Paint Wood Trim White
Painting your wood trim takes preparation and can be a tedious endeavor, but it is a way to accent the colors of your room without repainting it. One of the most common ways that people achieve this is by painting their wood trim white. White will offset and complement other colors in your room, and a new coat of white paint will make a dull room look new again. Trim includes baseboards, door frames, window frames and sometimes crown molding. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
Prepare Your Painting Surface
1. Thoroughly wash all your molding to help with adhesion of the new paint. Use warm water and a mild detergent and rub the surface with soft cloths. Allow two to three hours for the surface to dry.
2. Cover and mask your surfaces. Attach blue painters tape around the sides (in the event of window and door frames) and to the bottom of your wood trim. This will prevent unwanted paint on the surface of walls. Also, attach a drop cloth to the bottom of your baseboards, at the floor. This will prevent unwanted paint from getting on the floor.
3. Scrape away all lose paint on the surface of your trim with a putty scraper. Over time paint loses adhesion and becomes loose, even if you don't see it. Be careful not to add any scratches or gouge the wood.
4. Sand the surface of the wood before priming. Use 80-grit sandpaper to smooth down rough edges. Follow up on the surfaces with 120-grit sandpaper. Use the hose on your vacuum to clean up any dust that has resulted from the sanding.
5. Prime your trim. Primer looks and goes on similarly to paint. But primer has a purpose that is not aesthetic. Primer helps to guard against stains and helps with the adhesion of the paint to the wood. There are many oil-based primers on the market that will work to your purpose. When at the hardware make sure that you pick an oil base, as it sands easily.
6. Choose your paint. Acrylic is the most common type of paint as it dries quickly and doesn't have the same strong smell as oil based paint does. Thin your paint using a paint thinner; this will allow the paint to go on more easily. Mix 2 tbsp. of thinner with 1 inch of paint in the bottom of a gallon bucket, to start with. When you run out use the same ratio to continue.
Paint
7. Start painting the trim closest to the ceiling and work your way toward the floor. Paint the door and window frames before the baseboards. Use a 1-inch angled brush on narrow trim and a 2-inch, flat brush on wide areas.
8. Paint 3 or 4 inches from a corner and brush toward the corner. Then use wide strokes in the opposite direction to spread the paint evenly. Start several inches from your end point, and again paint toward the corner over the wet edge. Continue in this manner until you have painted all your trim.
9. Allow paint to dry thoroughly. This can take a full day. Remove the tape and touch up as needed. Clean up the drop cloths.
Tags: wood trim, your trim, your wood trim, adhesion paint, bottom your, colors your, colors your room