Software
Houzz Logo Print
sbm321

Painting window trim but not doors?

11 months ago

In our bedroom, we have an entry door and closet door that are stained wood, original to the house. Previous owners must have painted the window trim white at some point, then re-painted them a brownish color that replicates the original wood tone. It looks okay, but if you really look it’s obvious that it’s paint, not stain — but who even goes in that room anyway? Just us. From the hall, if you look in, it all looks like matching woodwork.


Anyway. We are having the walls painted, probably a medium green, and I am thinking maybe I’ll have the window trim painted in the wall color (in semi gloss). Is it weird to do that with the window trim but not the doors/trim?


We have two other bedrooms that have white painted window trim, white door trim, but stained doors. Should I paint the door trim green (but leave the doors stained)?


This is the room before we lived here. Can’t see the doors here though.


Comments (24)

  • 11 months ago

    I would prefer the door and window trim be white with the door left stained. I don't think I would like the window and door trim being the same as the walls. JMHO

    Sueb20 thanked lizbeth-gardener
  • 11 months ago

    If I am brave enough, it will be a color similar to this. Should I do the ceiling? Oh and the baseboards? Yikes. Or I suppose I could do white trim like the other bedrooms…the darker the wall color, the more I am tempted to just do white trim.



    This is the wallpaper on the wall behind the bed.



  • 11 months ago

    I would do everything one color. Different sheens. I think white will stand out way too much. The wallpaper is beautiful and this could be a beautiful moody room.

    Sueb20 thanked njmomma
  • 11 months ago

    I retract my comment. If the paint is that dark I think white might be too much of a contrast. I would go green or leave the wood.

    Sueb20 thanked lizbeth-gardener
  • 11 months ago

    3k, yes, I had the same thought — not a white-white trim.


    BTW I looked at the other rooms and duh, the inside of the entry doors are painted white. The outside (facing hallway) is stained, as is all the trim in the hall.


    I guess my main question was whether I should treat the doors, windows (and baseboard) all the same.


    Every other room in the house has white trim except for our bedroom and the bedroom next to it. It is a bit weird. Maybe someone intended to paint it all white but ran out of steam. Or paint, haha.

  • 11 months ago
    last modified: 11 months ago


    Should I do the ceiling? Oh and the baseboards? Yikes.


    @Sueb20, only because I really really like you, did I dig through Laurel Bern’s blog (that hates my iPad) to show you these 2 pictures of a deep color in a more or less monochromatic room.

    The first is her upstairs den



    The second is her downstairs entryway and staircase



    I’m unsure of whether or not they are the same colors. That’ll take more digging than I am up for this evening.

    Sueb20 thanked bbstx
  • 11 months ago

    Ha ha bb, maybe I was subconsciously influenced by her, because I have been following her saga!


    Thank you. I am looking at her pics again thinking I may not be that bold. I'd better get me some off white color samples.

  • 11 months ago

    I like the drama of the rooms Laurel Bern did, but I doubt that I could live with them long term.


    My favorite off-white is Sherwin Williams 1095 ”Off-White.” You cannot find the color online. I’m not even sure SW has a swatch in the stores. You may have to have them mix a sample pot. It is the color of all of the trim in my house, all of the cabinets - kitchen and bathroom, and the MBR. I used it when we built 14 years ago and I’ve used it as recently as 2 years ago, so I suspect they still have it.

    Sueb20 thanked bbstx
  • 11 months ago

    I love walls and trim painted the same color in different sheens. I feel it is especially appropriate in older houses. I think the trim will look fantastic green. I’d do all the trim the same.

    Sueb20 thanked localeater
  • 11 months ago

    Sueb20, if you recall, in almost every room in our last house I did color washing with the same paint. I loved each room done this way. They feel more cozy or elegant, depending on the furnishings. I would do it again in a heartbeat. The only rooms I would not do are ones with unpainted beams. Only did not do in the kitchen or laundry room in our last house.



    Sueb20 thanked Allison0704
  • 11 months ago

    I'm of two minds. White trim against such dark walls will make a statement and could make the room feel smaller. And I would only do it if the elements like windows and doors are symmetrical. I like a more monochromatic look, but I also tend to feel that the trim paradigm should be consistent throughout the house.

