Stain grade trim also requires better tolerances on framing and sheetrock since you can't hide as much with caulk. Ask me how I know.... Typical framing (I had to skim a lot - unfortunately didn't notice the corners built out on this wall of the bay until after the baseboard was up) Another short wall where I skimmed before the baseboard was up - you can see how much was required Framing carpenters and sheetrockers don't always make things easy for the finish carpenters, even if they know you're doing stain grade trim. I was able to caulk window and door casings, though there were a few places we had to cut the sheetrock to embed the casings to get the corners to lie flat because of bad headers/sheetrock not flush with jambs(over in someplaces, under in others). Practically every wall under 3 ft required skimming to get baseboard to lie flat due to built-up corners or shimming b/c of tapered edge of drywall being at the floor (causing base to pull away from wall at top when nailed at bottom).

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.

We have stained trim throughout the first floor, as well as in the upstairs hallway, which is visible from the foyer. The upstairs bedrooms and baths have white painted trim. This was the compromise we came up with, when DH suddenly announced he was tired of all stained trim (after I bought craftsman/mission influenced dining room furniture) and DD didn't think it would work very well with the purple, gray and black color scheme she envisioned for her room (too bad she's now living in NYC and has left me with a rather unusual guest room). As much as I love my stained trim, I do enjoy the versatility of the white in the bedrooms, so I guess everyone ended up happy. Totally Confused

I agree - but if there's a reason that's not a logical fix, then post pictures so we can see what you're dealing with.