Painting interior trim moldings is one way to update a space without spending much money or time. You might want to paint your inside trim for two major reasons. The first is that it may already be there and has been weathered, dented, and faded over time. The other frequent occurrence is when you install trim that needs a finishing coat but has only been primed. The painting procedure is roughly the same amount of work in both scenarios. Case moldings, or the outer trim moldings of a window or door, are frequently painted along with baseboards.
Case Molding: What Is It?
To “encase” a window or door unit and conceal the joints where the unit meets the wall, close molding is a specific sort of trim molding that sits flush against the wall. Although there are many different case molding designs, most are straightforward one-piece ranch or colonial moldings that are 2 to 3 inches broad and mitered at the corners of the window or door. In addition to being frequently stained and lacquered, case moldings are frequently painted, sometimes to match the wall and other times to provide a contrasting hue. The finish of case moldings typically matches the baseboards and other wood trim in a room.
First Things First
Painting case moldings that have already been painted requires just little patching and, if necessary, light sanding before a new coat of paint is applied. It becomes a little more complicated if you are painting trim that has a stained and varnished finish for the first time. Varnished wood trim can be painted, but it’s crucial to properly clean and sand the woodwork first to remove any gloss that might make painting difficult. Additionally, you can frequently skip this step when repainting trim that already has a paint finish. A strong primer must be applied when painting varnished wood.
Although painting wood trim is typically not too difficult, remember that not every window and door trim is made of wood. When buying the primer and paint, let the salesperson know if your windows or doors have vinyl or polystyrene case moldings. Also, keep in mind that the manufacturer may advise against painting these inner moldings if your windows or doors themselves have vinyl sashes or inner frames. The outer case moldings can typically still be painted, but vinyl inside window or door frames is typically not intended to be painted. The cause? Paint could obstruct the unit’s ability to be weather-proofed because vinyl responds to weather changes by expanding and contracting significantly. Should you decide to paint the interior,
What You’ll Need
Resources / Tools
- Cleansing sponge
- 1 trim paintbrush, 2 inches long
- Scissors
- Sticky knife (if needed)
- Useful knife (if needed)
- Cloth dropped
- tape measure 1 1/2 inches
- Wood putty (if needed)
- Sandpaper with grits of 120 and 220
- Primer
- Semi-gloss or gloss paint for interior trim
- Tack rag or a clean cloth
Before Installation, Paint The Trim
You can paint the trim pieces before or after cutting and nailing them up around a door or window. The pieces can be placed on drop cloths or laid atop sawhorses. Professional trim carpenters frequently use pre-painting as their strategy.
After the primed and painted trim pieces are put into place, some touch-up work will always be necessary, even in the hands of an experienced professional. Some scratching and marring are guaranteed during installation. If you are cutting out numerous doors and windows at once, pre-painting can help save time.
However, pre-painting doesn’t save you that much time if you add trim for a single window and door. Consider priming the pieces before installation as a middle ground, but defer final painting until after the trim moldings have been fastened.
Call A Professional
Sometimes a DIY project might seem like a good idea. However, most of the time, it turns into a much bigger project than expected by most homeowners. At Moldings Plus we understand that times are tough and that you might need a cost-efficient option to upgrade your home. That’s why we want to invite you to visit our showroom and speak to one of our team members. We have various options to fit any budget.
