Woodwork is examined from a foot away, which walls rarely are. That is why it is the part of a job where shortcuts are most visible: brush marks, nibs of dust in the finish, runs down a door edge, or a wobbly line where the white meets the wall colour.
Getting it right is unglamorous. Rubbing down between coats, dusting off properly, filling and caulking, and laying off carefully so the finish flows out flat. Old gloss that has gone yellow and brittle usually needs taking back further than people expect before anything new goes on, and there is a lot of it in Kent's Victorian and Edwardian housing — original doors, deep skirtings and moulded architrave that are worth saving rather than replacing.
Doors, frames, skirting, architrave, stairs, spindles and handrails, in whichever finish you want — satin and eggshell are what most people choose now, though traditional gloss still has its place.
