How Much Does Trim Cost to Install in 2025?

This article was updated using automation technology and thoroughly reviewed for accuracy by HomeAdvisor Editor Ryan Noonan.

Most homeowners spend around $1,381 on trim installation, with costs typically ranging from $634 to $2,250. Your total cost will depend on factors like location, project size, and material quality.

Trim and molding are woodwork elements that embellish a home’s floors, walls, and ceilings. They can be prefabricated or custom-made from a variety of wood and related materials. These elements can complement other stylistic elements in the home such as wall color and furniture, giving it a more put-together look. Trim and molding are mostly decorative, but they also have functional uses like hiding gaps or providing minor structural reinforcement.

Factors That Affect Your Home Trim Cost

Several factors influence the cost of installing trim in your home:

• Labor (50%): Hiring a professional ensures quality installation, which can significantly affect your total cost.

• Trim Type (20%): The type of trim you choose contributes to the aesthetic and can vary in price.

• Trim Finish (20%): Painting or staining your trim adds to the cost but provides a customized look.

• Material (10%): The material you select influences durability and price.

Cost to Install Trim per Linear Foot

Different types of trim offer unique aesthetic and practical benefits.

Shoe Molding Installation Cost

The cost of door and window trim like shoe molding costs between $0.50 and $1.50 per linear foot, which you’ll typically buy in eight-foot lengths. It’s a narrow molding consisting of two inward-facing flat sides and one outward-facing concave side. The most common use of shoe molding is to hide small gaps between a wall and floor, typically by installing it to a taller baseboard.

Cost to Install Quarter Round

Quarter-round molding costs between $0.50 and $4 per foot, with eight feet being the most common length. It’s so-named because it’s shaped like one-fourth of a circle. The uses of quarter-round molding are generally similar to those of shoe molding, such as covering up the edge of flooring remodel work.

Cost to Install Base Molding

The cost of installing baseboard molding ranges from $1 to $10 per linear foot, depending on the material. It’s typically between two and four inches tall, although it can be taller than that. Base molding serves to define lines at the bottom of a wall, but it also hides gaps. It isn’t as detailed as crown molding, but it is available in many finishes suitable for painting or staining.

Crown Molding

Crown molding costs between $4 and $50 per linear foot. The most important cost variables include the material, finish and detail of the design. Crown molding installers in your area typically install crown molding at a 45-degree angle to the wall, creating a hollow space behind. The most common locations are in the corners between a wall and cabinet or another wall.

Casing

Casing has about the same cost as baseboard at $0.50 to $1.50 per foot, depending on the material, design and finish. Its primary purpose is to define windows and door frames, rather than the wall near the floor. Casing is rarely more than two inches tall since it’s usually installed at eye level. It’s otherwise similar to baseboard and often has the same style and design.

Chair Rail

A chair rail costs between $1 and $3 per foot and is readily available in a variety of colors and finishes. It runs horizontally along a wall at a height of about three feet. The original purpose of a chair rail was to protect walls from chairs, but changes in chair styles have made chair rails largely decorative. Their most common use today is to delineate a wall with two different types of paint or wallpaper.

Picture Rail

A picture rail costs between $1 and $3 per foot, depending on design and style. Their purpose is to provide a place to hang pictures without creating holes in drywall. Picture rails are similar to chair rails except they’re narrower and often have a lip on top that you can use to anchor hanger wires on a frame. They also sit higher on the wall than chair rails.

Wall Frame

Wall frames usually cost between $8 and $25 per linear foot, depending on their size and material. Unlike other types of molding and trim, they consist of premade squares rather than a length of material. Wall frames are purely decorative and typically found in high-end homes. Homeowners may also paint the interior of a wall frame in a different color or cover it with wallpaper.

Cost to Paint or Stain Trim

While some trim comes prepainted or prestained, you may find that you need to paint or stain your trim of choice to match your home's existing or desired aesthetic. Painting or staining trim is detail-oriented work that requires patience, time, and the appropriate tools and materials.

On average, finishing trim with paint or stain costs between $1 and $4 per linear foot. Because baseboards are often wider than other trim types and require more time and materials, the cost of baseboard painting could be more than $1 to $4 per linear foot.

Cost for Trim Installation Labor

The total cost of labor for installing the new trim is between $410 and $660, almost all of which is for installation. This project requires about 6.3 hours, with an hourly rate ranging from $75 to $125 per hour. The major tasks included in this labor cost include measuring and cutting the trim, nailing the trim, and caulking the holes. It also includes preparing the site and cleanup.

Trim Material

DIY Trim Installation vs. Hire a Pro

A professional carpenter should install trim and molding. An experienced DIY carpenter might be able to get good results for walls that are completely flat, but this is rarely the case in practice. A pro will be able to get tighter joints and smoother runs by knowing how to adjust the cuts to conform to curved walls.

"Modifications of the trim in your home can vary in complexity. Though it looks simple, a professional can make the trim installation look much more seamless," Andrew Kilborn, Expert Review Member and Owner of Andy's Handyman, said.

How HomeAdvisor Gets Its Cost Data

No place is more important than your home, which is why HomeAdvisor connects homeowners with local pros to transform their houses into homes they love. To help homeowners prepare for their next project, HomeAdvisor provides readers with accurate cost data and follows strict editorial guidelines. We surveyed thousands of real customers about their project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects.