The Top 8 Best Paint For Trim And Baseboards | 2024 Buying Guide

Want to know about the best paint for trim and baseboards? Painting trim and baseboard is a very important part of interior design. Let’s talk about that.

Trims and baseboards can get dirty or smudgy after a while because of dust and debris that flies around during cleaning. That’s why repainting them is essential and needs to be done using the right paint.

There is a huge variety of paint types and manufacturers out there claiming to be the best. That’s why finding the actual best paint for your baseboards and trims can be a little difficult.

If you’re one of those people who’re looking to smoothly get that perfect painted finish on their window and door trims along with baseboards, then this article is for you.

Who needs this product?

Hiring a painter to get that professional finish on your baseboards and molding may be what most people go for, but that’s far away from the best quality and costing painting solution.

These trim and baseboard paints are meant for the people who’re looking to find the perfect paint choice for their house moldings and trims and who want to be a little artistic and save a lot of money by painting the trims themselves.

What Readers will learn?

You might be wondering, what paint is the best for trims and baseboards, and how do I choose the right one? Well, in this article, I’m going to talk about the top 8 best paints for trims and baseboards, explaining their key features and reviewing them completely.

I’m also going to provide you the perfect buying guide for finding the ideal paint for your house trims and baseboards. So, make sure that you read this article till the end to make the right paint buying decision.

As a painting expert, I’ve tried and tested most of these paints. In contrast, a few that I haven’t tried, I’ve scoured the internet for expert reviews and customer feedback to capture the essence of how they work accurately, so the review you’re going to get will be completely accurate.

Top 8 Best Paints for Trim and Baseboards

Finding the best trim and baseboard paint can be difficult. That’s why I’ve created a list of the top 8 best paints for trims and baseboards you can find in the market in terms of features and value. Let’s take a look at each of them.

1. BEHR Premium Plus Semi-Gloss Enamel: Best Moisture-Resistant Paint

Advantages

• It is the affordable option for you to give a fresh and glossy touch to your kitchen, bathroom including cabinets with a modern touch.
• This powerful paint has the ability to meet your simple to complex painting challenges effortlessly and most importantly cost-effectively.
• This premium paint can easily resist dirt or grime while making your every surface appear shinier, brighter, and smoother than ever.

Pros and Cons as Described by Real Users

Verified Buyers Review

“This product is pretty amazing, I have used this for reviving my room floors as well as getting rid of tobacco and other hard-to-remove stains from the walls. Trust me, it has completely changed the overall look of my room. This paint is a lifesaver for me. I guess, this paint has even made my surface look shinier than ever. I am now looking forward to giving a new and refreshing look to my cabinets now. Overall, I have no regrets about using this product!

Reason to Buy

The one thing that makes Premium Plus Semi-Gloss irresistible is the mildew and moisture resistance, making it the perfect paint choice for high-moisture areas.

2. VALSPAR Corporation Interior Latex Semi-Gloss Paint: Best Rust-Resistant Paint

Advantages

• It is one-of-a-kind paint that can make your walls look elegant again.
• It is a perfect tool or product that can give a fantastic finish to your surfaces without exceeding your budget.
• Choosing a perfect spray painting product like this can get your ordinary-looking walls to look bright and more smooth again.
• You can rely on this powerful feature-rich to complete your projects within the stipulated time

Pros and Cons as Described by Real Users

Verified Buyers Review

“I am quite familiar with the other paint products that I have bought for me to satisfy my painting needs. But, I have never come across a perfect painting like VALSPAR ever in my life. Believe it or not, this painting is true to its words and never fails to disappoint me even a bit. I am highly satisfied with the quality, coverage, and durability of this product. It goes smooth like butter on my entire walls. It’s been more than one year since I am using this top-quality paint. This product is highly recommendable for money-savers like me.”

Reason to Buy

The best thing about the VALSPAR Corporation Semi-Gloss trim paint is that it is highly rust-preventive. This means it is more durable and offers better protection against moisture and rust on the surfaces.

