If they are narrow, not very interesting, or not in great condition I usually paint them the wall color.

I do believe it would look very odd. I have never, ever seen molding or trim painted the same color as the wall. Even if it is small trim, which is actually fairly common in some newer homes, especially tract/spec homes, the trim is still usually either white or stained wood.

The trim is a very important element in a house and painting it the same color of the wall, even if it is small, you lose all benefit from the trim, even at its small size.

It's a more modern look, the trim painted the color of the wall. Our house is MCM and we have the walls the same color as the trim and doors -- the later in a semi gloss. Everything then sort of fades into the background. It works.

Does the room adjoin other rooms where the transition in the paint color would look awkward?

Actually, the rooms on either side (kitchen and foyer) both have wider stained baseboards, about 4": we replaced the old ones when both of those floors were replaced (oak in one and marble in the other). But there are no plans to do that with the dining room, as it would entail taking out the carpeting, which is still in very good shape.

Generally you shouldn't have to remove carpet to replace baseboards...

I have seen baseboards painted the same as the walls, in the same finish. Honestly, to me, it reminds me of the cheap way out that you see when a landlord sprays the paint on the walls in an apartment.

That said, two inch trim is very small. I consider our trim small, and it is three inches.You say that they are currently light, with a dark wall color, and you do not like them. Seems like painting them out to the wall color is your solution. I just wonder, given they are so small, if the end result might be a feeling that there are no baseboards, and the walls will feel unfinished.

I have scrawny moldings and painted them the same color and paint as the walls.

It looks better that way than the one room where the moldings were painted white - the molding does nothing architecturally, and visually is was a single pin-stripe.

If the base is very narrow it is not necessarily decorative, it's functional. All trim was applied originally to cover gaps or joints between differing planes or materials, and then they started making it decorative, since it needed to be there. Your moulding is mostly to cover the gap between the bottom of the drywall and the floor. I am not sure a tiny white stripe near the floor will add anything.

I have seen No mouldings at all in a very modern house...this level of finish is expensive, because there can be no imperfections since there isnt trim to cover them.

You could make them appear taller by masking a line a few inches higher than where the real baseboard tops out and filling in with trim color so the eye perceives a 5" tall baseboard.
Casey

I would probably carry the wall color to the floor but use a satin or semi-gloss on the trim to avoid the look of a cheap landlord spray paint job.

I do not like baseboards to be the same color as the walls. It is one of my pet peeves....
The trim should be contrasting or complementary and not the same color.
You could go a shade or 2 lighter or darker than the wall and also do a different sheen, but doing the same color looks off to me. It may be a little thing, but it has impact.

You could make them appear taller by masking a line a few inches higher than where the real baseboard tops out and filling in with trim color so the eye perceives a 5" tall baseboard.

I have also seen a small piece of flat trim applied a few inches above the narrow baseboard, and the entire area painted the trim color to give the illusion of taller baseboards.

In my area it became "standard" some years ago to omit the baseboards in carpeted areas. I think that one of the local builders started this as a cost cutting measure, and the rest joined in. This county is the only place I have ever lived in where I've seen that done on a widespread basis.

Trim and wall color same in colonial revival setting:
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In a contemporary manner (base and handrail)

In a transitional setting:

I am looking for one I have of a historic room.

Here all the trim was painted the wall color to highlight the Ionic pilasters at the window, the door architrave(out of frame) and the bracket ceiling moulding (all done in off white.)

I don't really have an opinion one way or the other, but I wanted to illustrate in this photos that that the trim still adds its benefits, and it does not look cheap, lazy, or incomplete. Its just another option

Paint a different color, and carry the color onto the wall in a 2" band to give the appearance of better trim. :)

Yes, I am kinda joking...

Trim is one of those things I never really notice. With it just being 2" I think I'd go the same color as the walls. Monochromatic trim/walls has a bit of a soothing look to me. And really, I don't think I'd want to pull anyone's eyes to my 2" trim.

