What does trim painting typically cost in New Brunswick?

Trim painting in New Brunswick typically runs $1.50–$4.00 per linear foot for professional work, depending on the condition of the trim, number of coats, and whether prep work (filling, sanding, caulking) is included.

Here's how the ranges break down in the NB market:

• Budget end ($1.50–$2.00/lf): Simple, good-condition trim with minimal prep — baseboards in a newer home, one or two coats
• Mid-range ($2.00–$3.00/lf): Standard prep, caulking gaps, two coats on baseboards, door casings, and window trim
• Higher end ($3.00–$4.00+/lf): Older homes with rough trim, multiple coats needed, intricate profiles (crown moulding, built-up casings), or oil-based paint over previously oil-painted surfaces

For a typical NB home — say a 1,500 sq ft bungalow in Riverview or Quispamsis — you might have 400–600 linear feet of trim total (baseboards, door casings, window trim). That puts a full interior trim paint job somewhere in the $800–$2,000 range for labour, before materials.

What affects your price most is the prep work. Older Moncton or Fredericton homes with Victorian-era trim, multiple paint layers, or peeling surfaces can easily push costs higher because a good painter will spend more time filling nail holes, sanding, and caulking than actually painting. If your trim has lead paint (common in homes built before 1978), that changes the equation significantly — proper containment and disposal add cost and require a contractor who understands safe lead handling practices.

Materials add roughly $0.30–$0.60/lf on top of labour when the painter supplies paint. A quality trim paint like Benjamin Moore Advance or Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane runs $80–$100/gallon, and a gallon covers roughly 400 linear feet of trim with two coats.

This is genuinely a project many handy homeowners tackle themselves — trim painting doesn't require a licence, and a careful DIYer with good prep habits can get professional-looking results. The keys are: clean and lightly sand the surface, use a quality angled sash brush (2–2.5"), apply painter's tape along the wall edge, and use a trim-specific paint with a semi-gloss or gloss finish for durability and easy cleaning. Budget a weekend for a full house.

That said, if your home has extensive trim detail, you're prepping for a sale, or the existing trim is in rough shape, a professional painter will save you time and likely deliver a cleaner finish — especially on the tricky spots like door casings and window stools where brush control matters.

You can browse painting contractors serving your area through the New Brunswick Construction Network directory to get a few quotes and compare.