COATING BASEBOARD OR WOOD TRIMWhen I talk about trim, I'm referring to baseboard or wooden type trim such as chair rails, or moulding. Trim tends to go around doors ceilings and windows, and is used to hide where the window/door meets the drywall. Below you will find information regarding both spraying and brushing/rolling your baseboard or wood trim. Painted trim, can have holes, gaps and cracks in and around them, use this With the use of tape, plastic, masking paper, drop cloths and coverings, you will need to protect all the items in a room that you do not want coated in paint. Protecting your valuables, especially when using a paint sprayer, is very important. Also, when spraying, all door openings and other places where dust or the mist from a coating can escape, need to be closed off with plastic. Another thing to keep in mind, when coating baseboard or wood trim, is that move-able item in the room your painting in, should be relocated to a different part of the house when possible. BRUSHING/ROLLING TRIM THAT'S NOT HUNG If your coating baseboard or wood trim that has yet to be nailed up, it's a good idea to brush and roll it first. Once I have covered the floors of the room that I'm painting in with drop cloths I use six saw horses set up with 2X4's across them. Now lay your trim or moulding on top of the 2X4's. How your saw horses, 2x4's, and moulding or trim are set up, depends entirely on the room your in, so you will need to figure that out for yourself. Just be sure that you can walk all the way around your baseboard or wood trim with your brush/roller and can easily reach the moldings that your trying to coat. I use a small 4" speed roller if possible, other wise a 2 1/2" inch sash brush will work fine. Brush or roll the trim's edges first, then do the top moulded side(front). When brushing or rolling the top, try and paint one section of trim at a time. While doing so, remove any runs or drips that you may see. After the first coat is dry, lightly sand the trim, then coat it again. With your baseboard or wood trim painting done, you can now nail it up. BRUSHING/ROLLING TRIM THAT'S HUNG Make sure that all nail holes and cracks or gaps are filled. Use the above CAULKING and FILLING link for assistance if needed. In most cases, when painting trim that's hung, you will have to use a brush as opposed to a roller. If your not real handy with a brush, then apply some low tack painters tape around the surfaces that you don't want to get paint on (glass, walls, doors for example). Going from corner to corner, brush the top sections of trim first, then do sides and the bottoms. Try and keep your brush marks in one direction and remove any runs or sags that you see. After the first coating is dry, sand it and do another if needed. Keep brushing on coats, while filling holes or cracks and sanding your baseboard or wood trim, until it looks as good as you want it to. SPRAYING TRIM THAT'S NOT HUNG When spraying, be sure that you have experience with the spray system your using before beginning your project. Also, follow all of your local government regulations and safety rules regarding your spray system and the products that you are applying. Once you have set up the room with drops on the floors and plastic on the walls, lay out your saw horses, 2x4's and then place your baseboard or wood trim on top. Begin spraying. Pay special attention to the edges of your molding as these areas usually get the least amount of paint. After the edges are done, spray the tops. Be sure to spray in a consistent manner, from one end of a section of moulding to the other. While spraying, don’t forget to keep your spray fan the same distance away from the surface that your spraying Let your first coat dry, do a light sanding and then spray on another coat. Let your paint dry then nail it to the walls, once it's nailed up, do the last coat by following the brushing instructions mentioned for baseboard or wood trim that's hung. SPRAYING TRIM THAT'S HUNG Fill all holes and gaps. Use the CAULKING AND FILLING link above, if needed to get the job done. With baseboard or wood trim that's hung, you may need to mask off walls and glass, using plastic, masking paper and low tack tape. The object of spraying hung trim is to cover and protect everything (including the walls and floors) in a room, except the baseboard or wood trim itself. Spray the tops of your trim first (e.g. upper door frame), then do the sides. Let the paint dry, sand it then spray it again. Keep caulking, filling, sanding and spraying on coats of paint until the trim looks as good as you would like it to. While doing so keep an eye out for runs and sags. If you end up with a run or sag let the coating dry, then sand it out (electric sander). After sanding, use filler if needed, then sand again and spray the surface one or two more times as needed. You can interchange the word "paint" with clear coat, in the text above, if that's the type of brushing or spraying your doing. When clear coating, caulking is not needed but you will require filler (for the nail holes). Filler should match the stain that you applied to your baseboard or wood trim (if staining). If your not staining, then filler that matches the wood works best. When filling holes, apply at least one application of clear coat then fill your nail holes. Otherwise the filler can discolor the wood Also, keep in mind, bare-wood that is going to be painted will require priming. If your looking for solutions other than coating baseboard or wood trim, click the home link. You should be able to find what you need by reading the text. If I have missed something or you would like to ask a question, e-mail me. Your address will be held in the strictest confidence. I will also try to answer your questions in as prompt a manner as possible.
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