How to Mix Wood and White Trim, Beautifully!
Yes, you can mix wood and white trim in the same house (or, even, in the same room)! Mixing painted and stained trim is completely doable, as long as you keep these tips in mind.
Our modern cottage home has original solid wood trim, crown molding, panel molding, chair rails, and ceiling beams... but... it's only like that in a few of the main rooms. The remaining spaces are filled with the same 3" stained baseboards that fills most homes built in the 1980s.
So, what do you do when some of your home's trim is high quality and the rest is builder grade? Does it all have to be upgraded ($$$)? Or, do you have to paint it all white (bye-bye beautifully stained original wood)?
Is it all or nothing?
The answer is a resounding "no".
Not only can you mix wood and white trim, you can also mix stained trim with painted trim of any color. Mixing trim is not as easy as "all or nothing", but the results are well worth the extra effort (and, it might save you some money, too!).
How to Combine Stained and Painted Trim
1. Decide which Trim will be Stained
First, determine which trim, moldings, and casings will remain in a stained finish (i.e. will not be painted). To make this decision, ask yourself the following questions:
- Do I like this feature of my home in a stained finish?
- Is this trim made with quality wood?
- Does this trim make a statement in my home?
- Is this trim in good condition?
- Does this stained trim work with the "mood" I'd like to create in this room?
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2. Decide which Trim will be Painted
Next, determine which trim, moldings, and casings will be painted. To make this decision, ask yourself the following questions:
- Which wood-stained features do I dislike?
- Is this trim made with inexpensive wood?
- Does this trim distract from other appealing features of my home?
- Is this trim in poor condition?
3. Determine the Start and Endpoints
The trickiest part of mixing stained and painted trim is the start and endpoints. What do I mean by start and endpoints? Well, for example, this question:
"If I paint the baseboards white, should I also paint the stained door casing which opens to the next room?"
This isn't always easy to solve. In fact, in several rooms, I have painted trim up to a certain point and then stopped to mull it over for a while. I'm a visual person, and seeing it in real life helps me make the final decision.
My general rule regarding where to start and to end is this: keep each type of trim consistent within a room (with the exception of window and door casing trim). For example:
- all baseboard in a room is the same color,
- all crown in a room the same color,
- etc.
4. Decide whether each Window Casing will be Painted or Stained
So, do the window casings have to match the crown molding... or the baseboards... or the other windows in the room? Nope!
Rather, for window casing trim, choose stained or painted based on the following criteria:
- if you want windows to feel bigger, choose a low contrast trim color (see image #1, below)
- if you want to highlight windows, choose a high contrast trim color (see image #2, below)
5. Decide whether each Door Casing will be Painted or Stained
Like window casings, door casing trim can also vary within a room.
For door casing trim, choose stained or painted based on the look you want AND the impact on the adjoining room, for example:
- if there is a door, you can finish it in one color to the stop in the door frame and another color past that point (see image #1, below)
- if a cased opening does not contain a door (i.e. a pass-through), paint it all or stain it all based on which is most visually appealing (see images #2 and #3, below)
6. Decide whether Doors will be Painted or Stained
If you have a door between rooms, you'll have to decide whether the door will be stained or painted to match the trim. Just like all trim doesn't have to match, doors don't always have to match the trim, either.
In general, you have 4 choices:
- painted door with painted trim
- stained door with painted trim
- stained door with stained trim
- stained door on one side, painted door on the other side
Typically, I don't recommend the last option. In this post about How to Mix Wood Stained Doors with White Trim, I explain how to decide between the other 3 options.
Examples of Mixing Wood and Painted Trim
Dining Room with Wood and White Trim
For the first example, let's take a look at our homeschool room (also a dining room). I wanted the room to feel light and bright... after all light is imperative in a space for schoolwork.
When we moved in, the crown molding, window trim, chair rail, and baseboards were all stained wood. All that wood trim - combined with blue-gray walls - wasn't adding up to the light and bright space I envisioned.
But, I hated to paint over that gorgeous, thick, stained wood crown molding. How could I lighten up the room without hiding a feature that I loved?
You might also like: How to Brighten a Dark Room
So, I decided to try mixing wood and white trim in the same room (prior to this, I'd only mixed it in the same house). We painted the walls in SW Alabaster and the trim in SW Pure White (to match the adjoining budget-friendly kitchen renovation).
