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Best Trim Paint for Moulding, Baseboards, and Interior Doors
Posted: December 02, 2024
When we recommend “trim paint” to our customers, we’re talking about a paint product that is formulated for optimal performance on interior architectural elements including:
- Baseboards
- Crown moulding
- Paneling
- Interior window trim
- Interior door trim
- Interior doors
- Stair banisters
- And any other type of wood trim in a building
Because these components experience more wear and tear than walls, they require extra protection from paint and coatings. Trim is also typically made of wood, so it reacts to paint differently than wall materials like drywall or plaster. These factors call for a paint product that is designed to withstand high wear and tear.
What to Consider in a Trim Paint
Choosing a satin or semi-gloss paint for interior trim is a common practice. However, what's often misunderstood is that the success of your paint job depends far more on the quality of the paint product and its formula than on the sheen alone.
While glossier sheens do offer more durability than eggshell or matte paint, a low-grade semi-gloss latex paint may rub off during cleaning and will still show scuffs and dings.
Here’s what you want to look for in a good trim paint:
Smoothness: Glossier paints are more likely to show imperfections which is what makes it so challenging to get a professional-looking paint job on trim. Quality trim paints offer better flow and leveling properties, resulting in a uniform surface without visible brush strokes or roller marks.
Durability: Durability is crucial for trim. High-grade paints resist chipping, peeling, and wear, and are scrubbable to help your trim retain its fresh appearance over time.
Color Fastness: Yellowing is a major concern, especially for white trim. Low-grade paints tend to yellow sooner and may lead to color fading over time. The paint formula also impacts color fastness—oil-based and alkyd paints are more prone to yellowing, while high-grade acrylics maintain their white color longer.
Cost: A low price point for trim paint should be a red flag. Paint that offers durability, color fastness, and a smooth finish is unlikely to be cheap. Investing in high-quality paint ensures a long-lasting finish on your trim.
Best Trim Paints of 2025
Benjamin Moore Advance
Benjamin Moore Advance is our top choice overall for trim paint.
Advance is a premium water-based paint made with alkyd resins which replicate the flow and feel of oil paint. Formulated specifically for cabinets and wood trim, it cures into a hard, scrubbable surface. While it retails at the upper end of premium paints, Advance offers a lot of bang for your buck, thanks to its durable finish that holds up over time.
When it comes to getting a smooth, professional finish, there’s just no other trim paint that beats Advance due to its flow and self-leveling. Glossier paints can be tricky to smooth out, but Advance offers a slow dry time that results in a flawless, furniture-quality finish—regardless of whether you’re using a brush, roller, or sprayer.
Alkyd paints do tend to yellow, especially if they don’t receive direct sunlight. Advance’s waterborne formula helps slow down yellowing, but if you’re planning on painting trim white and surrounding areas will show a noticeable contrast, you may want to take a look at some of the other options we have on this list.
Formula: Waterborne Alkyd
Sheens for Trim: Satin, Semi-Gloss, High Gloss
Best points:
- Best durability
- Best leveling
- Smoothest finish
- Scrubbable and resistant to most cleaning chemicals
- Extended open time
- Spatter resistant
Things you should know:
- Has a long dry time and cure time
- Thick paint, may sag if coats are over-applied
- Color may show slight hue differences next to Benjamin Moore’s wall paints
- Whites may yellow slightly over time
- Has a slight odor that dissipates with curing
- Must be applied over a primed surface
Benjamin Moore Scuff X
Scuff-X is a versatile interior paint intended for use on primed or previously painted wood, as well as other materials like drywall, plaster, metal, and wallpapered surfaces. This paint has an acrylic formula that forms a strong, durable coating.
We recommend Scuff-X for any type of high-traffic area. But what we especially like about this option for trim, is its semi-gloss formula that includes patented Chip-Tech® technology. This high-performance formula makes it far tougher than other interior latex paints. It can withstand direct and glancing blows, resists scuffing, and holds up to repeated washing.
The satin finish is not as durable on woodwork as the semi-gloss, so we don’t recommend it for cabinetry, stair banisters, doors, or other surfaces that are touched frequently. For painting baseboards, crown moulding, and wall paneling, Scuff-X is an excellent choice.
Scuff-X rolls on quickly and is dry to recoat in 2-4 hours. So it’s a good option for projects where you don’t have the luxury of Advance’s 16-hour recoat time. As a latex, water-based paint, it also holds the advantage of white retention over alkyds and acrylics.
