Freshly painted trim, doors, and baseboards do more for a room than most homeowners expect. In a room where the walls are already in decent shape, painting the white trim bright and crisp can feel like a full refresh. And the cost is far lower than a whole-room repaint — when priced correctly.
Cost breakdown: trim, doors, and baseboards in Toronto
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Interior door (both sides) | $80 – $150 per door |
| Interior door (one side only) | $50 – $90 per door |
| Front door (exterior, refinishing) | $400 – $700 |
| Baseboards | $2 – $5 per linear foot |
| Window trim (per window) | $50 – $120 |
| Crown moulding (per linear foot) | $3 – $6 |
| Full-home trim package (standalone) | $1,200 – $3,500 |
Why trim costs more per square foot than walls
Trim painting is slower work than painting open walls. Baseboards require careful masking at the floor line and careful cutting in where they meet the wall. Doors require attention to edges, hinges, and hardware to get a clean result. Crown moulding involves tight cutting at both the ceiling and wall lines.
On a per-square-foot basis, trim costs 3–5 times more than open wall surface — but the visible result is disproportionately high impact, especially in older Toronto homes where trim is a prominent design feature.
Standalone vs bundled with a full repaint
The most cost-effective time to paint trim and baseboards is during a full repaint. The painter is already masking, already protecting floors, and already on-site. Adding trim to the scope typically adds 20–40% to the wall-painting price — far less than booking it as a separate project.
If you want trim painting done as a standalone job — perhaps your walls are fine but your baseboards are yellowed — it's absolutely possible and worth doing. Just expect the per-linear-foot price to be at the higher end of the range.
What paint to use on trim
Semi-gloss is the standard for interior trim in Toronto homes. It's hard enough to resist scuffs, easy to wipe clean, and provides a crisp finish that reads well against both matte and eggshell wall paint.
For high-quality projects, we use Benjamin Moore Advance — a water-based alkyd hybrid that applies like a latex but dries hard like an oil-based paint. It's more expensive than standard trim paint but levels beautifully and doesn't yellow.
The front door deserves separate attention
A front door is a different project from interior doors. It faces weather, UV exposure, and a lot of hand contact. It requires exterior products, proper prep including sanding and priming, and careful colour selection. See our front door refinishing service for details.
Ready to get started? Our trim and baseboard painting service covers everything from baseboards to crown moulding. Request a quote through our online quote form and include a rough count of doors and linear footage of baseboard if you have it.