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04 · Interior

Trim, doors and railings

Trim is where a paint job is judged, because it is the one line your eye follows around the room. Absolut fills every nail hole, caulks every gap, sands the old finish dull and brushes or sprays two coats of a waterborne enamel built for trim. Doors come off their hinges and are sprayed flat where it suits. Stair railings and spindles are sanded and finished by hand.

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White painted baseboard and door casing meeting a grey wall with a clean edge, concept imageryConcept imagery
What is included

On the quote, from the start.

  1. 01Baseboards, door and window casings, crown, wainscoting and built-ins prepped and painted
  2. 02Nail holes and dents filled, every joint and wall gap caulked, and the old finish sanded for adhesion
  3. 03A bonding primer on glossy or oil-based finishes so the new enamel does not peel
  4. 04Two coats of waterborne enamel, such as Benjamin Moore Advance or Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane, in satin or semi-gloss
  5. 05Interior doors removed and sprayed flat, or brushed in place where removal is not practical
  6. 06Stair rails, newel posts and spindles sanded, primed where needed and finished with a brush
What moves the quote

No figures published. The drivers, in order.

DriverWhat we look at
Metres of trim and number of doorsEach door has two faces and four edges. A main floor with ten doors and crown throughout is a different job from a hallway.
Existing finishPreviously painted trim needs a sand and two coats. Stained and varnished trim needs degreasing, a thorough sand and a bonding primer first.
Profile and detailFlat modern trim brushes quickly. Colonial profiles, panelled doors and turned spindles take more time per piece.
Spray or brushSpraying doors and rails gives the smoothest finish but needs more masking. We recommend the method that suits each piece.

Trim is often added to an interior walls quote, and the two together take fewer days than booking them apart because the room is only protected once. The quote shows trim as its own line either way. Read the cost guide.

How this job runs

Walk-through, prep, paint, walk-through.

The four steps in full.

John measures the trim, counts the doors and checks whether the existing finish is latex, oil or varnish, because that decides the primer. The written quote names the enamel, the sheen and whether each door is sprayed or brushed.

Floors are papered along every wall and the walls are masked where needed. Nail holes are filled and sanded flush, joints are caulked, and the old finish is sanded dull. Glossy or oil-based trim gets a bonding primer. Doors are unhinged, labelled and set up in a spray area.

Two coats of enamel go on, with a light sand between them. Tape is pulled while the last coat is still soft, so the line at the wall is clean without a ridge. The job takes [n] days and ends with a walk-through, with the doors rehung and the hardware back on.

Questions about trim, doors and railings

Satin or semi-gloss on trim?

Semi-gloss is the traditional choice and wipes clean, but it shows every flaw in old trim. Satin is forgiving and looks more current. In a new build or on freshly filled trim, either works. On older trim with dents and layers, satin hides more. We bring a sample of each to the walkthrough.

Can you paint over oil-based trim with latex?

Yes, with the right prep. The old oil finish is cleaned, sanded dull and coated with a bonding primer, then the waterborne enamel goes over it. Skipping the primer is why latex over oil peels in sheets. Advance and Emerald Urethane were made for this job and dry to a hard, oil-like film.

Can you paint stained oak trim and railings white?

Yes. Stained and varnished wood needs a full degrease, a hard sand and a stain-blocking bonding primer so tannins do not bleed through the white. Oak grain will show faintly under the paint unless it is filled first. Railings are done by hand so the profile stays crisp.

Do you take the doors off to paint them?

Where it suits, yes. A door sprayed flat gets a level finish with no drips at the panels. Doors that cannot come off, or in a home where the rooms must stay closed, are brushed in place with a fine finish brush. Hinges and hardware are removed, not painted around.

How long does trim take to harden?

Waterborne enamel is dry to the touch in a few hours and can be handled the next day, but it keeps curing for [n] weeks. In that time, close doors gently and avoid leaning things against the baseboards. Once cured it is as hard as the old oil paint and wipes clean.

Trim, doors and railings by municipality

Where we do this one.

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