior work, and our pricing guide covers the wider cost picture.