What's the best way to paint baseboard molding, door/window casing, crown molding?

Question

I hate the stripes you get from a paint brush. I want to paint using a small foam roller that I got from the dollar store. Will that do a good job and get into the carved details in the wood? Do you have a better recommendation, besides spraying it? Would a smaller width paint roller be better? We are painting the molding before installing it.

Answer 1

Use a brush and feather your paint! It is my policy to buy a brush equal in cost to the price of a gallon of the paint you are using. That is not to say that you buy a $40 4 inch brush to put on a coat of pain on trim, which will be easier to apply with an angled 2 1/2 inch or three inch brush - a good 2.5 or 3 in brush will cost between $10 and $15. If the surface is too warm, latex paints will not feather out properly because they start drying too fast.

If you are painting before you nail, you will have to putty the nail holes and repaint once it is installed. Installing crown moulding is an art form - more than just carpentry. You have to learn how to work with corners that are not square. Crown molding is expensive and a screw-up can cost you between $2 and $5 a foot in some cases, maybe more. It is best that you spend 15 bucks to get a book on installing it rather than losing far more on trying to make it fit. Get a miter saw, not a miter box, and an angle finder to find the real angle of the corner. Installing it will be much easier with a 16 or 18 gague nail gun, most require a compresser but there are battery models, caulk in the nail holes.

To keep paint off the carpet, if you have carpet, I use a stiff paper, like card stock, and using a broad bladed putty knive, push the carpet down and slide the paper under the molding, overlapping the paper so there is no possibility of getting paint on the carpet.

Your biggest problem will be cutting in at the top, bottom, and other edges that you are painting. Keep the paint off the wall. Some will use masking tape, I do not. Cutting is best done with a quick straight stroke, so get a brush big enough to hold some paint and hold your hand steady.

Paint stores sell an additive that will increase the drying time which will make feathering out much easier. However, it has a color to it, neutral as it is, and might tone your paint a little darker than you want.

This is the way that you give instructions on how to make a watch when someone asks "what time is it?"

Answer 2

I have been a carpenter for 20 years and done a lot of Crown moldings on nice houses. You should install the Crown moldings first. Here's why 1. They are going to need to be painted again after installation. (puddy the nail holes and caulk the joints). 2. The walls will get marked up during installation. 3. You should caulk all along the bottom and tops of the moldings. Then the paint can go over the caulking and make a real nice looking job. Make sure you use a caulking that is paint able. There are some caulking that paint will not stick to. "Phenoseal" is good caulking. The same goes for the baseboards. Install them, do your caulking all along the top where the base meets the wall. Puddy the nail holes and then paint the walls, and then all the trim should be painted last.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

You need to use the correct brush type for the paint you are planning to use. First, are you using oil based paint or Latex based paint, or another type of paint? Second, buy the best brush you can afford. Paint stores usually have the best ones and can advise you on which is best for your application and paint type. It really pays to get a great brush and if you clean it, you will get years of use out of it.
Third, Keep your brush clean. This means that you clean the brush after each use with the type of fluid that the paint requires. If you use Latex paint it would be water. I run the brush over old rags to remove any excess, then wash it in detergent or soap and water. Wash until no paint is left when you squeeze the brush. Smooth out the bristles and wrap them in a paper towel. Either hang the brush up or lay it flat so the bristles don't get bent.
Sometimes if you paint for a long time the paint gets thick. If this happens thin the paint with the correct thinner and clean the brush. Last, don't use paint that it years old. Good luck

Answer 5

When painting woodwork, start at the top of the room and work down: ceiling molding, doors, windows, chair-rail moldings, then baseboards. Whether the woodwork has been painted before or not, wood must be properly prepared before being painted.

Answer 6

Best Brush To Paint Trim

Answer 7

Sorry but spraying it is the BEST method! Might try a long napped roller but I'd beware of getting too much paint in any intricate carvings you may have. They'll just fill up with paint and you'll loose there feature altogether.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

Properly used, a old fashion paint brush is the best thing. If your getting "stripes" the paint is either thick, or your not pulling the paint thin enough, or your using the wrong brush.

Answer 10

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