3. Rust-Oleum Gloss White Enamel: Best Corrosion-Resistant Paint

Advantages

• This oil-based enamel paint comes with long-lasting durability to keep your surfaces smooth.
• It can be applied directly to the metal with no or little effort.
• This modern as well as professionally-driven paint is chemical-free and can be easily applied using a brush.
• From quality, affordability, to effectiveness, everything about this product is outstanding.
• This worthy paint can get you the top-quality results you are hoping for.

Pros and Cons as Described by Real Users

Verified Buyers Review

“Wonderfully made, world awesome ad gives faster results compared to other leading paints in the market. Used this paint to change the color of my dresser that I purchased 8 years ago. I have hardly worn out three coats and my dresser looks brand new again. I am now thinking of redoing my room. I am more than happy and thankful to Rust-Oleum for coming up with fantastic products like this.”

Reason to Buy

The Stops Rust series of Rust-Oleum paints come with a corrosion resistance that is unmatched. The glossy white finish offers shine and finesse along with that, which in my opinion, is amazing.

4. Majic Paints Diamond Hard High Gloss Paint: Best Low-Odor Paint

Advantages

• This all-purpose suits the needs of every painting enthusiast perfectly.
• It is an ideal tool for homeowners.
• You can easily use this professionally-made paint on different surfaces like metal, wood, brick, steel etc. with ease.
• The last-longing, versatility, and ease of use of this flexible paint makes it perfect paint for beginners.
• This easy-to-apply paint can effortlessly get your DIY, household, or commercial project done without exceeding your budget.

Pros and Cons as Described by Real Users

Verified Buyers Review

“First of all, I must congratulate Majic Paint for introducing multi-talented paint like this. This paint is completely magical just like its name. I am falling in love with this paint because of its quality, good coverage, and nice glossy looks that it has alone offered to my walls. The best part about this paint is that you can use it for your interior as well as exterior. Highly recommendable!”

Reason to Buy

The Majic Paints Diamond Hard High Gloss Paint is a great choice because of the low-odor, non-flammable water-based solution that its formula uses and the amount of gloss the coating provides.

5. Glidden Interior Latex Ceiling Paint: Best Spatter-Resistant Paint

Advantages

• It is a good quality paint to achieve guaranteed results, giving your walls a professional finish and making your DIY projects successful.
•  This paint can be used by every household owner whether outside or inside of your home.
•  This exceptional paint is easy to use, versatile, durable, and comes at affordable rates.

Pros and Cons as Described by Real Users

Verified Buyers Review

“Is there anything this product cannot do? I must say the delivery of the product is faster than my imagination. LOLZ…Due to lack of time and budget, I was desperately looking for paint that can make my walls beautiful and smooth in a single touch. I don’t know how this product landed on my Amazon’s recommendations list. Looking at the ratings and the reviews, I have ordered this product. You won’t believe it. This paint is super powerful. It has dramatically changed my entire room in just one single coat. WHOA!! I couldn’t ask for more at these affordable rates. A Big Thank the makers for delivering this impeccable product.”

Reason to Buy

One of the best things about the Glidden Interior Paints is that it is spatter-resistant, which will prove a major help if this will be your first time doing your own trim paint job.

6. Rust-Oleum Protective Enamel Paint: Best Low-Gloss Paint

Advantages

• This paint causes less spatter and can provide a great and smoother finish to your walls or surfaces.
• It can help you accomplish your interior DIY projects with positive outcomes.
• It suits the needs of every homeowner perfectly.
• You can easily cover different types of walls or surfaces- drywall, wood, metal, masonry name a few.
• This product can satisfy all your painting needs giving you satisfied results with just one single coating.

Pros and Cons as Described by Real Users

Verified Buyers Review

“From the time of the delivery to the end result, this product never fails to impress me. Well packages, superior finish, to-quality and of course the Price. I love everything about this product. I must say Rust-Oleum is always true to its name that never disappoints its valuable customers. Awesome product at this price range.

