The best paint for baseboards is a semi-gloss in a color of your choosing, but typically a white, to match the trim of the rest of your house. Match baseboard color with other trim in your house, such as moldings, casings, cornice work, ceiling trim, corner mouldings, mantles and more. Semi-gloss paint is typical for baseboards because it highlights and showcases the design of the baseboard.
Baseboard comes in a variety styles and designs, and those changes in shape, design, and curvature all make for differences the way light hits/reflects off the surface. So semi-gloss adds a unique appearance when lights are on…
As white contrasts so well with almost any color, it can be used throughout a whole home's trim and baseboard, allowing for a consistency in home interior design.
Photo Above: White colored baseboard contrasts well with any number of paint types, from light greys, to dark colors, and also contrasts well with various flooring types.
Durability of Paint Sheen/Color
Semi-gloss is also easier to clean. As baseboards are on the floor, they are more prone to getting dirty, and catching any number of splatter marks and spills from dropped items. Semi-gloss paints have a smoother more solid surface, which makes them easier to clean than eggshell or matte paints. The added resin in semi-gloss paints actually provides increased durability, making the surfaces better for the purposes of cleaning smudges, or spills, than a non-reflective paint like matte or flat.
Paint Color Contrast
Semi-gloss paints in addition help to create the necessary contrast from the baseboard to the flat, matte, or eggshell finishes common for walls. The contrast not only of color, but for paint sheen level, is imperative in general interior design practice to help to distinguish the overall look and feel of a room. In fact, within some painting guides or manuals, semi-gloss is a specified sheen.
That noted, white is most common for the baseboard color, a pure white, off-white, or greyish white. These are all pretty typical.
In terms of paint materials, acrylic / latex interior paint is preferable.
Summary
To conclude, the best paint for baseboards is typically a white, semi-gloss, acrylic/latex interior specific paint. You will find great contrast with other paint surfaces, and a good amount of durability as opposed to flatter paints like matte and flat paints! In addition, white is one of those colors that will contrast with almost any color, which allows you to easily use it to keep a consistent trim paint color throughout your home or building.
0 Comments