White is the cheaper choice because real wood doesn’t even have to be used. That’s why spec home builders choose it. Stain grade trim is an expensive upgrade.

We have a mix. Wood trim for first floor and stair windows, exterior doors (to match window/door material). White baseboards and interior door trim. The white door casing makes it easier to see finger smudge marks when the kids haven't properly washed their hands -- is that a pro or a con?

White is not a "cheap choice". Some homes look better with white trim and others with stained wood. My home actually has "real wood" trim that was painted, by the previous owners. Many of the posts here on house are homes that have stained wood trim and cabinets and people are tired of the look and want to paint over it. Do what fits your home.

It depends a lot on the homestyle IMO. White is easier to design around usually, but wood does add some charm (as long as it's not the cheap fake stuff).

I'd say: it's very house-dependent. Some houses were born to have stained trim, some painted, some can handle both. Agree the better the wood itself the easier the choice:)

If you're willing to tell us a bit more about the house, its style, maybe show pics...the answers will be more specific to your house thus more helpful

Trim is part of the whole, thus a decision should be made knowing what this whole is/strives to be.

If budget is an issue vs style, you bet painted is the cheaper choice. Just go price a stick of a nice crown molding in MDF vs a stick of stain grade oak or cherry. Even a stain grade poplar is easily more than twice the money and twice the labor to have done. It’s why it’s called an upgrade.

I prefer white. We had it in our previous house and we are using it in our new build. I did grow up in the Midwest, though, and everything was wood (usually oak). The trim, the doors, the cabinetry. I think I developed an aversion :-).

I have 4 kids (2 are rough and tumble boys), 2 dogs, and 2 cats. Lived with white trim for 11 years with no issues.

Opinions are just that. My opinion is I prefer white trim, it's easy to wipe down and keep clean. I've had white baseboards with oak floors as well as natural stone and carpet. It goes with everything and easier to update when needed.

Just as others have said, this is a personal opinion question and/or style of the house question. Like amiebeth - I grew up in the midwest with oak everything. I joke that I have oak/wood PTSD. I vastly prefer white trim and have had in all my houses in Texas. But if I had an original craftsman or similar style home, I'd pick oak so it fits with that style.

White trim WILL show more dust/dirt/smudges than wood. I personally have a 'thing' for clean trim. I notice if my trim is dirty it at my house, I notice it other people's houses. I clean my baseboards weekly but it's as simple as using my vacuum wand over them all. The area around my door knobs get wiped down monthly. So I may clean mine more often than most, not sure but mine always looks pretty good. As an aside, my mother has a thing for clean windows and washes hers regularly. Mine get cleaned once every ten years! :)

gthigpen just to say I'm like you but my thing is floors..:) if I even briefly didn't sweep and mop mine it means I'm running a fever..a high one lol

same with making beds etc

trim and windows somehow don't get same attention, not even close

Well, certainly architectural style and accuracy should be the first criterion. After that, it becomes a matter of visual harmony or contrast. Painted trim (white or any other color), can be visually harmonious with painted walls. I'll say it again, painted trim doesn't have to be white.

Stained wood trim can be visually harmonious with similar wall materials and finishes (albeit often very dark and grainy, depending on wood species and sawn patterns).

And keep in mind that there are both synthetic and natural wood trim materials. While synthetic materials are generally made to be painted, the natural wood materials, with proper selection, may be painted or stained, depending on the wood species selected.

What is really visually non-harmonious, in the majority of cases, is mixing both painted interior materials and stained interior materials, be it trim, doors, beams or whatever. That's because painted and stained materials visually fight one another for dominance and attention.

My advice: pick paint or stain, one or the other, as your interior finish materials of choice. Don't mix them.