It turned out exactly as I'd hoped! The beautiful crown molding is highlighted because all of the smaller 3" trim blends in with the walls.
Bedroom with Stained and Painted Trim
For the next example, let's take a look at our master bedroom. We wanted this room to feel cozy, warm, and a bit rustic. It's a big room that can handle a deep, dark, paint color and heavy trim.
Plus, the wood beams are the statement piece in this room and I definitely wouldn't want them to fade away with white paint.
However, I wasn't interested in updating the inexpensive baseboards with similar trim to match the ceiling. It would be expensive and difficult to match the stains.
Instead, we chose to replace the 3" baseboards with paintable 1" x 6" boards. I painted the boards with SW Rookwood Dark Green (at 50%) - to match the dark green bedroom walls - which keeps the base trim from competing visually with the ceiling beams and trim.
Plus, I love how the dark green trim contrasts with the grasscloth-covered wall, while also complementing the green curtains (here are 9 more examples of rooms with painted green trim).
Tips & Tricks for Painting Stained Trim
- Use a high-quality semigloss paint, preferably with primer built-in. I like Sherwin William's Emerald Urethane Trim Paint for both trim and cabinetry.
- If your home is older (pre-1978), there is a possibility that there could be lead in the stain, varnish, or original paint. You can buy a lead test kit to confirm the existence of lead. Then, use a lead encapsulating paint as a primer/barrier before painting the trim.
Mix Wood and Painted Trim
Now it's your turn! Embrace the stained trim in your home by making creative choices with trim color.
Have questions? Feel stuck? Leave a comment, below. I'd love to help you figure out how to beautifully combine stained and painted trim in your home!
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My husband doesn’t want to paint our wood trim. The door casings are all beautiful but the baseboards are cheap & don’t match. Can I replace all the baseboards with a 6” board & paint white or would that look odd. To paint all the door casings would be a big task and I would definitely have it done professionally so no chipping or peeling in the future if we went that route. Thoughts? I do need to brighten the home as it does not get much natural light.
Yes, definitely! We have done this exact thing, too (swap out cheap baseboards with 6", paint white, and combine with stained door casings/crown molding). The only thing I'd mention is to think through your wall and furniture colors, too. For example, if you have light walls, do a white 6" baseboard, and make sure to include some wood furniture or decor to tie into the stained door casing. That will make your home feel lighter, brighter, while also highlighting the pretty wood tones! If you are looking to brighten dark rooms up, this post might be helpful too: https://craftivitydesigns.com/brighten-dark-room/ . I hope that helps! Have a great day 🙂
We have a beautiful home but not historic or old. It has birch darker kitchen cabinets and trim (orange, reddish, even yellow tones). My hubby doesn't want to paint that white but he is open to the new additions.
We just added built ins in our open floor plan living room that opens to the kichen. Painting the trim isn't an option so I'm looking to add white via the built ins and then paint the kitchen island the same color. Would this work? If so, what color for walls!? I've been agonizing for months on this and now everything is installed.
I just painted our school room with crown molding in Alabaster and really like it. It's the only room with crown molding though!
Would love you're thoughts!
Sharon
I think painting the built-ins and island white is a perfect way to brighten up your room without painting the stained wood! I love SW Alabaster and have used it throughout my main floor on the walls. It looks lovely with white trim and wood trim. Not sure if you are interested in a white for the walls, but I'd definitely consider Alabaster, if so. If you aren't into white, what colors do you like? The white island/built-ins will look great with just about any color, so select the wall color based on how it will look with the stained wood tones. What types of colors do you like or are considering? Feel free to email me a picture, if you’d like, and I'll see if I can offer any specific suggestions! My email is loragreen@craftivitydesigns.com
I have a combined kitchen/living area. The cabinets, baseboards, trim, crown moulding, fireplace, bookcase built ins and floor are all the same color oak. I don’t hate oak with a passion but that is a bit much. We are getting estimates this week. Would it look bad to only paint the kitchen cabinets, built ins and fireplace and leave the oak trim or perhaps just the moulding? I do have my heart set on painting the fireplace and island SW Cyberspace or something similar but don’t know if having oak, white and that color would be too busy. Thanks!
