From time to time we get a call at Absolute Painting & Power Washing the caller will tell us they are tired of looking at their old doors. One such conversation went something like this…
“Our doors are so brown, what can we do to give our doors a fresh new look?” First paint the millwork (a general term for the wood trim around doors, windows, and baseboards). “Hey Mike that’s a great idea.” Anything to help, which is what we are here for. “Which color should we use?” How about we decide on what type of paint to use before we do color consults and interior design. “Okay sure.” Do know what type of paint is on the wood trim now? “Not really, but I know what color it is.” Okay, what color is the millwork? “Not exactly white and kind of yellow in some spots.” Sounds like it’s been a while since the millwork was painted? “We haven’t had any interior painting done since we purchased the home.”
This is when I go on about the huge technological advances that have happened in the painting industry during the past few years. I explain about the new hybrid type enamels and that they have an expanded choice in latex paints as well. I inform the caller that these new technology paints can be used on their cabinets, if they like, as well as the interior wood trim in their home. The choices we have in types of paint have really changed since the old days. For example, the odor, when applying, is better than the oil based paint of the past and does not yellow over time. These new breed of paints are also flexible and can be washed easily.
In the old days an oil based enamel paint was the first choice for painting the majority of interior wood trim. This paint was extremely durable, by that I mean, it dried hard and was easy to clean. The downside to using an oil based paint is that it can be difficult to apply and it smells terrible while you are applying the paint. As time goes by an oil based paint has a tendency to discolor and become brittle. So you lose the great color you selected and it can chip or crack quite easily.
Would you like to schedule an appointment for a proposal? We offer a free one hour color consultation to our customers; provided we do the painting of course. You can get more information from the Absolute Painting website if you like.
“That’s great information Mike and we appreciate the offer but we are going to do the job ourselves.” “You wouldn’t happen to have a few pointers you could enlighten us with do you?” Sure I do.
The key to painting trim is in the surface preparation. How you prepare the millwork for new paint is mainly dependent on the type of paint that was previously on the trim. If the paint is an older oil based product, or is very glossy, sanding will be required and possibly some primer. Some primers are meant to bond to an old oil paint and to promote adhesion of the new latex paint. Check the label of the primer you select very carefully. Make sure it is the right product for the job. Also, if your woodwork trim was stained previously you will want to use a stain blocking primer so the old stain does not bleed through the new paint. The most common mistake we see is when a homeowner paints with latex paint directly over oil paint. Usually you can scrape the new paint right off with your fingernail.
There are basically two methods of painting trim in your home. You can spray the paint using a professional spray gun with a fine tip attached. Now this can be a difficult process if you are living in the home, everything should be covered and the walls and doors masked off. You can also brush and roll the paint on but you won’t get quite as nice of finish when doing this. But still, some people like the look of brushed on paint over a spray finish.
“Thanks for all your advice and helpful guidance Mike, we really appreciate it.” Not a problem. Perhaps when you are ready to have the exterior painting done we can tackle that job for you.
Absolute Painting & Power Washing is happy to answer any questions about painting the wood trim in your home and happy to provide a free proposal if you choose not to try it yourself. We use only quality painting products and can confidently make recommendations on primers and paints as well.
