One colour to choose for repainting all my wooden windows, doors and skirting boards

[OCSockOrphanage]

After almost 20 years of disliking all the wood coloured wooden windows, doors, frames and skirting boards, I am ready to tackle this enormous task. Wise ones, what colour to choose? Not pure brilliant white (too harsh) and not a strong colour. I lean towards an eggshell in warm putty or linen colour as most of the paint is Timeless, Lime White or Egyptian Cotton. Rooms are large, south-facing and modern (1970s house).

Please, come and tell me what colour has worked well for you? Ideally just one colour.

[PberryT]

An off white. Don't go with anything else as it will date vvv quickly and be a ball ache to match different rooms with.

Your only other option is back to bare wood and varnish but this only looks good if the wood is good.

[IminaPickle]

Definitely gloss and definitely as pure white as you can bear. It makes retouching possible whereas anything else will need a full repainted. I've just patched around where some furniture has been moved and lazy electricians hadn't painted after a rewrite and around the fireplace- the whole room looks freshly decorated!

[BumbleNova]

actually I completely disagree with gloss white. I think it looks horribly dated. i think a warm linen or putty colour in eggshell sounds great. we have done the same with all our woodwork. we havent gone with the same tone across the entire house, but one that complements the walls in each room.

[Woopsiedaisy]

Farrow & Ball - White Tie.

I use it for all ceilings, skirting, woodwork etc. It goes beautifully with most F&B and Little Greene colours.

Unlike 'Imina' I never use gloss, but go for Matt.

[IminaPickle]

But matt gets so grubby! At least gloss you can clean. We are filthy though- multiple doors in from swamy garden and drive and open fire and dog. And I'm the only one who takes shoes off

[OCSockOrphanage]

From the F&B range, I like shaded white and clunch, but I am not keen on the paint itself (coverage ain't great IME) so prefer Mylands, of which the two I think I prefer are Rose Theatre and Smithfield, which are both warm neutral tones. I shall definitely go for eggshell; this house is so light (huge windows) that the glare would be too much.

Pberry thanks for your bare wood/varnish notion, but that's what I am leaving behind.

I have a pile of paint chips tall enough to hide behind it, and there's so much work involved, I'd rather take time to be sure the decision is right!

Just hoping that a suggestion would go "ping" and the choice would be obvious, but life's not that simple is it?

Thanks and for all. Any more ideas most welcome!

[OCSockOrphanage]

Imina, Mylands paint is really tough and wipes/washes well. Unlike F&B!

[Woopsiedaisy]

I don't use the F&B paint, just the colours.

My decorator gets Trade paint mixed in F&B colours for me.

The Matt finish is as washable as the Gloss. I live in the depths of the country, think thick mud, coal fires etc.

The one tip a decorator passed on, which I think is fab, is to decant some leftover paint from each room into a small Kilner Jar. Those jars live inside on the pantry floor so they dont get frost damaged. They are nice and handy whenever I need to touch up scratches, marks etc.

[OCSockOrphanage]

Actually, clever peeps, another question, if I may. There's a choice of Matt (8% sheen) and Eggshell (23% sheen) as well as full gloss. I may use one colour but do the frames and skirting boards in Matt and doors in Eggshell (or vice versa?) or am I over thinking this?

[wobblywonderwoman]

We have painted ours in a satin finish - its an off white with a hint of grey and its lovely.

I don't find it hard to keep and slight wipe with a baby wipe does it.