Hi, Wendy! SW Cyberspace will look great with the oak! What color will your walls be? If the walls are white, I definitely don't think it would be an issue to have a combo of oak & white trim/moulding with the SW Cyberspace island/fireplace. If the walls are a color, it might depend on the color, so let me know and I will do my best to help 🙂 Feel free to email me a picture, if you'd like! My email is loragreen@craftivitydesigns.com
We have cedar cathedral ceilings and don’t care to paint them. All the trim is cedar as well, around the doors, baseboards, windows. Some of the rooms have “regular” molding. Our floors are more gray. Can we paint all the baseboards white? Leave the ceiling and window casings?
Hi, Julie! Yes, you can paint the baseboards white! I actually think that makes a lot of sense with the gray floors and black cabinets. What color is the walls? If the walls are white (or near white), white baseboards will be great. If the walls are a gray for example, with gray floor, then you could go with a painted gray baseboard (here are some examples: https://www.blesserhouse.com/the-best-paint-colors-for-gray-trim/). Either way, the white or light gray are cooler tones that will pair well with black cabinets and let your gorgeous cedar ceilings and window/door trim shine!
Also, our kitchen cabinets are black. 🙂
I have this very problem. We have mostly Oak trim around the main floor. We also have a beautiful in-wall oak book shelf that comes all the way to the floor with oak casing. But our doors are white, and the oak trim around a white door looks pretty stupid.
How bad would it look if all the door casings were white to match the door, but all of the baseboards remained oak?
Would it look better if all of the baseboards were white, except the bookshelf and its oak casing? I refuse to paint the oak bookshelf. I bet the next home owner would as I see so many people doing that =/
Yes, I think it would definitely look fine to paint the door casings and not the base trim. If you look at the 3rd image under point #5 in this post, it is a similar concept (though opposite, because the casing is stained and the base is white). If you aren't sure, you can always paint the casings, then live with it for a few days/weeks. If you like it, leave it as is. If not, you can always paint the base trim afterward. That is probably what I would do (paint casings first, then decide on baseboards). If you do baseboards, stop the white paint before the base trim on the bookcase. In other words, the base trim on the bookcase should remain oak. I hope that helps! Sounds like you have gorgeous built-ins 🙂
We downsized and bought an older home that has tons of wood. I’ve started painting some of it and I love it, but I’m not sure if I should paint all of the wood or leave some. Help!
Sure, Josette! Feel free to send me pics to loragreen@craftivitydesigns.com , if you'd like!
I have oak trim through my whole house. I recently painted my kitchen cabinets off white. I have 2 doors and 3 folding/pantry doors that are in my kitchen- I am replacing them and painting the same as cabinets. Should I replace/ paint the oak trim in this area or can I keep it? It is light/ natural colored stained oak.
Hi, Donna! Sorry it took me a few days to reply. I think you could do either. I like white trim with white doors and generally go that route. However, since the cabinets are white and the doors are white, the wood may look pretty as a contrast. Feel free to send pics if you'd like! My email is loragreen@craftivitydesigns.com
I have a 100 year old house. The living room has a 10 foot built in as well as French doors and trim all in golden oak. The other rooms have some dark trim and bedrooms all have white trim. The living room baseboard trim needs to be replaced but the other rooms have 6 inch original molding. Suggestions please
So cool to have a home that old! I'm jealous 🙂 Bet it has some beautiful features. If the golden oak is not original (which I'm guessing probably not as I don't think that was a common stain in the early 1900s... but I could definitely be wrong), I would probably be inclined to stain the oak trim darker or paint it white. In other words, keep the dark trim and the white trim, as those are most true to the time period that the home was built. For the living room trim - even if you decided to paint the built-ins white - you could still do a dark stained 6" baseboard to match the original baseboard elsewhere in the house.
We want to update our kitchen without doing a expensive kitchen remodel. We have oak kitchen cabinets and pine baseboards, windows, doors and trim stained in a medium stain color. I would like to paint the cabinets white and put in wood look lvp flooring that we would do throughout the first level. Would choose a floor that would tie in the stainless steel appliances,tan walls and existing wood trim,doors etc. My husband doesn't think white cabinets would look good with the existing wood color baseboards and doors and doesn't want to paint the wood trim. Any thoughts or tips?
