Trim Paint

How do I get the best finish to stand the test of time?

Trim by nature gets a lot of the knocks of life.

The important rule is this: What works for your walls will not be hard enough to withstand the repeated wear and cleaning trim gets. A specific trim and door paint is the best choice. Trim specific paint is more expensive but does give you added durability.

The exception of wall paint on trim are semi-gloss and gloss wall paint for Kitchens and Bathrooms. They usually list trim on the label. It is a good compromise when you want to stay with the same colour on trim or to keep the cost down.

Painting trim is usually the last area you do on your project.

The rule as I learned it many years ago is: Ceiling, Wall, Trim.

This enables you to get a good cut in on your walls and in turn your trim. The idea of taping off before you cut in is fine if the areas are well dry. Days dry that is. Tape too soon and you will get the wall paint coming off with the tape. It is also beneficial to go over the edge of trim a little with the wall paint. This means you are only cutting in once. A trick is to load your brush well, don’t get too close and allow the paint to flow along your trim edge. You cannot get a good cut in with a bad and wild hair brush. I keep my trim brushes for trim only as this ensures the hair does not get the hard working spreading paint on wall areas. trim paint tends to be a little more heavy and requires a brush with a little more snap but not too much unless you are using oil paint. The brush label will tell you the intended purpose for each type of bristle.