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Painting Interior Trim
Think of interior trim (molding, door frames, baseboards, wainscoting, paneling and doors) like the frame of a painting – it outlines and enhances the beauty of what’s inside. Unpainted, dirty or damaged trim can detract from a room's overall appearance. On the other hand, smooth, freshly painted trim is just the finishing touch you need to make your room look more professional and pulled together.
Painting interior trim – like all do-it-yourself projects – will be easier and have better results if you repair and prep your woodwork beforehand and invest in the proper tools and paint for the jobs at hand. Your local True Value store has everything you need to do a quality job, and we’ve got step-by-step advice to make sure your interior trim turns out terrific.
Professional Paint Tips
Final Clean Up
Step 1: Make a Colorful Choice
It's always fun to select paint colors, even for interior trim. Many people opt for neutral trim colors to blend with a room's walls, windows and doors and create a crisp, fresh look.
But neutral isn't the only way to go. If you'd prefer more color, create a compatible and harmonious balance between the walls and trim by choosing analogous colors, which are located next to each other on the color wheel. Because they're neighbors, analogous colors have similar and pleasing tones - just think of the yellows, oranges and golds of a beautiful sunset.
Want even more contrast? Complementary colors - located opposite each other on the color wheel, like red and green or orange and blue - create a striking dramatic impact. If your trim is decorative or ornamental, highlight its detail with a bold color that contrasts with the walls.
Helpful Tips:
- Visit the Color Made Simplesm Idea Center at your local True Value store - it's a great resource for helping you choose a trim color that works well with your walls. We've got exclusive tools, like full-color brochures with Peel ‘n Place Removable Paint Chips and Idea Cards with color combinations in a variety of neutral, bold and trendy hues. To select a neutral trim color, for example, find the Idea Card that includes the color you've chosen for your walls and use the lightest color on the swatch for your trim. Since all the color combinations have been professionally matched, you can be confident that your trim will blend beautifully with the wall.
- Once you have a few possibilities in mind, use our Peel ‘n Place Paint Chips to visualize how they'll look in your home. Attach them to your walls and live with them for a few days to see how they appear in both natural and artificial light. Experiment with different colors until you like what you see - it's an easy, no-commitment way to make sure you're satisfied before you pick up a brush.
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Step 2: Picking Your Paint
Here's the creative part of your project - choosing your paint. True Value EasyCare® paint comes in a wide array of colors in durable flat, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss and high-gloss finishes. But if you're not sure which color and finish will show off your interior trim to its best advantage, the answer is as close as your local True Value store. Just describe your painting conditions and desired results to your True Value Certified Color Expert for all the advice you're looking for. You can also, go to TrueValuePaint.com for more color ideas and painting tips.
Step 3: Brush Up on Brushes
Paintbrushes come in a variety of sizes and styles. So how do you choose? Start with “best” quality enamel or varnish brushes - they hold more paint, apply more easily and don't leave brush strokes - and go for ones with flagged tips and tapered edges. Smaller brushes, designed for small areas and detail work, are good for molding, door frames and baseboards; use larger brushes for wainscoting, paneling and doors. For cutting in to corners and painting tight spaces, choose a brush that's angular or chiseled. All paintbrushes are available with natural or synthetic bristles. Which leads us to…
Synthetic or Natural?
If you're using latex or water-based paints, we recommend that you use synthetic brushes - usually a combination of polyester and nylon - which hold their shapes and stiffness - even in large amounts of water. Is your paint oil- or alkyd-based? Opt for brushes with natural bristles.
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Step 4: Always Be Prepared
Now that you have your paint and brush supplies in hand, it's time to prepare your surfaces. Prepping takes more time and effort, but the final results - easier painting and long-lasting results - are well worth it.
Step 5: Clean Up Your Act
Paint doesn't adhere well to dirt - especially greasy grime - so if your trim isn't new, be sure to clean it well before you begin. (It's not a bad idea to give even brand new trim a once-over as well). Start with a good dusting and vacuuming to remove any dust or fibers - and don't forget to get up on a stepladder to do the tops of your windows and door casings.
Next, use a sponge dipped in phosphate-free cleaner and warm water to clean the woodwork. Use a soft brush for crevices and, if necessary, an abrasive cleaning pad for tough stains. Rinse the surfaces well and dry thoroughly with an absorbent towel.
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Step 6: Protect Nearby Surfaces
Use plastic or canvas drop cloths to protect your floors from wayward paint. If your room is carpeted, mask its edges with blue painter's tape, placing it against the base molding and using a putty knife to push it underneath. Most molding has a gap under the lower edge to leave room for the carpet; if yours doesn't, push the tape down as far as you can between the carpet and the molding.
Blue painter's tape should also be used to protect the edges of walls and ceilings that are adjacent to the trim. Last but not least, if any hardware is attached to the trim, remove what you can and tape up the rest.
Helpful Tips:
- To protect twice as much carpet, use a double strip of tape. Simply place the second line parallel to the first, effectively doubling its width.
- Here's an easy way to keep trim paint from bleeding under the tape onto neighboring walls and ceiling: simply press the edges of the tape down with a block of wood to seal them tightly.
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More Ways to Stop the Bleeding
The perfect paint looks great on your trim, so that's where it should stay. To prevent it from migrating where it doesn't belong do what many professionals do: before painting the trim, paint the seam between the tape and the trim with wall-colored paint. This will intentionally seep under the tape and seal the intersection, preventing the trim paint from staining the wall. If your wall paint is latex and the trim paint is oil-based, use a rag dampened with denatured alcohol to wipe wall-covered paint from the trim.
