Trim and Baseboard Painting Pricing Guide for Contractors
Trim and baseboard painting costs $1.50–$3.50 per linear foot for baseboards, $2.00–$4.00 per linear foot for crown molding, and $2.50–$5.00 per linear foot for window and door casings. A whole-house trim paint project (500–800 linear feet) runs $1,500–$3,500. Use semi-gloss or satin enamel for durability. Target 45–55% gross margin.
Trim painting is detail work that separates professional painters from DIYers. Clean, crisp trim lines elevate the entire look of a room, and homeowners know it. Trim-only painting is a profitable niche — projects are smaller in scope but command premium per-foot rates because of the skill and patience required. Understanding how to price different types of trim accurately protects your margins on these detail-intensive jobs.
Per-Linear-Foot Pricing by Trim Type
Different trim profiles require different pricing due to varying complexity. Baseboards (standard 3–5 inch profile): $1.50–$3.00 per linear foot. This is the simplest trim to paint — long straight runs with minimal cutting in. Tall baseboards (6–8 inch or multi-piece build-up): $2.50–$4.00 per linear foot due to the larger surface area and often more detailed profiles. Crown molding: $2.00–$4.00 per linear foot. Crown requires careful cutting in at both the wall and ceiling junction and is physically demanding because of the overhead position. Complex crown (multi-piece or dentil) runs $3.50–$5.00 per linear foot. Window casings: $2.50–$4.50 per linear foot. Pricing includes the casing on all four sides plus the sill and apron. Average window trim is 12–16 linear feet per window. Door casings: $2.50–$4.00 per linear foot, typically 16–20 linear feet per door opening. Chair rail and picture rail: $1.50–$3.00 per linear foot. Wainscoting panels: $3.00–$6.00 per sq ft due to the multiple surfaces and detail work. Price each trim type separately in your estimate for transparency.
Prep Work for Trim Painting
Trim prep is where most of the labor goes — expect 40–60% of total project time on prep alone. Fill all nail holes and dents with lightweight spackle (DAP DryDex or similar, $5–$8 per tub). Sand filled areas smooth with 150-grit sandpaper. Caulk all gaps between trim and walls with a high-quality paintable caulk like DAP Alex Plus or Sherwin-Williams 950A ($3–$5 per tube). Use a small bead and tool it smooth with a wet finger — excess caulk looks worse than the gap it fills. Sand all existing painted trim lightly with 150–220 grit to promote adhesion — a sanding sponge ($3–$5 each) conforms to profiles better than sandpaper. Remove or mask all hardware: door hinges, window locks, and handles. Clean trim surfaces with a damp cloth to remove dust, grime, and sanding residue. On bare or stained trim being painted for the first time, apply a bonding primer like Zinsser BIN ($40–$50 per gallon) or KILZ Original ($22–$30 per gallon) to seal the surface and prevent bleed-through. Previously painted trim in good condition needs only light sanding and two coats of finish paint.
Paint Selection for Trim and Millwork
Trim paint must be harder and more durable than wall paint because trim takes physical contact — shoes scuffing baseboards, fingers touching door casings, and vacuum cleaners bumping molding. The professional standard is waterborne alkyd enamel: Benjamin Moore Advance ($50–$65 per gallon) provides an exceptionally smooth finish with excellent leveling — it is the most popular trim paint among professional painters. Sherwin-Williams ProClassic ($45–$60 per gallon) is another strong option with good flow and leveling. Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane ($65–$80 per gallon) offers the hardest waterborne finish available — comparable to oil-based paint. For budget-conscious projects, Benjamin Moore Scuff-X ($45–$55 per gallon) in semi-gloss provides good durability at a lower price point. Sheen selection: semi-gloss is the traditional trim sheen, providing durability and easy cleaning. Satin is increasingly popular for a more modern, less shiny look — especially in contemporary homes. Avoid flat or matte sheens on trim — they show every scuff and fingerprint. Plan for 1 gallon of trim paint per 150–200 linear feet of baseboard or per 8–10 doors worth of casings.
Application Techniques for Clean Lines
Professional trim painting requires steady hands and quality tools. Use a high-quality angled brush — Purdy XL or Wooster Silver Tip (2–2.5 inch) for cutting in and detail work. A good brush costs $12–$20 but produces cleaner lines than a $5 brush and lasts for dozens of jobs with proper care. Brush technique: load the brush halfway into the paint, tap off excess (do not wipe on the bucket rim), and apply with long smooth strokes in the direction of the grain. Lay the paint on, then tip it off with light strokes to level brush marks. For baseboards, many painters tape the wall above the baseboard and the floor below, then brush or spray the baseboard. Others cut in freehand with a steady hand — this is faster but requires experience. For crown molding, tape the wall and ceiling edges unless you are extremely confident in your cutting-in skills. Spraying trim produces the smoothest finish — use an HVLP sprayer with a fine tip for interior trim. Spraying requires extensive masking but the factory-like finish justifies the setup time on larger trim projects.
Estimating Trim-Only Projects
Trim-only painting (no walls or ceilings) requires careful estimating because mobilization and setup costs are spread over a smaller scope of work. Set a minimum project price of $500–$800 to cover your travel time, setup, cleanup, and administrative costs regardless of the linear footage. For a whole-house trim paint (baseboards, door casings, window casings, and crown molding), a typical 2,000 sq ft home has 500–800 linear feet of trim. At $2.00–$3.50 per linear foot average, the project runs $1,000–$2,800. Add $75–$150 per door (both sides) for an additional 15–20 doors, bringing the total to $2,100–$5,800 for a complete trim and door repaint. Production rate for a solo painter on trim: 100–200 linear feet per day including prep. A two-person team can complete a whole-house trim project in 3–5 days. Bundle trim painting with interior wall painting at a 10–15% discount — this locks in more revenue and gives you better production efficiency since you are already set up in each room.
New Construction Trim Pricing
New construction trim painting is a different animal from repaint trim work. The trim is unfinished — typically primed MDF, poplar, or pine — and requires two coats of finish paint over the factory prime (which is rarely sufficient as a finished primer). Price new construction trim at $1.50–$3.00 per linear foot, which is lower than repaint pricing because the prep is faster: no scraping, sanding old finish, or caulking existing gaps. However, new construction trim often has more linear footage — builders install baseboards, casings, crown, chair rail, and decorative millwork throughout the house. A 3,000 sq ft new build can have 1,500–2,500 linear feet of trim plus 25–40 doors. Total trim painting on new construction: $3,000–$8,000 depending on complexity. Caulking is a major line item on new construction — every joint between trim pieces and between trim and wall needs caulking before painting. Budget 30–40% of your trim labor on caulking alone for new construction. Use a quality caulk gun ($15–$25) with a smooth-rod mechanism for better control — cheap ratchet guns leave blobs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Trim and baseboard painting costs $1.50–$3.50 per linear foot for baseboards and $2.00–$5.00 per linear foot for window and door casings. A whole-house trim repaint (500–800 linear feet plus doors) typically costs $2,000–$5,500. Pricing depends on trim profile complexity, existing condition, and whether spray or brush application is used.
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