I personally do not like the look of stained trim, at all. I wouldn’t care if it was the most exquisite walnut or endangered cypress, or the barn wood from the stables at Monticello...I cannot tolerate how the stained trim “outlines” the room from the crown to the base to the casings. Sophie, it is NOT considered a “cheap” choice to have painted trim here in the South East. It is very much dependent on the style of the home. OP, our builder used oil based paint on our trim and it looks exactly the same as when we moved in 6 1/2 years ago. No upkeep issues at all. I have two children & a dog.

I agree with nini804. I've always had white and always will (unless I get a rustic cabin). Stained trim may be considered an upgrade in some circumstances, but in the area I live (coastal southeast), the vast majority of homes (historic, new, middle-aged, high-end, low-end) have painted trim. Our white trim was also painted with oil based paint and has held up very well (no yellowing either).

In my adult life, I've always had wood trim -- and I've always wanted white trim. I think it looks brighter, cleaner, more fresh.

We have stain grade cherry trim and painted it white... the house was built in the late 90's and I did not want the 80's look I grew up with.

I have white trim but wood doors and cabinets. I love the mix - the brightness of the white mixed with the warmth of wood. I have white MDF doors in the basement - I like my wood paneled doors much better.

Not my house:

Jhmarie- love it. We are doing white trim with stained doors in our new build. I’ve had several people look at me like I’m crazy when I say it, but I think it will be a perfect combination. Thanks for posting the pics!

I think stained is easier to get "wrong" and white is hard to mess up ;-) Stained trim might somewhat limit compatible wall colors.

I don't like most stains, we only used clear finish (Rubio Monocoat). Would have done white trim on all the doors and windows but those were such a pretty Doug fir we did trim to match.

In case you have not figured it out - ha - it is all a personal preference. I lean towards more modern style and design, and find I prefer simple and sleek white trim. I also really like interesting art pieces, etc and white trim “fades” more into the background as a blank canvas to display that art (or other interesting furniture, fixtures, etc) rather than stand out itself (someone above mentioned how wood tends to “frame” a room).

Honey oak aside (which I spent most of my teens living in), I have lived in character homes or older homes with original beautiful stained wood trims, and appreciated it for what it was, but it never quite felt like “me”. To me, even if the room is stripped of almost everything, stained wood trim can add a bit of visual clutter.

I have never had any issues with keeping white trim clean or with any “upkeep”. But I don’t tend to go around banging into my walls or rubbing grimey hands on it. And if it is dirty? At least I can see it and give it a quick wipe down!

So much depends on the style and formality level of the house, as well as the type of trim and species of wood. In my 1920s Colonial Revival home, all the trim in the original portion of the home is painted white, which is appropriate for the time period the home was built. In the new family room, we decided to go very casual and rustic, and used reclaimed antique heart pine on the base and ceiling moldings, all the door and window casings, floor-to-ceiling fireplace mantel, and rough-sawn ceiling beams/trusses. All the trim except the ceiling was finished with clear tung oil. Anyone who sees it comments on the gorgeous wood. It would be a crime to paint that wood.

Whether you go with paint-grade or stained wood trim, don't overlook the size and proportion of the trim elements. There's nothing that says "cheap" like skimpy moldings. And if you decide on stained wood, select a species that is attractive and takes stain well, like cherry, walnut, quarter-sawn oak, but not yellow pine.

My bet: Pricing your options will help you make a decision! Every.single.thing. in a custom build requires a decision based on want versus budget. If you are torn between stained and painted, find out the total cost (material and labor) - then decide if stained is where you want to spend a bundle.

I have had both. In the house we are building now which is a mountain house we have knotty alder trim and doors throughout the house. We have had knotty alder before in our Utah house. What I prefer about the knotty alder is that you just have to dust it and because it is rustic, dings don't really show. We have white trim and doors in our current home but it is a more traditional home. The white trim shows everything and I don't like it. My advice to you if you do white trim is make sure you write down the name of the paint color so that when you need to do touch-ups it will be easy to match. Choose what makes you happy and what you are willing to live with in terms of upkeep.