Follow these brilliant hacks and tips for trim painting by experts
Looking for expert tips for trim painting? Your home is made of so many components, each of which is significant in its own way. Interior trim does not occupy much space but it is essential for adding strength and grace to different home components.
Interior trim is the molding which frames doors, ceilings, windows, and floor. Trims give a stylish architectural flair to the room.
Some of the common types of trim are:
- Baseboard: This trim is placed at the bottom of the walls and is adjacent to the finished floors.
- Base Cap: this trim is located on top of the baseboard trim along the width of the walls. It is a decorative trim.
- Flat board: This trim surrounds the top of the door or window frame.
- Side Jamb: it is a flat vertical surface that surrounds the sides of door or window frames.
- Head Casing: this is a horizontal trim that surrounds the top of a door or window. It fills in the space between the window/door and the wall adjacent to it.
An easy and inexpensive way to add color and style to your home is by painting the trim of your home. Let us take a look at some practical tips for trim painting your home.
Prep the Trim by Sanding it
- Any painting expert will tell you that the first step of painting is to prep the surface by sanding it. Sanding fills in any small holes and gaps and provides a smooth surface for the paint to stick on. To sand a trim, use sandpaper with 220 grits.
Sanding will rough up the surface a little which will allow the primer to adhere to the surface strongly.
Clean the Trim
- Technically, this should be the first step of trim painting. But you can do it after sanding the trim to remove any extra sand grit. Clean the trims thoroughly by using a tack cloth and dipping it into a little bit of soap and water mixture.
Wipe away all the stains and impurities from the trims so you get a squeaky clean base to start with. Let the trim surfaces dry completely before moving on to the next step.
Take Precautions for Avoiding Paint Spills
- Trim surfaces are narrow and need to be painted with caution. Use a removable painter’s tape to seal off the edges surrounding the trims. This will prevent the adjacent surfaces from paint splashes. The tapes can be removed after the paint on trims has dried.
Another precaution you can take is to cover the underneath floors with an old cloth. If any paint drips or spills, the underneath floors will be prevented from getting paint stains.
Repair and Fill in Holes
- To get a smooth paint texture, fill in the dents and holes present on the trim surface. To fill in the large holes, you require a hardening wood filler. Small holes and dents can be repaired using a spackling compound. You will require 2 to 3 coats of the spackling compound to fill in the holes because it shrinks as it dries.
Examine the trim thoroughly by shining a strong white light on the surface. It will highlight any uneven surfaces you may have missed initially. Apply more filler and let it dry. Sand the filler for a smooth and even surface.
Lay off, Lay On Technique
- To get a smooth finish, use the lay off, lay on the technique of painting. Let us explain to you what that is. Load your roller brush with paint and then glide it over the trim surface in a few quick and short back-and-forth strokes. Paint a few feet of the surface by repeating this process. This technique is called lay on.
Now to give the surface a smooth finish, drag the paintbrush over the entire surface in one long stroke while the paint is still wet. This movement is called lay off. Alternate repeating of these movements will give your surface a smooth finish.
While a DIY trim painting project can be fun, we recommend you to call the pros if you are not confident about your ability to paint. If you are residing in Mckinney, TX, call Encore Painting. They offer trim painting services.