Is It Time To Repaint Your Baseboards?

Baseboards are often a forgotten piece of a home's interior, yet it's a space that takes a lot of hits. Feet, furniture, and flung toys crash into those boards frequently. Accumulated dust and grime from the floor can cling to that lower trim. Plus, cleaning baseboards is a job that's tough on the knees and back, so it's natural to continually push the task off. When you combine it all, you have an area of the home that needs more attention than it often gets, including in the paint department. In fact, the general consensus from paint professionals is baseboards should be repainted every two to five years.

You could extend that time frame with proper cleaning and overall upkeep. There's also the option of touching up portions of the bottom trim that look particularly rough. That said, there are a lot of benefits to keeping up with a recommended repainting schedule, some of which may be surprising.

The most obvious benefit of repainting your baseboards is the look itself. You'll either get a refreshing upgrade to your current color or select a different shade for a fun change to the room. Beyond the outward appeal, though, are the cleaning and protection benefits you'll get from a new paint job.

That dreaded task of cleaning baseboards? It's a necessity when repainting. If you're making this a DIY project, that part will obviously fall to you, but a professional crew will give it a thorough wash, too. You can also help your future self by selecting a finish that makes for an easier clean down the road.

Perhaps most importantly, a new coat ensures increased protection for your home's interior. A lot of moisture, dirt, and odors float around a house, and they'll often find a resting place on your floors, walls, and ceilings. When you repaint, you're putting a new barrier against those foul particles. Your home will smell fresher, and it'll be better equipped to fight off stains.

Any task that requires you to work on the floor isn't always the most enjoyable, and repainting baseboards can be a particularly uncomfortable task. It takes a good amount of prep work, and you'll need steady hands to achieve precision. Because of that, you may wonder if replacing that bottom trim is the better route.

Replacing baseboards can be easier as far as paint is concerned since you can apply all of the necessary coats before you set the boards. Simply lay them out on a counter with a good drop cloth or old newspaper underneath and get to swiping. Unfortunately, that's the last easy step you'll encounter. When you replace the trim, you have to remove the old stuff, prep the wall, place the new ones, and then possibly caulk the whole thing if you want a smoother look. The entire process requires a certain skill set, so it may not be well suited for DIY amateurs. Repainting trim, meanwhile, is more forgiving, and it'll cost much less than a full replacement.