Suggestions for Painting Interior Trim in St. Helens, OR

Writing a letter without crossing your t’s can spark confusion, leaving the house with eyeshadow but no mascara can make you feel naked, and painting a room without painting the trim can also leave you with a feeling that something is incomplete.

There are often times when a homeowner will paint a room and the trim comes as an afterthought – only being painted to either cover a few rogue brush strokes or roller smudges or else to fill in a hole left by an errant nail or finishing staple.

However, painting your trim (and doing it well) could be a small step in creating a fresh feeling in a space or brighten the look of the walls around it.

To help you with this task, we offer these suggestions for painting interior trim in St. Helens, OR.

Don’t Skip the Sanding

How many times have you noticed trim on which the paint has been used to cover up blemishes rather than fix them – or simply added coat after coat of new color without smoothing the surface first?

Taking the time to sand out any sections that may be unlevel or saturated with past paint will not only help this coat to lay smoothly but also look more professional.

Pay special attention to seams and corners as these are areas that can become especially paint heavy.

Add Conditioner

If you shampoo your hair without conditioning after, your hair will be clean but there will be a lack of shine and damage is more likely.

Keep that concept in mind when painting your trim because oil-based paints outperform their water-based counterparts and adding a conditioner to a water-based paint can give the same lasting effect as oil paint.

Check to see which brands would work best with your choice of paint before purchasing to ensure the best results.

Mind the Strokes

Consider where you place your newly loaded brush before beginning to paint – every time you place the brush.

Beginning strokes on paint that is already drying can cause areas to appear heavy and gloppy which would require finish sanding and that could lead to repainting if done incorrectly.

Skip the problems from the get-go and lay your loaded brush on plain wood or at least an area that you did not just finish brushing onto.

Seal Your Seams

Many times, homeowners will attempt to cover over the seams in trim with a coat of paint which can sometimes be effective in barely noticeable seams but cause the paint to pool unattractively in other spots.

Using caulk on your trim before painting creates a smooth surface ready to look perfect with a coat of paint.

Be sure to check that your caulking is one that can be painted over before buying to avoid bringing more attention to your seams than before with stripes of silicone showing beneath your coat.

Don’t Forget the Holes

Lastly, with seams in mind, be sure to check for the holes left by nails or other hardware and grab your filler to take care of these problem areas before painting.

Something to remember when filling holes is that products made with spackle will shrink when dry, so a couple of applications may be needed to fully fill things in.

Once the holes are full and the product is dry, be sure to sand down your work and leave behind a smooth surface ready for paint.

Using these suggestions and taking a few extra moments to check your work can mean the difference between trim that looks professionally installed and painted or trim that was thrown on the walls without care.

If we can help in any way with your painting in St. Helens, OR and beyond, feel free to contact us at CHSPainting, we are always ready to help! Please contact us at CHS Painting. Office. 503-543-4875 Web. www.chspainting.com e-mail.mike@chspainting.com