Formula: Latex
Recommended sheens for Trim: Satin, Semi-Gloss
Best points:
- Great durability
- Scuff resistant
- Scrubbable with soap and water
- Non-yellowing
- Quick-drying
- Easy clean up
- Low odor, low VOC
- Color consistency with Benjamin Moore’s wall paints
What you should know:
- Not as durable as Advance or Cabinet Coat
- Satin does not include Chip-Tech, available only in Semi-Gloss
- Can be harder to find in a paint store—not all local Benjamin Moore retailers carry Scuff-X so you may need to order online
INSL-X Cabinet Coat
INSL-X Cabinet Coat is a specialty acrylic paint that we consider to be a hidden gem product. Although “cabinet” is in the name, this paint offers so much more!
INSL-X is a line of coatings from Benjamin Moore that is specially formulated for hard-to-coat surfaces. This makes it a contractor-favorite for trim, doors, and cabinetry. It dries to the touch in 1-hour and is ready to recoat in 4-6 hours—not as fast at Scuff-X, but much sooner than Advance.
It’s available in both Satin and Semi-Gloss finishes with excellent flow and leveling properties, hardening to a smooth, factory-like finish.
As a urethane acrylic paint, Cabinet Coat offers many of the same durability and smoothing advantages of Advance with more convenience benefits. Keep in mind that the faster dry time reduces leveling. You may not reach the level of perfection Advance will offer, but with careful work and multiple coats, you can achieve a really professional finish with this product!
We highly recommend Cabinet Coat for trim, doors, framing, and stair banisters that take a beating.
Formula: Urethane Acrylic
Sheens for Trim: Satin, Semi-Gloss
Best points:
- Highly durable coating
- Excellent adhesion, no primer needed for previously painted surfaces in good condition
- Resists stains, chipping, scuffing, grease, and water
- Scrubbable and resistant to most cleaning chemicals
- Great color retention
- Faster dry time
- Easy application
- Excellent color and brightness retention
What you should know:
- Looks best when sprayed or rolled
- Overworking leads to brush marks or roller marks, as this product dries quickly
- Color may show slight hue differences next to Benjamin Moore’s wall paints
- Can be harder to find in a paint store—not all local Benjamin Moore retailers carry Cabinet Coat so you may need to order online
Benjamin Moore Aura & Regal Select Interior
Benjamin Moore Aura and Regal Select are our bestselling multi-purpose paints among contractors and homeowners alike. They both have an acrylic resin formula designed to cover in fewer coats than standard paint, with a faster drying time and reduced splattering. With a recoat time of just one hour, Regal Select and Aura in satin or semi-gloss finish are popular choices for DIY projects because they speed up painting and produce a durable surface with great color retention.
However, fast-setting properties come with a downside when it comes to trim. Back brushing (repainting an area too quickly) will leave brush marks or peel paint off within a very short window of time, so these interior paints need to be applied quickly to avoid overworking the paint. Aura is slightly thicker than Regal, so it will cover in fewer coats.
When using Regal or Aura on trim, it’s best to work in light coats to build up coverage, rather than attempting to lay down thick layers. We also recommend working with a roller or sprayer. With these techniques, you can achieve a solid finish.
Regal Select and Aura are washable with soap and water, but also stain resistant, so they release soil without heavy scrubbing. You won’t find the same durability and damage protection as the specialty trim paints on this list, but these populare options are a good choice for crown moulding and trim in low-traffic areas.
Formula: 100% High-Grade Acrylic
Sheens for Trim: Satin/Pearl, Semi-Gloss
Best points:
- Washable
- Stain-resistant
- Fast-drying
- Convenience
- Color mixing, a perfect match for wall colors
- Non-yellowing
- Easy touch-up
What you should know:
- Less durable than Advance, Scuff-X, or Cabinet Coat
- Dries quickly so workability is lower
- Not suitable for heavy duty scrubbers or abrasive cleaners
Do I need to prime trim before painting?
Whether trim needs to be primed varies based on the scenario. Here are the most common cases.
Cases where you DON’T need to prime your trim:
- New, pre-primed baseboard, moulding, or framing
- Previously painted trim that is a similar color to the new color
Cases where you DO need to prime your trim:
- Bare woodwork
- Trim with stains or odors
- Doors and cabinets