Helpful Tip:
- Don't forget to remove all the painter's tape you used before the paint dries to make sure you don't accidentally peel off any fresh paint.
Step 7: Repair Your Surfaces
It's inevitable that daily wear and tear will eventually damage your existing wall trim - even the simple act of vacuuming can be a culprit. Dents, nicks and scratches draw attention to themselves and distract from the room's overall appearance, so it's important to repair any imperfections before you start painting.
Sanding works well to remove shallow dents or scratches. For best results, use sandpaper on a rubber sanding block, or a sanding sponge if the surface is irregular. Start by sanding with 80-grit paper until the dent or scratch is smooth, then finish, sand and feather into the surrounding area with 120-grit paper. Wipe the area clean with a damp rag to remove any dust and grit.
Wood filler should be used on areas with more severe damage. To ensure a good bond, first rough up the surface with coarse sandpaper or a scraper. Then apply wood filler with a putty knife and sand it level when it's hard and dry.
Helpful Tip:
- Shine a strong light at a low angle across the surface of the trim to pinpoint any paint drips, brush bristles, chipped paint, dents and scratches that need to be cleaned or repaired.
Safety Alert!
Lead is toxic, and scraping, sanding or removing old paint may release lead dust into the air. Women who are pregnant and children should stay away during this process. When you're working with lead dust, wear a NIOSH-approved respirator and clean all debris carefully with a HEPA vacuum and a wet mop. Before you start, learn the proper methods to protect yourself by contacting the National Lead Hotline at 1-800-424-LEAD or visiting www.epa.gov/lead.
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Step 8: Banish the Shine - Sand and Degloss
If your woodwork has a glossy sheen, it's important to dull it so that the paint will adhere well to its surface. To remove the shine, lightly sand the area with 120-grit sandpaper or apply a brush-on deglosser, which is available for latex or oil-based paints
You can also use an electric sander, but be sure to keep the tool moving as you sand the surface. If you don't, the friction and heat can melt the finish and gum up the sandpaper. When you're finished, vacuum up all the sanding dust.
Helpful Tips:
- A thorough deglossing is critical if your trim was previously painted with oil-based paint and you now want to switch to latex; if you skip this step, your new paint will not adhere or wear well.
- If you're not sure whether your trim was painted with latex or oil-based paint, rub the surface with a rag moistened in denatured alcohol. Oil paint will not be affected, while latex paint will soften and stain your rag.
- When you sand indoors, keep the air clear by creating an easy exhaust system. Set a box fan to “exhaust” and place it in an open window to depressurize the room and direct airborne dust outdoors.
- For safety's sake, observe all label instructions and cautions for using electrical tools and deglossing agents.
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Step 9: Fill ‘er Up - Prime and Caulk
Any areas that were patched or sanded bare should be patched with True Value EasyCare® primer. When it dries, use siliconized acrylic-latex caulk to fill any holes, dings, cracks or gaps between the trim and its adjacent surfaces. Cut the tip of the cartridge, fill the joints and smooth with a wet finger.
Helpful Tips:
- Choose a caulking gun that has a thumb-controlled quick-release lever - it's easy to control.
- A thin bead of caulk is best - it's neat and pliable - so cut only the very tip of the caulk cartridge to produce a 1/8 inch diameter bead.
- After applying the caulk, smooth it with your trusty finger or the edge of an ice cube. Keep some paper towels handy to wipe up the caulk, the melted water and, of course, your finger.
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Professional Paint Tips
It's no surprise that it takes time to paint a room's walls and ceiling - after all, they're the largest surfaces in the room. But believe it or not, painting the surfaces of molding, baseboards, door frames, wainscoting, paneling and doors can sometimes take just as long (even longer if they're decorative). Here's how to do it:
Brush Strokes of Genius:
- Load your brush by dipping one-third of the bristles into the True Value EasyCare® paint, and tapping the brush on the side of the can to remove any excess. If you use this method, you'll hardly need to actually wipe the brush on the can's edge.
- Unload the paint from one side of the brush with one long stroke. Use the return trip to unload the other side, starting just where the first stroke ended.
- Cut in by varying the pressure you apply on the brush as you carefully - but confidently - move along the edge of the adjacent surface.
- Brush outward, leveling and evening the finish as you go.
- Complete each area with a long, light finishing stroke.
- Each time you begin a new stroke, make sure to brush toward the paint that was just applied.
For baseboards, paint several strokes from top to bottom, then combine and fill the unpainted areas with long, smooth brush strokes. To get the best results, paint only a few feet of baseboard at a time, moving a piece of cardboard along the floor to prevent spills. If you miss, clean up any drips or splatters before they dry.
Use the same technique to paint wainscoting and paneling, starting from the top of the raised surfaces between the panels. Then move on to the indented panels and surrounding molding, being careful to prevent excess paint from collecting in the corners.
Before you paint the doors, remove the handle and strike plate. If your doors have inset panels, paint them first, followed by the horizontal and vertical bars.
Helpful Tips:
- When you cut in, use a long paint-edging tool to protect any unmasked surfaces, wiping the blade after each pass.
- Accidents happen, so if you inadvertently get paint on an adjacent surface, wrap a cotton cloth over the end of a putty knife and use it to neatly remove the spill. You'll get a nice sharp edge that removes the unwanted paint without disturbing the trim.
- Use denatured alcohol to remove dried latex paint spills or drips.
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Final Clean Up
Clean your brushes well and they'll reward you with long, trouble-free lives. Thoroughly rinse brushes with water or paint thinner until the solvent runs clear, then place them in a brush/roller spinner to remove excess liquid. Afterwards, store them in their protective sleeves or hang them on nails or hooks.
For more projects, go to TrueValuePaint.com. >
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