I would say you definitely want something the mfg says is paintable. IMO, mfg's are pretty good at putting what you need to know on the package. For interior, you could use something like DAP Dynaflex 230. For exterior, I really like GE XST. It is paintable white silicone. It costs a little more, but caulk is like paint IMO, even the expensive stuff is cheap when you consider the labor of using it and redoing it if you do not use a premium product. I really like this stuff. Pete

Hi Lukkiirish. Painting the doors the same color as the rest of the trim has always been the way they do things in Europe. France has never seen a painted door it didn't like. On the other hand, doors stained--generally mahogany, since that was the fashionable wood at the time--to contrast with white trim became the standard in important houses in 18th Century England. And since what we call 'Colonial' is merely a simplified version of what's considered Georgian style decor in England, places like the White House have combined stained doors with painted trim for more than 200 years now. It's all good. Baseboards often match the rest of the trim, but not always. In grand houses they were often colored marble, and in less important houses, they were often finished in faux marble rather than pale paint, the better to hide the soil line from dirty mops, which is why they're still called 'mop boards' in England. The last time I was at The White House, the baseboards in the Blue Room were painted in imitation of yellow Sienna marble. In other words, when it comes to painting doors, whatever you decide do to, you'll have plenty of historic precedent behind you. Situations where it's literally impossible to make a wrong choice don't come along very often in decorating, so when it does happens, you ought to take advantage of it. Regards, Magnaverde.

Everyone has different tastes and styles. My personal preference when it comes to wood or log homes is cohesiveness and distinction of what is accent and what is the main feature. For example in your first picture, it would be nice to have a solid wood or knotty wood door walls all over the house where only the doors and windows (with their respective trims) are solid white or vice versa. Mixing them is challenging because the materials are different and wood carries more visual weight so when your eye sees it, there is competition happening. In the first pic for example, I would actually paint out the knotty pine trim around the window and door so that they look seamless and your eye flows over them or put in a window and door that are knotty pine and keep the knotty pine casing/trim. This way you have a clear distinction between the "feature" and the "accent" whichever way you go. For your louvered doors, if you want them to disappear, paint them out in white along with the trim. If not, re-stain them along with the rest of the wood doors and baseboard trim. My two cents worth! Best of luck!

The doors and knobs are dating the house. If it's in the budget, it might save you time and effort to replace the doors with a different style in a pre-painted door. Lever handles would also update the look. Then you would have to paint the trim to match. However, wood products are one of things affected by COVID shortages and price increases, so if you do decide to replace the doors, it might pay to wait a year. While gray is going out, you have an overabundance of beige which is also dating the house. So as not to break the bank maybe selectively replace some of the beige flooring? Before doing anything, try to develop an overall plan for your update. Even if you spread the work and/or expense over a couple years, an overall plan will yield a more satisfactory, cohesive result.