    Sueb20 thanked mtnrdredux_gw
  • 11 months ago

    I love painted woodwork, but in your home, because of age and style, I think I would go with stained. I would also be consistent through the house.

    Sueb20 thanked Tina Marie
  • 11 months ago

    Whole home trim color consistecy, especially in bedrooms, isn’t important to me but I could not wake up happy in a moody bedroom. Kinda’ like window trim and baseboards in a shinier same color but I think I’d need an off white ceiling for emotional stability.

    Sueb20 thanked lisaam
  • 11 months ago

    Well, I am only painting this one room right now so no matter what, the trim won't be consistent through the house. Two bedrooms currently have stained trim, plus the exterior door/trim on the second floor is stained, as is the stair trim. And I am not painting everything right now but if we do paint our bedroom trim white/cream, I think when it's time to repaint the remaining stained-trim bedroom, we'd paint that trim too.


    Right now I am leaning toward (1) leaving trim as is or (2) painting white/cream.

    Option three: leave trim as is but maybe paint later if I still want to?


    The two colors so far that are working well with all the elements in the room are Rosemary Sprig and Nantucket Gray for darker colors, or Lichen Stone for a lighter option.


    Here's a pretty good pic of Rosemary Sprig that shows white trim, but the woodwork here is pretty similar to our current trim. I think it looks good with the wood tones but also with the white trim.



    Funny how Nantucket Gray (Below) in this pic looks as dark as the Rosemary Sprig. IRL, it is a bit lighter. But again there are wood tones below similar to our trim, and white trim and I think it works with both.



    For a lighter option, Lichen Stone works too.



  • 11 months ago

    PS


    Nantucket on top, Rosemary below.


    Lichen on top, Rosemary below.



  • 11 months ago

    Rosemary 🙂

    Sueb20 thanked mtnrdredux_gw
  • 11 months ago

    Oops the darker color in the pic next to window trim is Dry Sage — which actually works better with the other elements.


    I think I’m going to leave trim as is. But maybe paint the ceiling, like 50% of the wall color.

  • 11 months ago

    That sounds like a great plan

    Sueb20 thanked njmomma
  • 11 months ago

    Thinking Gray Mirage for ceiling. Dry Sage for walls.


    Now I need more light sources. This mirror is cute but does nothing. I found a 30” round mirror with simple black frame at Rejuvenation. On sale with tax and shipping it was around $450. I found a reasonable facsimile at Target for $80. It’s worth a try — it will be ready to pick up at the store Monday.


    I love our OH light but it has one 60” bulb and might need to be replaced with something that has 2 or 3 bulbs. (Funny how dark the wall looks here; totally not accurate.) Haven’t found anything yet.


  • 11 months ago
    last modified: 11 months ago

    Omg, you and I are looking at the same colors Sue. I'm at the end of a big primary bedroom/bath remodel and need to get the paint colors to the contractor by tomorrow. I was planning to use Gray Mirage for the bedroom walls and Dry Sage for the bathroom (matches the shower tiles). However this morning I just switched everything to Spring Thaw. I also debated color drenching everything with Spring Thaw, but am now leaning towards only color drenching the bathroom. There will be a mural in that room so I think it can handle it.

    Anyhow, I love what you have selected. I probably would have voted for painting everything in Rosemary if I saw this before you made your choice. I'd even paint over the stained door, as I assume it would still be stained on the hallway side. That way if you opened the door into the bedroom you'd see the wood tone but would have the serenity of all one color in the room.

    Love your wallpaper.

    Sueb20 thanked teeda
  • 11 months ago

    That’s funny! I like Rosemary but the Dry Sage looks better with the rug and wallpaper.

  • 11 months ago

    I love the colors/tones you are going for and can't wait to see the finished space!

    Sueb20 thanked teeda
  • 11 months ago
    last modified: 11 months ago

    The trim does not have to be the color of the doors. Paint the trim around the windows white and the same white and finish (semi-gloss) for the trim around the doors. If you have baseboard, paint it white.



    Sueb20 thanked elcieg