Black Trim Paint

Black Trim Paint

If you think of the top ten places in your home that receive the most beating, high on the list would be floor trim. Once in a while a wall may get a good whack or scratch but the trim is ground level and has direct contact with everything from feet to grocery bags every day. All kinds of things graze it, which means at some point it will need a new lease on life.

Often, removing scuffs and other marks with cleaning supplies don't do the job and the only thing that will make a world of difference is resurfacing the trim with a new coat of paint.

So these are some basic things you'll need:

• paint (color of your choice but trim generally takes a gloss or semi gloss)
• putty knife
• caulk (silicone, which is best for places with moisture, or a silicone/latex blend)
• caulking gun, primer (if the wood is bare)
• painter's tape
• 2 inch angled sash brush and maybe a smaller brush for more narrow work
• a paint guard
• handy items: sand paper, drop cloths, paper towels or rags

Steps:

1. Wash off any dirt. You don't want to paint and suddenly have black streaks because of a spider web, guck that settled from floor washing, or other substances.

2. Place tape on the borders of the trim that you do not want paint touching.

3. Investigate the trim for cracks, crevices and holes from nails or other objects. Ventilate the room, apply caulk, and smoothen with a putty knife or finger. If you use your finger try and wear a glove, as it can become messy and its best to avoid as much as possible contact between chemicals and your skin. Once caulk is applied make sure no residue is left in the surrounding are as it will show up in the final coat. Don't do the whole floor trim and then go back to clean up caulk after it's dry.

4. Make sure all caulk is dry and apply primer to any areas of bare wood. Allow primer to dry completely.

5. Apply first coat. Brush along the grain. Depending on how it dries a second may be necessary.

NOTE: If your plan is also to paint the walls its best to do them first and then the trim as gravity dictates whatever is higher is more likely to fall down. Once the walls are complete there's no worry about drops landing on anything below.