Wednesday, March 09, 2011

White Trim

Ever since I posted about my home wish list, I've had quite a few responses about white trim.  It's an overall resounding DON'T DO IT.  Apparently it's hard to keep clean, and my friends assure me that my OCD would kick in and I would be armed with a Magic Eraser at all times.

Really?

Really?

I'd have to give up this high contrast look?


{via pinterest}


I looooove the look of a chunky baseboard.  Especially when it's white.

But, rest assured.  Many of the homes we are looking at don't have white trim.  So sad, don't you think?

Please discuss.  Do you have white trim?  Do you wish you did?  Do you love it as much as me?



P.S.  I apologize about all the narcissistic posting..... this buying/selling ordeal is consuming me right now.  I hope you're learning a thing or two with me along the way.

P.P.S.  We got an offer on the house!  I'll keep you posted on the deets if things come together.  Think happy thoughts for us, please!

16 comments:

Jen said...

We have white trim in our 1955 house, and I love it. It looks crisp and clean, and we recently had a bookcase built in and I painted that white too. It's not hard to keep clean at all.

rhonda said...

We have both wood trim and white trim. I hate white trim because it is more difficult and time consuming to maintain. It may look good for a while, but over time it yellows and suffers scratches. Wood trim is a put-it-up-and-forget option. Dust it periodically and that's it. We sought out a house with wood trim. It's much more flexible than some people believe.

Susan said...

Our house was built in 1999 and has beautiful cherry trim. Despite its beauty, I long for white trim. Maintenance might be easier with the wood, but adding bead board, board and batten or crown molding isn't happening here.

elizabeth said...

We love white trim. I grew up with it and every few months my mom would pay be $20 to wipe them all down. Only took me an hour! I think it makes things look cleaner.

Ana said...

I don't know what alternative to white your friends have suggested but I gotta say I LOVE white. But it's a matter of personal preference. In my opinion, it looks quite sharp and, especially against a nice wall color, it makes the color pop. I disagree that it's hard to maintain. And I have small kids!

Jan said...

I love my white trim. Mine is of the more chunky style as well with a flat top so it really collects dust and dirt more than my last house.

That being said, having a damp rag while vacuuming allows my to wipe the worst spots and for the most part it is not a big issue.

Plus, I love how it is easily colour matched if I do need to touch up and since I paint regularly, trim touch ups are never a big deal.

Love! :)

Jessica @ Decor Adventures said...

Hi Deb,

I live in an old house and our trim is all original un-painted wood {which I won't paint}. So we don't have white trim except a small part in the renovated kitchen (was there when we bought the house).

I know your debate because white trim is certainly in right now and it looks fresh and modern.

If you do go for it, try outdoor paint, which maintains a bit better than indoor.

Good luck with your house situation!

Jenny @ DIY Newlyweds said...

Ooh I love those chunky white baseboards, go for it! I have white trim throughout my house and don't have any problems with scuffing. My trim is not as wide as the trim in that photo so it might be a little more prone to scuffs, but I don't think it would be a big deal.

Diane said...

I love, love white trim! Unfortunately most of my home has 80's golden oak. I did redo our family room which had oak wainscotting and chunky oak trim and painted it all white and it looks great. And it's not hard to keep looking nice - and I have 2 small children. My goal is to redo all the trim in my house to something chunkier and white!!

Jillian said...

I have painted out all the trim in two houses now, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I have such a hard time envisioning color schemes in rooms with unpainted trim, because the wood stain is a color and needs to be considered. I found it too stressful and limiting.

Heather said...

I love white trim! I don't think of it as 'modern' or 'right now'. I consider white trim a classic that goes with almost everything. Our last house had wood trim and I thought it was dark and drab looking.

Betsy said...

I am 100% obsessed with white trim. Truthfully, I'm that crazy lady that moves in a house and wants to paint all of the trim white. I actually did this in my current house - don't worry - I didn't paint over wood, I still consider that cruel - it was yellow, orange and green to start with!As a disclaimer, I have no children... but I do have a 90 lb very dirty dog and I've never had any problems keeping the white trim clean. I've lived in the house for 2 years and I think I've cleaned the baseboards maybe once.

Leslie said...

I am a HUGE fan of white trim. I just brightens the room and makes your paint color pop! In fact, I just cleaned my white base boards with a wet wipe yesterday and it was a breeze!

Karen said...

Problems maintaining white trim? I've never heard that being a problem until I read this post. I've always had white trim and I (and the 3 dogs!) love it--never had problems keeping it up or it yellowing. If not white, what?

Liz said...

Old post, I know... I found it when googling about baseboards.

But seriously... an overall resounding DON'T DO IT? Where do you live and where do the people saying this live? Where I live in New England, white trim is the norm. It actually seems very odd if people DON'T have white trim, unless they live in a log home or some sort of unusual or very historic house. And, I think of it as classic, not of-the-moment or modern. It's not hard to keep clean, at all. (And by the way, magic erasers really shouldn't be used on most painted surfaces... it's odd the the commercials show the eraser used on walls, when the instructions advise against it. It is actually very abrasive, despite feeling soft, and it will ruin many painted surfaces.)

Also, the use of exterior paint indoors is a bad, misguided idea. Exterior paints are meant to be outside, and off-gas nastier things than interior paints do. They are not interchangeable with interior paints, and are also not necessarily more durable in an indoor setting than indoor paints are.

Nancy said...

I absolutely hate white baseboards. They collect dust, scuff easily, and mine seem to be chipped in so many places despite being 4 yrs old. Have a60 lb dog nd busy 9 yr old. I am going to have hubby replace with oak maintenance free!,,,,,