Reason to Buy

The Satin Finish of this paint offers a low gloss and low sheen look to the painted trim, which is perfect if you’re not going for a high gloss and reflective baseboard and trim paint coating.

7. Diamond Brite Paint Semi-Gloss Latex Paint: Best Grease-Resistant Paint

Advantages

• This is the right application for every painting enthusiast that can give professional touch to your wooden cabinets, doors and floors.
• It is a worthy paint that can make your job less stressful, and make your every project easier, quicker, and within your budget.
• This master blaster paint can make your simple and even complex paint job easier.
• You can easily revamp the look of your every room, kitchen, and bathroom without worrying about your budget.
• This Product aims to give you the high-performance every time you use it for your walls and other surfaces.

Pros and Cons as Described by Real Users

Verified Buyers Review

“I have just got what I always wanted in a quintessential paint. I am very pleased to find these amazing products at such affordable prices. I wanted to restore the look of my front door. Due to direct sunlight, my door’s paint has started to come off and it looks disastrous during daylight. I have hardly applied two coats of this paint and it gets me the deep rich color that I was looking for. I am quite happy with the overall outcome. My doors look great and new again. A must-have product for money savers like me!”

Reason to Buy

One of the things that drive me to want to try this paint is the dirt and grease resistance that it comes with, which is quite helpful, especially for baseboards prone to dirt.

8. Rust-Oleum Stops Rust Brush-on Paint: Best Value for Money Trim Paint

Advantages

• It is unapologetically one of the most prominent products compatible with surfaces like wood or metal available in the market today.
• This oil-based formula paint comes in rich and deep color giving a smooth, clear, and unique shine to any surface.
• Every beginner or professional painter can effortlessly save a ton of money using this professionally-crafted superior-quality paint.
• You can satisfactorily complete every painting job without putting in much effort.

Pros and Cons as Described by Real Users

Verified Buyers Review

“This is so far my favorite paint for wood. I must say this paint offers good results and satisfaction. The color of my garden’s fences has lost its charm over time. The color looks dull due to climatic changes. I have asked my friend to recommend good quality paint for me. He came with this the next day. This paint is highly efficient in making your ordinary-looking surface look bright and alive again. I have easily covered hard-to-reach areas with just a single coat. I guess it’s not easy to describe the quality of the products through words. You just buy this to see magic with your eyes. AWESOME PRODUCT, LOVE IT!”

Reason to Buy

Much more overall volume and richness. The Quart pack surely provides a better value, and I’d go for this one if I want my trims to get a gloss white finish with longevity and durability.

Buying Guide For Trim And Baseboards Paint

If you’re thinking of painting your trims and moldings with an artistically fine touch and a massive amount of saved money instead of hiring an expensive painter, then learning about the factors that make the ideal paint is important for you. That’s why I’m going to talk about some of the major elements that will help you buy the perfect trim paint on the market.

The Perfect Kind of Paint

From my own painting experience and according to the painting gurus of the world, the best kind of paint for trims and baseboards is none other than semi-gloss.

It is easy to clean, looks nice, has a smooth and shiny finish to it, which pops the entire room’s color, and is available in a huge array of different colors. So, if you’re thinking of doing your paint job, you should surely go for semi-gloss finish paint.

Picking the Right Color

Choosing the right color for your baseboard, window, door, and other trims is essential if you want your house to look beautiful and elegant. Now, there are two approaches you can go for. You’ll go for a matching tone which means you’ll try to find a color that is a shade of the color the wall is.

The second approach for painting your baseboard and other trims is to go for a contrasting tone. Contrasting colors between your wall and baseboards would look pretty stunning if you choose the right color depending upon your liking.

Quality of the Paint

Many different companies are claiming to make the best trim and molding paint out there in the market. What matters the most and makes the true best paint is the quality of the solution.

If you’re using high-quality paint that comes with longevity, cleaner-look, durability, and easy cleaning, it will serve you better for your painting job in comparison to a brand-less lower-quality paint solution which you absolutely shouldn’t opt for.

