Better to paint trim white or buy and cut prepared trim?

It is just as matter of personal preference. I prefer to prime and paint my own, then I know the job is done correctly.

We had our oak trim painted white and it looks great and has held up really well over 2 years so far with 3 kids and a dog. I think it may just be a matter of preference and budget which one you want to do.

Hi Jackie,

That depends on how much energy you want to give to give to the project. 😬 Personally, I would just Sand and paint the trim.

We got prepainted trim for our project - MUCH easier

Pros and cons for each. Lots of prep for painting-cleaning, sanding, priming, protecting your flooring. With prepared trim, you have to remove the old trim, carefully cut the new pieces, and then fill in any nail holes. If the new trim isn't as wide as the old, you'll find you might have gaps between your baseboard and flooring. Yes, this happens. As newbie homeowners we removed the old carpet and painted, awaiting our new carpet. Problem was, the new carpet was that old houses shift around, and in our case the carpet and baseboard didn't meet in all the places

I think painting what you have would be an advantage. I bought some primed trim ( new construction, I knew it would need to be painted) and after adjusting and nailing it had to be painted. The paint chipped when cut. I counter sank the nails and patched the holes. All the trim picked up dirt. I was glad I hadn't painted before the install.

From experience, it was a lot easier when we installed baseboards that were already primed.

your call, feel athletic , paint it , if not replace it !

Great plan white always adds a focal point to a home. I painted mine but buy good paint that has the primer in it to prevent you from so many coats ( behr paint ).

Rough it up some before you prime it, then paint it white. Try a piece that is hidden to see if that works for you.