So many opinions! I�m still having trouble deciding, but now I have some new ideas. Thanks!

The idea of masking off an area above the molding, and painting it and the trim the contrasting color to look wider, is really interesting. Or adding a strip of molding, though that is obviously much more work.

One of the things that is bothering me is that the two adjacent rooms now have wider stained oak molding. It bothers me where the old narrow and new wider molding meets, not just from the width perspective, but the color. Especially with the dark painted wall, that narrow bitty strip of white just annoys me. In my house it seems just to help show up the dust bunnies. At the very minimum, I need to paint it a much darker shade than white. The furniture is dark: I should probably paint the strip medium brown (or glaze it brown). Though then I have the window frames to consider, and if they need to match the baseboard.

My vote is to have a contrast. Our house had narrow baseboards before we remodeled, the bedrooms still do, but the contrast really does show up with narrow baseboards. To me, it helps frame a wall.

Palimpsest, are these rooms that you found in pix, or do you have knowledge of how they are painted? The first two both look to me like they have different color trim, or at least different sheen, from the wall colors.

I use this site to continually work on training my âÂÂeyeâÂÂ, so that is why I ask. Thanks,

All the trim is in a different sheen. In the first picture I know the walls are flat and the trim is satin, and satin will always look darker at least a little bit.

In the black stairwell, the walls are BM matte, which has a slight sheen and the trim and rails are either satin or semi gloss.

I believe the others are combinations of flat and satin.

I do think the trim should be a different finish, if not a different color. I have also done this by painting the entire thing in the wall paint and then paint over the trim in satin water based polyurethane.

Just in case you think I don't like contrast, here is the top of the black stairwell. Its also a case for not having all trim be the same color. White trim would not look good on the handrails and base downstairs, and black trim would not look good in the upper hall, so they are different.

Just as an example, I did this in my dining room. Previous owners put in this crown, which I don't like but am too lazy to take down. So instead I painted it and the baseboards. I think it makes the low ceilings look higher...

"I do think the trim should be a different finish, if not a different color. I have also done this by painting the entire thing in the wall paint and then paint over the trim in satin water based polyurethane."

Interesting idea, palimpsest, thanks! That would save work, too, no need to mask off one time, at least. The clear would be very easy to apply with out needing to mask, either, I think.

linnea, scroll down to jilljohn's bedroom pic with her narrow baseboard painted the same as the wall. Looks good! Would your's look anything like this? While I love white trim, if it only 2 inches, I think I would paint it the wall color.

Tuesday

Here is a link that might be useful: similar thread

My trim is just as narrow as that. (Though in a carpeted room). With dark walls, though, the white REALLY stands out. That's what I object to right now: though it would look great if it was nice molding.

ftr, in our modernish house we got fairly small trim and painted it the same color as the room, just in a semigloss. We like it. You still see it, because of the sheen, but it doesn't scream out "TRIM HERE". Makes for a lot of quarts of paint hanging around afterwards if you didn't paint all the rooms the same (which we didn't), but oh well.

Okay, IâÂÂve tried the idea of making them appear taller by masking a line a few inches higher than where the real baseboard tops out and filling in with trim color.

The pictures are below. The masking tape, which is green, is still on there, in case I decide to do more. But it may make it harder for you to tell.

In the first one you can see where it meets the taller baseboard in the foyer. You can also see that the paint is about two shades darker than the window trim color.

In the second is a larger section of the room, where you might get an idea of how it blends in.

I have mixed feelings about the result. IâÂÂm not sure if the âÂÂillusionâ is successful. Putting molding all around the room would be the right answer, but IâÂÂm not up for that. IâÂÂm thinking about putting a darker translucent glaze over it, in a walnut color, thinking that if itâÂÂs closer to the color of the adjacent moldings, and the furniture, that might make it work. Or even some tromp dâÂÂoeil lighter/darker lines to make it look more 3 dimensional. Not that that would be a snap, either.

What do you think? Thanks!

