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Need help with baseboard/trim color

14 years ago

Hello,

I am remodeling my townhouse. I am going for a soft contemporary look. Not cold modern.

My floors are a dark walnut, the paint in the home is Ralph Lauren Cinderblock, a long accent wall in Behr Pencil Point, and I also used Behr Elephant skin.

I have 5" baseboards installed.

The room is somewhat dark so I want to do white baseboards that pop out (plan to add crown molding later)

What color white can you recommend. The baseboards were previously painted Swiss Coffee, and that is also the color my painter came up with. Should I use this or should I go with a bright white?

Do I play it safe and stick with semi gloss, or should I follow some advice I have seen on the web and go with a bright white high gloss?

I guess the baseboards and door jambs will be painted this color. I will also be new interior panel doors. Do I use the color that I chose for the trim and use an eggshell like the rest of the home? I am guessing that you dont paint doors with semi gloss/high gloss paint.

Thanks for the help

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Comments (2)

PRO
Lori A. Sawaya
14 years ago
All the trim and doors in my house are a high-gloss bright white. Oil. Builder made those choices. It's fine, can't say I love it tho. Touching it up is a complete and total PITA - actually it's impossible if I'm being honest.

Definitely get samples of both options - play with them for a few days, look, evaluate. It will help you determine what you really want. Egg & Swiss Coffee or a punch of shiny white.
jessicaml
14 years ago
There was just a discussion in Home Decorating where someone was debating about Swiss Coffee vs. bright white. She started with Behr colors but ended up with Valspar.

Here is a link that might be useful: Help! Quick! Swiss Coffee? Bright White? Buying today!
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I think those would work well, but the tops will get dusty. Just fair warning. LOL. Hope you have a long reaching hose on your vacuum with a brush end. I do and it helps. Will you be mitering the corners on the trim work or doing butt or combination (rosettes) butt joints?
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We have an old house. Much of the trim didn't match between the old 1850ish and the addition of 1889. No one ever noticed. If the size of the 2 trims don't compliment each other, that would be more of a giveaway.
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White trim.
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Even if you paint the baseboards white under the cream cabinets, they will read a creamy color as they reflect the cabinet color and will be in shadow under the toe kick. We have been upgrading to taller baseboards as paint rooms with bright white trim. It's lots of work so i would not change it under cabinets for the slight difference it would make. The bright white does make those gorgeous wood doors pop and is a crisp accent to wall colors. I really like the warmer tone walls.
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