Trim & baseboard paint calculator
Trim paint is measured in linear feet, not square feet. A typical room (12 × 14) has ~52 linear feet of baseboard plus ~30 lf of door and window casing. One quart of semi-gloss covers about 90 linear feet of trim with two coats — roughly one room's worth. The calculator returns the amount you need plus a real per-gallon price for any of 15 brands, so you see the paint cost before you shop. For the full paint-plus-labor total, use thecost calculator.
How we estimate trim paint
Trim is measured in linear feet, then converted to paintable square feet by its height. The calculator applies a per-foot face area to each section, adds it up, multiplies by your coat count, and divides by your paint's coverage rate. Here are the per-foot numbers it uses:
- Baseboard: a 4-to-5-inch profile is about 0.4 sq ft per linear foot; a 6-inch profile is closer to 0.5.
- Crown molding: about 0.5 sq ft per linear foot for standard 3-inch crown.
- Door casing: roughly 12 linear feet per door (top plus two legs), about 5 sq ft per opening.
- Window casing: about 14 linear feet per window, roughly 5.5 sq ft each.
- Chair rail: about 0.25 sq ft per linear foot.
- Wainscot or board-and-batten: entered directly in square feet.
A quart often does a whole room
For a typical 12-by-14 room with baseboard plus casing on one door and two windows, you get about 52 linear feet of baseboard, 12 feet of door casing, and 28 feet of window casing. That is roughly 38 square feet of paintable trim. At about 425 sq ft per gallon, two coats come to about 0.18 gallons, well under a single quart. Note that thicker trim and gloss paints go on heavier, so plan on the lower end of coverage for semi-gloss.
Why semi-gloss on trim
Trim takes abuse that walls never do, mop bumps on baseboard, hands on casing, scuffs from furniture. Semi-gloss is the standard because it wipes clean and resists wear. Satin works if you want a softer, less reflective look, but flat and eggshell scuff too quickly on millwork. Whatever sheen you choose, caulk every seam and prime bare or stained wood first, that prep is what separates pro-looking trim from a DIY job.
Paint cost by brand
Trim and door enamels go on a little thicker than wall paint, so coverage is a touch lower — plan for about 350 to 425 sq ft per gallon. The good news is the job is small: a quart often does a whole room of trim, so the per-gallon price below matters less than buying the right size. These are current per-gallon prices for the trim enamels the calculator can price:
| Brand & line | Price / gal | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Backdrop Trim, Door & Cabinet | ~$59/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Behr Marquee | ~$52/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Behr Dynasty | ~$65/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Behr Ultra | ~$45/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Behr Premium Plus | ~$33/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Behr Cabinet & Trim Enamel | ~$50/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Benjamin Moore Aura | ~$80/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Benjamin Moore Regal Select | ~$64/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Benjamin Moore ADVANCE | ~$88/gal | 425 sq ft/gal |
| Benjamin Moore Ben | ~$45/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Benjamin Moore Ultra Spec 500 | ~$40/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| C2 Paint LUXE | ~$82/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| C2 Paint Cabinet & Trim | ~$80/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Clare Trim & Door | ~$54/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Diamond Vogel Avalon | ~$48/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Dunn-Edwards Everest | ~$67/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Dunn-Edwards Aristoshield | ~$88/gal | 425 sq ft/gal |
| Dutch Boy Platinum Plus | ~$38/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Dutch Boy Pristine | ~$46/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Farrow & Ball Dead Flat | ~$130/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Farrow & Ball Estate Eggshell | ~$140/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Glidden Diamond | ~$37/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Glidden Premium | ~$22/gal | 350 sq ft/gal |
| HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams Infinity | ~$46/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| INSL-X Cabinet Coat | ~$55/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Kompozit ONE | ~$40/gal | 388 sq ft/gal |
| Kompozit PRO | ~$52/gal | 388 sq ft/gal |
| Kompozit NEO | ~$65/gal | 425 sq ft/gal |
| Magnolia Home Interior | ~$50/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Magnolia Home Trim, Door & Cabinet | ~$55/gal | 350 sq ft/gal |
| Portola Paints New Standard | ~$80/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| PPG Timeless | ~$45/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| PPG Manor Hall | ~$55/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| PPG Break-Through | ~$65/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Rodda Horizon Interior | ~$52/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Rodda RESIST-X | ~$58/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Sherwin-Williams Emerald | ~$74/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Sherwin-Williams Duration Home | ~$70/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Sherwin-Williams Cashmere | ~$60/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint | ~$60/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel | ~$95/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Sherwin-Williams ProClassic | ~$80/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Valspar Reserve | ~$52/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
| Valspar Signature | ~$40/gal | 400 sq ft/gal |
Pick a brand and line in the result panel for an exact paint cost; many trim jobs only need a quart or two, so buying the right size matters more than the per-gallon price.
What it costs to paint trim
Doing trim yourself is one of the cheapest paint jobs there is. A quart of semi-gloss enamel runs about $12 to $25 and covers a typical room of baseboard and casing, so a whole-house DIY trim refresh is often $50 to $150 in paint plus a good angled brush and some caulk.
Hiring a painter is where the cost climbs, because trim is slow detail work. Pros charge about $1 to $4 per linear foot, which works out to roughly $25 to $200 per room — a bedroom lands near $40 to $200 and a small bathroom $25 to $100. Crown molding above eight feet usually adds about 25 percent. For a full labor-plus-paint estimate, use thepaint cost calculator.