10 Preventive Measures That You Should Take Before Buying Or Applying Paint On Trim And Baseboards

Buying top-rated paint from a reliable manufacturer can make your house’s trim and baseboards look extremely beautiful. If you’re planning to purchase your favorite branded paint for baseboards or already bought the same but don’t know how to use them, then you’ve jumped to the right place. 

Here we have mentioned some of the preventive measures in detail that will help you use the world-class paint on baseboards or trims like a true expert. These are:

1.         It is a good idea to gather all the materials like paintbrushes, hand gloves, drop cloths, etc. before painting the surfaces. You can even make a list to make things clear and easier for you to understand.

2.         It is strongly recommended that you wash your baseboards’ dirt and dust using a damp cloth or water before applying the paint directly.

3.         Applying masking tape will help you avoid painting mistakes or accidents while making your process less stressful and more productive.

4.         Using special cleaning agents such as ammonia, bleaching or soda will help minimize the years of dirt with appropriate care.

5.         You need to opt for super-quality paint like high glosses, semi-glosses, and satin paints to use on your baseboards. Buying these kinds of paints will keep your surfaces shiny while adding a bit of a sheen and unique glow to your trim.

6. To clean off a lot of dirt, dust, and scuff marks on the baseboards and trims, you need to have high-sheen paints that work best on these surfaces. These types of paints are highly durable, clean off well using soap or water, and tend to last longer compared to other cheap paints in the market.

7.         You must prep your paint area carefully before applying high-gloss paint directly on highly reflective surfaces to avoid unnecessary bumps, rolls as well as dents.

8.         You must choose professionally-made paint brushes such as tapered, angle edge brushes, or even brushes with flag tips. It will help you apply the paint with ease leaving no brush strokes on the surfaces.

9.         If you’re using synthetic brushes, then you should go with water-based or latex paints to cover small gaps, corners, and hard-to-reach areas without putting in extra effort.

10.       It is not always necessary to remove baseboards completely to begin your painting. To avoid this overwhelming process, you can simply apply reliable painter’s tape to the edges to save plenty of time and make the process much easier.

Being a smart user, you must know that the success of your every paint journey lies in the way you handle the paint using helpful tips and preventive measures. To minimize the risk and achieve positive outcomes, you must keep the precautions mentioned above in mind to make your painting job effortless. 

Having eco-friendly paint can not only protect your house trims but also make your surfaces stand out and most importantly, give them a unique appearance that you have never seen before. 

Thus, invest in fast-drying best paint for baseboards and trims for smooth, shiny, and glossy looks.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

I searched on the internet to find out if you painters were having any problems with your queries, and surprisingly I found that many of your questions related to trim painting were unanswered. That’s why I took the most frequently asked questions like ‘How to paint baseboards before installing?’ and decided to answer them.

How to paint trim without brush marks?

It’s pretty simple. You need to find a small brush that fits the trim height of around 3″ to 8,” and you need to make sure that the brush has soft bristles. The softer the bristles, the lesser strokes, and brush marks you’re going to see on the trim and baseboards.

Can I use trim paint on walls?

It isn’t ideal to use trim paint on walls. Cemented walls are better off painted with Masonry paint. However, if you’re talking about drywalls, trim paint can be used to paint them effectively. That won’t be a problem, and the paint will stay on and look good without a doubt.

What color to choose for baseboard paint?

This truly depends upon your judgment and liking. But if you’re not sure at all, I think a better way to make your house look more elegant and beautiful is to go for a contrasting color scheme between your walls and your trims; it will work perfectly.

Can trim paint be used on doors?

Trim paint which is most commonly a semi-gloss finish can be used on doors and door trims. It can be used not only on doors but also on windows, trim panels, and crown moldings. So, let your imagination take the wheel and pick the right shades to beautify your house.

Conclusion

In my opinion, Rust-Oleum’s Satin Finish Enamel Paint is the best paint for trims and baseboards out of all the listed paints. However, depending on your choice, you can choose any of these and feel great about your decision. I hope you have a fantastic time painting your trims and baseboards.