Baseboards usually look unified with the space same color as doors & trims.

A photo of your baseboards will determine if you want a white to match other trim/doors, etc. or if you have builder grade that is best receding into the walls (same color) or if you have another situation that needs to be addressed?

Baseboards should be painted the same as the rest of the trim.

Photos are in the link in the original post.

Since mentioned scoffed up & dinged, this is a fix. 1 thing shoe molding does, too, is keep things from hitting the baseboard.

Also, sometimes shoe molding is necessary depending on the gap of flooring to wall.

If changing molding to less thick, Take all old off & measure the biggest gap, to know what thickness is needed or just get the same in place.

There is many applications to baseboards. It depends on the situation & the style to achieve.

Post a photo of, so we can answer more relevant to your situation.

Keep 'em white. They look good and will go with the clean and modern feel you're after.

That is a terrible paint job. You need good paint that can be scrubbed clean. And that will stick to the baseboard! :)

Baseboards will needs lots of cleaning, filling, sanding etc, before you can paint with a high quality paint. Also looks like your walls need painting as well.

Clean , Sand , prime, paint, caulk. High quality paint. Pro. Done. There's no other magic, and there is nothing wrong with them that the "cure" won't fix. Looks like an older home, plaster walls. That's the beauty of older homes. New homes look different. : ) Because they are new. And usually the trim is MDF. Which moves less than the real wood will move

Would hiring someone to sand, prime and repaint existing baseboard end up costing more than just swapping out with all-new prefinished baseboards that need to be cut to size?

You will probably also damage the wall by removing the baseboard, and will require some patching.

I would get 2 estimates. 1 for replacing with new or 1 for fixing what you have. All new costs more in material. Fixing what you have, labor time. I would hire a finisher carpenter who specializes in trim work. Not all carpenters are good finishers.

I'd go taller on baseboards to hide the current areas between wall and baseboard (and having to repaint walls?). It's better to see what is going on in the house with photos of the main rooms that you find concerning. Once we see photos, options will be fewer and more precise, as we will have had the opportunity to see what you see beyond walls and baseboards.

Just found your other thread and definitely taller...much more chic!

I don't know what caused the damage, but if it's possible to happen again, shoe molding or quarter round might of prevented the baseboard from getting damaged. Depends what's hitting against & height of. might want to consider adding this, so next time just the molding will be switching out or touched up & not the whole baseboard.

I found an article that says, if the rooms are small, you should paint the trim and baseboards a similar or the same color to make the rooms seem larger. .

https://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/color/news/a8309/small-room-paint-colors/

The issue I see with that is that if I want to change the wall colors in the future, the trim will probably also need to be repainted a new color that goes with the new wall color which will make future repainting with a new color a bigger and more expensive job.

The issue I see with that is that if I want to change the wall colors in the future, the trim will probably also need to be repainted a new color that goes with the new wall color which will make future repainting with a new color a bigger and more expensive job.

Yep. Which is why it's not a good plan.

Magazines and blogs are the absolutely worst sources for color advice.