To Paint Trim & Doors or Not

[AJ P.]

Hi everyone, I recently purchased a very outdated duplex and am renovating pretty much the whole thing. I'm going to be painting the walls and ceilings next, but I am unsure what to do with the trim and doors. They are both a stained brown it seems and have held up fairly well over the last 30 or 40 years I'd say. I think white would look much better, but I am worried that's going to be a lot more work and I also fear how well the white paint would hold up over time (they are rental units I know they'll take a beating and potentially chip/ scratch). Does anyone have any advice on what I should do here? Thanks!

[Jill F.]

Painted (some shade of white) trim will be more popular with tenants than stained wood. I do leave 6" solid oak or mahogany trim in historic buildings if it's in good shape but we paint or replace clam shell from the 50's and 60's. We often find around here that "wood' trim from the early 90's is plastic fake wood.