Painting trims in your house is often a difficult part of the painting process, and it is easy to mess it up without proper instruction. Following these steps will help you paint clean, precise trims that bring your entire room together.
Set Up Your Room
The first step to successfully paint the trims of your walls, and skipping this step can end up sending the rest of your painting process off course. The main things to be wary of before setting up the area of your trim are dust, dripping paint, and furniture.
The first culprit, dust, does not mix well with paint and will ruin your painting if you have a lot of it on your walls before you start painting. Get rid of this dust, or the paint may not dry properly or the paint will not bond to the surface, which quickly becomes a pain in the neck.
As for the furniture, move it away from the walls that you are painting to avoid ruining any material. Having a lot of open space where you are painting will also help you be comfortable while you paint, and give you the freedom to move while you paint.
Get the Trim Ready
Next, clean up your trim, making sure to remove any particles or substances your trim catches. If you are painting trim in the kitchen, use a soapy sponge to remove any built-up grease or stains in the grooves of the trim, and elsewhere, a wet sponge will work for accumulated dirt and dust.
Another essential part of getting a trim ready for painting is sandpaper, which will smooth the surface of your trim and make it look better once you paint it. A good guideline to sand efficiently is to start out with coarse sandpaper, then use more refined sandpaper.
Be sure to wipe away the dust leftover after sanding the trim as, again, this will cause problems down the line if you leave any dust remnants. If you find any cracks or gaps between your wall and the trim after sanding, make sure that you fill them in using caulk.
The last step to get your trim ready for priming and painting is to apply painter’s tape to the spots you are not painting. Ensure the tape is straight and flat before continuing on with the next steps.
Use Primer to Prime and Paint the Trim
Before actually painting the trim, add a coat of primer to ensure adhesion between the paint and the surface you are painting. Prime your trim, which is now smooth from the sandpaper and has no remnants of dust or sandpaper particles, and no remaining water from cleaning.
Carefully remove any excess primer coating that is dripping, then let your primer dry for at least 24 hours. This step will get the trim ready for the paint coat and ensures that the primer will not fall off once you apply the paint.
Then, paint the trim carefully, using short strokes before smoothing the trim with one long stroke. Once you finish, simply remove your painter’s tape and let your paint dry.
Marc Poulos began his real estate and financial services career, but he soon realized that his true passion was beautifying homes. He started working with various small craftsman shops before serving an apprenticeship with the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Chicago. His commitment to excellence won him Top Apprentice from Washburne trade school in Chicago – the country’s premier school of its kind.
