Paint trim first or last

This is actually a home improvement question, but I suppose it could apply to cars, too.

Do you paint the trim first or last?

My wife and I have differing opinions.

I would paint the trim first, one or two coats and then carefully cut in the wall and paint the wall.

LAST!!!!!

Wall first, trim last. With such a large area of wall to cover, you are far more likely to slop paint on the trim while painting the wall than vice versa, so paint the whole wall, then mask and/or cut in the trim.

Besides, you paint the wall with a roller and it is far less accurate for edging than a trim brush, yet you want to get close to the trim for consistency of texture.

So to recap: paint trim last.

Trim gets painted last most of the time with our projects. If you aren't removing the trim, I guess it really doesn't matter. I know I'm more apt to drip wall paint then trim paint.

Paint trim, cut in walls, roll walls. The line where the trim meets the wall looks neater when you cut the wall after the trim is painted.

And drips when you're rolling won't be a problem if you follow a simple rule: don't drip on the trim when you're rolling.

• remove trim..

• paint wall

• paint trim

• reinstall trim

I would paint the trim last.

I paint trim last. I mask the trim when I paint the walls, and fresh paint is more likely to come up with the masking tape.

i used to paint trim last, but changed my approach about 5 rooms ago. now i paint all trim first, then cut in the walls and ceiling with a wider brush than i could use on the trim if the walls were painted first. i can guide my hand better off the wall or ceiling than i can off the trim, and my results show that the line i get from cutting the wall after painting the trim is nicer.

so, YMMV, but i paint the trim first.

AngryCorvair wrote: cut in the walls and ceiling with a wider brush than i could use on the trim if the walls were painted first. i can guide my hand better off the wall or ceiling than i can off the trim, and my results show that the line i get from cutting the wall after painting the trim is nicer.

^^This, too.^^

I have done it both ways (that's what she said) and it works well. So do what makes your wife happy. (that is advice you can apply to any situation)

paint it all the same color?

If you are painting interior walls, you ought to give this a try...especially for the 3 bucks that it will cost you:

The little wheels have to have a surface to mate up to, so it probably won't work (or won't work as well) with ornate moldings etc, but with standard trim around windows and doors, I can cut in a room in about 15 minutes and it looks perfect. Using one of these, I always paint the trim first.

1. Fill all the little nits, nicks, pockmarks and dings with MH Readypatch. While it's drying...

2. Caulk every inch of every juncture between walls and trim. Nothing fancy; the generic $2/tube stuff works fine. Sand all the dings you filled. Wipe the walls down w/ a tack cloth.

3. Paint the ceiling. Use Benjamin Moore ceiling white or ultra white.

4. Paint the first coat on the trim. Again, Benjamin Moore semi-gloss.

5. Cut in all the wall to trim/ceiling lines with a 2-1/2 angled tip brush. Don't be Harry homeowner and try to use masking tape. Tape is for painting cars; learning to cut in w/ a brush is for houses. When cutting into the baseboards get into the top of the trim a bit.

6. Roll in the walls. Yet again, +10 for Benjamin Moore eggshell finish paints. They cover beautifully, have great colors, and wear like iron.

7. Harden up the lines at the trim with one last cut-in w/ trim color.

This whole process takes a little longer than just throwing the paint up, but in our 1949 house (which had been 100% wallpaper when we got it) we sweated the details and got results that still look new after 9 years. And everyone asks "who's your painter?".

I've been using California brand acrylic/latex on the outside wood over benjamin Moore oil based primer and it's holding up amazingly well.

Both the Ben Moore and the Cali are expensive. Twice the price of the Home Despot house brand. But remember, you're paying for it for a minute but living with it for a long time. Sort of like buying ARP studs...

(Oh, +1 on the shure-line above. I've used one where I can't reach to brush-cut and they really work. You have to follow up right away w/ a brush to brush out the thick paint line that follows the bottom edge though)

alex wrote: Paint trim, cut in walls, roll walls. The line where the trim meets the wall looks neater when you cut the wall after the trim is painted. And drips when you're rolling won't be a problem if you follow a simple rule: don't drip on the trim when you're rolling.

yup what he said