Bleed-through over old oil-based paint is always a pain—you're not alone there. I run into that a lot, especially in homes built before the '80s. Two coats of primer is pretty much my standard now whenever I'm covering oil with latex, even if the can says "one coat." Sometimes, I'll even scuff-sand between coats just to be safe, though that does add dust... which, yeah, seems to multiply no matter how neat you are.
Funny thing about darker trim: it really does shift the whole feel of a room. I've had clients worry it'll make things gloomy, but more often than not, it ends up feeling warm and intentional—like you said, cozy. If you ever want to brighten things up again without losing that vibe, adding lighter curtains or swapping out bulbs for a higher Kelvin (closer to daylight) can help balance it out.
One thing I always tell folks: don't skimp on the prep. That extra time scraping and sanding pays off in fewer headaches later. But man, when it all comes together, black trim is such a statement.
That’s so true about the prep—way more annoying than it looks, but skipping it just isn’t worth it. I did my first round of black trim last month and was surprised how much dust came from sanding, even with tarps down. The color made a bigger difference than I expected, too. I was worried it’d look harsh, but it actually makes the windows pop without feeling cold. I did end up swapping out some bulbs for brighter ones, like you mentioned, and that totally helped. Honestly, if I can get through the old paint headaches, anyone can.
I hear you on the prep—my first time doing black trim, I underestimated how much cleanup there’d be. Dust gets everywhere, even taped up tight. I was also worried about it looking too modern for my old brick house, but honestly, it just makes the whole place feel sharper. The lighting tweak is underrated too... softer bulbs made mine look muddy, so the brighter ones really did the trick. Only thing I’d do differently is maybe try a satin finish instead of matte—matte showed fingerprints way more than I expected.
I actually think matte is the way to go, even with the fingerprints. Satin just looks too shiny for older brick, in my opinion.
I get what you mean, but sometimes a little contrast is what makes the character pop. If you’re worried about prints, microfiber cloths are your friend—quick wipe and done.“I was also worried about it looking too modern for my old brick house, but honestly, it just makes the whole place feel sharper.”
Matte’s a solid choice, honestly. I went with it too, and yeah, fingerprints happen, but it’s not a big deal—just wipe and move on. The contrast with old brick looks intentional, not out of place. You’ll get used to it pretty fast.
- Put in matte black trim on our 70s ranch last fall. At first, I worried it’d look too modern, but honestly, it works even with the old red brick.
- Fingerprints do show, but I just keep a microfiber cloth in the mudroom—easy fix.
- The only thing I’d mention: in direct sun, the black gets pretty warm. Not a dealbreaker, just something I didn’t expect.
- Definitely agree, the contrast looks intentional and really sharp from the street. Took me about a week to stop noticing the change and now I can’t imagine going back.
I had the same worry when I swapped out the old white trim for black on our split-level. Thought it might clash with the original siding, but now it just makes everything pop. The heat thing is real though—noticed our west-facing windows get almost too hot to touch by late afternoon. Did you notice any difference inside, like rooms feeling warmer, or is it just the outside trim? I’m debating if I should add awnings next summer.
Yeah, that heat buildup on black trim is no joke, especially on the west side where the sun just bakes everything in the afternoon. I’ve put in a bunch of black-trimmed windows for folks lately and I always warn them about this. Most say it’s mainly the outside that gets hot to the touch, but if you’ve got older windows or less insulation, you might notice rooms getting a bit warmer too—especially if you’re dealing with single-pane glass or drafty frames.
Awnings can help, but even something like solar shades or just beefing up your window coverings inside makes a difference. One customer of mine went with some simple roller shades and said it cut down on the late-day heat a ton. Personally, I love the look of black trim—it really does make everything stand out—but yeah, there’s always that tradeoff with heat absorption.
I’d say see how it feels through the rest of summer before committing to awnings. Sometimes just swapping out blinds or adding a little tint can get you most of the way there without a big project.
I get what you’re saying about holding off on awnings, but I actually installed some pretty early after moving in—west-facing windows just cooked my living room. Here’s what I found: 1) Quick DIY exterior shades from the hardware store made a surprising difference, and 2) I tried blackout curtains inside, but it got too dark for my taste. If you really want to keep the curb appeal and still cut heat, combining lighter interior shades with an exterior solution worked best for me. Sometimes the small stuff—like weatherstripping or even rearranging furniture away from those sunny spots—helps more than you’d think.