Tips Before Painting Interior Trim Tan (or Khaki): Everything You Wanted to Know

Learn what you need to consider before painting or coordinating wall colors/decor with tan and khaki colored trim. Tan trim is not as common as white or wood, but there are things you'll probably want to know before tackling your next project.

When we purchased our home almost a decade ago, we got a house that was purchased originally as a model home from the previous owners. This model home had tan interior trim everywhere inside of the house. This was a two story house with four bedrooms.

In This Post

Overview of Having a House with Trim Painted Tan

As a new home owner, I did everything I could to try to prep the house before moving in all the furniture. This included getting an estimate for painting the interior trim from tan to white. And when I say tan, I really mean this dark brown with a hint of green in various lighting conditions. Downstairs where there was more light, it had almost a light brown tone to it. Upstairs, the tan trim seemed really like a dark green.

Cost to Professionally Repaint Trim

For a 2,600 square foot home with 4 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms, it would cost $12,000 to have someone professionally paint the trim from tan to white.

All things considered, we had two babies at the time, and we could just not afford it in that moment in time. So, I lived with trying to figure out how to live with the tan trim color we inherited.

The painters that provided me the estimate gave me some solace when he told me that having tan/khaki colored trim was actually a positive net outcome because not a lot of people have it because it is quite expensive to do. While this made me somewhat feel better, I was left still trying to figure out how to make tan trim work in our home.

In this post, I'm going to share with you the good and bad of having tan trim color in your home.

Common Paint Colors for Tan Trim

There are a handful of tan trim colors that are often used when trying to achieve that somewhat neutral, beige trim that you'll find in more upscale homes.

Sherwin Williams Quiver Tan 6151

Our home uses Sherwin Williams Quiver Tan 6151. It's a great paint color with hues of a green base. It reminds me of military green in different lights. In rooms with bright lights, it has lighter tones when paired with a light wall color.

Benjamin Moore Texas Leather AC-3

Benjamin Moore Texas Leather has brown undertones and is often used as tan trim. It's darker than Sherwin Williams Quiver Tan, but has a brown tones that will be easier to match with furniture and fixtures.

Benefits of Having Tan Trim

When trim is painted tan, normally the builder or designer has painted it in order to highlight woodwork inside the home. Using the right tan paint color will allow your space to adapt to the furniture and allow it to be flexible when you are wanting to change interior furnishings without the need to repaint the home.

Problems with Tan Trim

Tan trim can provide an unexpected glam if implemented with coordinating colors and surrounding furniture. However, there are a few considerations you may want to take into account when planning around this uncommon trim color.

Wall Colors That Work with Tan Trim

Contrary to popular belief, tan trim is very similar to white and wood trim when it comes to coordinating with other colors.

Below are pictures of our own house where we've used tan trim. The tan trim color also is used on our room doors and some of our cabinetry as well, providing a nice consistent flow across our home.

This is the foyer with tan trim.

This is the staircase with Simply Irresistible by Benjamin Moore.

This is the pantry door and open kitchen area with the same color.

This is our bedroom with Benjamin Moore White Dove on the walls with Sherwin Williams Quiver Tan trim.

This is our little boy's room with Benjamin Moore Gray Owl on the walls.

This is our little girl's room with a dark, muted pink paint color on the walls mixed with gold accents.

This is our older girls' room with a light purple and gray striped accent wall with lavender and white furnishings.

These are a few of the bathrooms with the countersinks being the same color as the trim.

Furniture Colors That Work Well with Tan Trim

Furniture colors that coordinate with tan trim include wood, metal, and white furnishings.

Considerations Before Painting Your Trim Tan or Khaki Color

There are few things you should consider in terms of design before choosing to paint your trim tan or even designing in a space with tan trim.

Accessorize with Texture and Patterns

Tan trim provides a great empty and blank canvas in order for you to add patterns and colors to get your final design just right. The trim and wall colors should allow you to make your design dreams come true, while being the foundation that holds it together.

Create Contrast with Tan Walls or Tan Trim

Whether tan is used for the wall or trim, the goal is to create contrast in order to allow the paint to stand out and look clean and fresh.

Add Structure and Dimension with Other Colors with Tan Trim

You'll want to create a space that doesn't have tan on the walls, especially if you have tan on the trim. You'll want to at least use a light, medium, and dark shade in order to separate the spaces, which will allow the space to have a sense of movement.

Frequently Asked Questions About Tan Trim Questions

What color should interior tan trim be?

What color wall goes with tan trim?

Tan trim normally coordinates with colors that are three shades darker or three shades lighter than the actual trim color.

Do tan trim colors work well with gray walls?

Tan trim does coordinate well with gray walls as long as the furnishings surrounding it coordinate with the gray walls.

How do you make tan trim brighter?

To make tan trim pop and add dimension in a room, a semi-gloss updated coat of paint can often provide the extra pop of color needed to bring out the trim color.

Summary About Home Interiors with Tan Trim

That's my review of having a home painted with tan trim. Initially, my perception of coordinating furniture with tan trim was going to be hard. Tan trim is definitely unique, but as long as you think of it as a neutral palette in which you can layer other colors on, it will be easy to understand how you can use accessories and furniture to complement the space and add more dimension and movement.

Overall, I'm glad I didn't repaint the trim because I feel as though the trim is what makes my home unique from the rest of the homes in suburbia (at least, I'd like to think in my own head).

Painting Interior Trim Tan (or Khaki): Everything You Wanted to Know

Overview of Having a House with Trim Painted Tan

Cost to Professionally Repaint Trim