I think you can definitely make white cabinets look good with the oak trim/baseboards. Here are a few tips I'd offer: [1] bring in some white elsewhere in the room (for example a white piece of furniture on another wall, lighting with a white finish, etc.) [2] paint all of the cabinet trim to match the cabinets (including the toekicks, crown, etc. so that they are a cohesive unit) [3] since the cabinets/doors are different in color, tie them together with hardware - ex: use black hardware for door knobs, door pulls, door hinges, etc.
Here are a few examples online: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/281543716659104/ & https://www.pinterest.com/pin/8796161761232973/
Hope that helps!
I live in a 133 year old Eastlake house. All the woodwork has been painted white but I'd like to paint the chair rail in the family room to match a dark brown embossed leather wallpaper I want to use on the lower half of the walls. Will it look odd with the white door frames and high white baseboards?
No, I don't think it would look odd -- and this is exactly what I would be inclined to do!
I started remodeling: New kitchen, dining room is now a she shed room.
I am struggling with the stain and paint options because of the layout of my rooms and how they run into one other.
1. I have white shiplap that comes up to an oak trim door. Do I pain this white or keep the contrast? The door will remain oak.
2. What determines to paint the floor molding the same color as wall or have a contrast color, either paint white or stain?
3. Do all the doors / pass through in a room need to match with the doors in that room. ie: doors leading to laundry room, outside and pass through to hall.
***4. My kitchen and she shed room run into one another- do I keep the ceiling trim all the same color? The upper kitchen cabinets are white with white trim, the she shed has a beautiful oak trim, that is that statement in the room; that room has a ship lap wall, and a dark blue wall.
Thank you- Lori
1. I think either would be fine in this case, since the door is oak and the shiplap is white. My suggestion would be try it unpainted first, see how you like it. If you don't, then go ahead and paint the trim. I often work in phases like that to live with something before changing it.
2. It's a personal preference and will be based on the room/your style. So, for example, our dining room is also our homeschool room. There is a bookshelf with lots of books, plus a hutch filled with dishes. Therefore, I didn't want to also have contrast on the walls. That is why I did white base trim, white walls, white chair rail. So, rather than wall color dictating the choice, it was based on "how much contrast do I want & what do I want the focal points in this room to be". I hope that helps!
3. Nope! One pass through into our dining room is white trim, and the other is oak trim. Same could be done for doors, as long as it looks intentional (i.e. ties in with the adjoining spaces).
4. If the oak trim is beautiful and a statement in the room, then I would try to figure out how to leave it oak. You'll have to figure out where/how to make the change from white to oak, but I think it would be the right choice. Feel free to send a pic to loragreen@craftivitydesigns.com, if you'd like me to take a look!
Need your expert opinion please - we are in the process of painting all our stained trims, baseboards and doors to white. Planning to keep the stained windows as it is. Would this look odd? Please let me know
thanks in advance
No it wouldn't look odd! A popular trend has been black window frames with white painted baseboard. The black window frame highlights the window and the view. Stained window frames will have the same effect, they will draw the eye to the window and make it a focal point.
@Lora Green, thanks for your time Lora! 🙂
We have oak pillars and oak trim and doors. Could I paint the pillars and stair spindles white and leave the rest oak?
Yes, definitely! I think that would work very well.
Hi!
We are about to close on our first home and we are SO excited...just worried about the headache of very dark, walnut? trim that is on walls, doors, & windows. The house is average but not large, and I worry it's making the space smaller. There is beautiful dentil molding on top but thin 3" molding on the baseboard. Would you recommend replacing the 3" stained baseboard with white trim and leaving the dentil stained as is? Then comes the headache of what to do with the doors and windows....to leave the door casings and windows stained? Swap for white doors? We also plan to refinish all floors with a more natural stain color as right now its dark as well and paint the walls with something light and neutral to help. Any recommendations are appreciated 🙂
This sounds similar to my dining room (cheap baseboard with beautiful crown moulding). I would paint the walls white and do white base trim, so that the dark walnut dentil crown moulding would become the feature in the room. It sounds gorgeous! If the door/window casings are also high-quality walnut trim, I'd keep them stained as another architectural feature. If they are cheap 3" trim like the baseboards, I'd probably paint them white. I hope that helps!