I vote for paint the wall color -- that's what I've been doing at our house until we can afford to replace w/something nicer. I think 2" baseboard trim is rather utilitarian and I prefer not to highlight it's presence. Also it will be a lot easier for you to paint it than to go through the trouble of trying to create the illusion of better trim.

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If you went to Home Depot and Lowe's and got the plasticky (I can't remember what it is, but it isn't wood) type thin molding it would be easy for you to add as a line there. That would make it look like a feature instead. They are easier than wood to work with hence the suggestion for that.

If you don't do that I would just paint them the same as the wall color, but in a sheen up from the wall paint as I don't care for the illusion one without a trim piece. For me adding the trim would be easier than painting a shadow.

You mean the stuff thatâÂÂs like foam, right? IâÂÂve seen it but donâÂÂt recall it coming in small profiles. I was toying with that idea, just putting something very narrow at the top edge, and having it, the existing bottom molding, and the wall space in between painted the same color. Could tack it on with very small nails, or even hot glue, maybe. I wonder what would look convincing in that position?

Are you on a tight budget? If you can afford it, maybe just hire a finish carpenter to come in and give you some trim that's the size you want. Sorry if this seems obvious, I don't see it addressed anywhere.

Is the wallpaper and chair rail border staying? I would probably go with wallcolor at a higher sheen. I think trying to get it to match the stained wood would almost be more work than taking the moulding off and putting stained in. And I think putting smaller trim up higher is a great idea but again not that much easier than taking out what is there and matching the rest.

I like how your experiment turned out, but I agree with everything lyfia said. You should go ahead and install the trim piece. It shouldn't be that difficult a job and it won't require power tools. Ask a manager at the hardware store to set you up with a knowledgeable employee to give you a little hands-on tutorial on coping inside corners; mitering outside corners (if you have them); making scarf joints for long runs; and hanging trim with a hammer and nailset. You can find so much online for each of these "tricks of the trade". Not sure from the photos how your painted trim terminates when it meets the stained trim, but you'll want to terminate in the same manner as the existing base. It should be an easy install since it's such a small diameter trim piece. Your dining room is gonna look awesome!

I can't take it out. Doing that in another room tore up the drywall in a major way. IâÂÂm not up for doing more major wall patching. The molding also runs behind a china cabinet that is, essentially, not moveable: so that section could not be removed anyway.

I live in an area where no finish carpenter would touch such a small job, so thatâÂÂs out. I couldnâÂÂt even get someone to hang an exterior door until I made the job into 4 doors and trim.

I think IâÂÂll try the smaller diameter molding above, since both colors are already painted and there would be a line or ridge now if I tried to recoat the wall in the blue green. The wallpaper border is going to be covered in a new, architectural border that looks like egg and dart molding. Thanks, all!

Yes the foam stuff - they have some small narrow pieces. I used some once on a vanity to fill in a narrow gap and make it look like inset doors. Much easier to work with than regular wood. BTW I personally changed out all baseboards and added window trim to my old house so this would be so much simpler to me. I'm considering doing this in our master bedroom, but with a few panels etc. to make a low wainscoting similar to what you see in late 1800's buildings in Sweden.

The cuts were much easier with the hard foam stuff and I just did those with a hand mitter saw vs. dragging out my compound miter saw.

I wouldn't use hot glue though - think it would be too thick on the back, but an all purpose construction adhesive or other glue should be fine.

Changing out the baseboards isn't as easy as it sounds with carpet tack strips in the area unless the base thickness is less or the same as the existing base board. Also with the carpet in place it is hard to see that you get the correct gap needed.

Thank you! I can see adding some trim, not pulling out the old. I have enough experience with hand mitering that IâÂÂm confident I could pull it off well enough. Plus, nothing is at eye level! :)

Working around the carpet, as you say, would be a major pain. I will go out today or tomorrow and see what I can find.

How about when the painter paints over the laundry cabinet hinges, cheap looking!