Pro Tips for Painting Trim

Professional painters are often hired to paint difficult areas in the home.  Trim can be one of these areas but with the proper preparation and tools anyone can paint their own trim with minimal fuss.  Painting trim yourself will not only save you money but also add revitalization to your walls.

• Make sure that the trim that you intend on painting is clean.  Wash your trim with soap and water and wait for it to dry before proceeding.


• All cracks and dents in your trim should be fixed before you start painting.  This will ensure that any filler that is used is covered by your new paint.


• The areas above and below your trim must be protected from excess paint.  Purchase a good painter's tape to accomplish this.  Make sure that the tape is pressed firmly against the wall by running your fingers down the tape after it is in place.  


• Painter's tape should be placed on the wall as straight as possible.  Crooked tape can cause gaps between the wall and tape.  These gaps will allow paint to get on the walls where it is not intended.


• Use a paint guard if you are concerned about paint getting on the walls.  The paint guard should be placed on the crease where the wall meets the trim.  Excess paint will end up on the paint guard and not the wall.


• Make sure that you purchase an appropriate sized brush instead of a roller to paint your trim.  Brushes offer the best control allowing you to make your trim look as nice as possible.


• Make sure that you do not have too much paint on your paint brush.  It is possible that extra paint can seep under your painter's tape ruining the wall underneath.  


• Do not remove the painter's tape until you are sure that you are done adding coats of paint.  You will not want to tape the edges again just to add another coat of paint.