A simple paint job is a quick and straightforward approach to update your baseboards and improve the room’s overall appearance. Learn how to paint baseboards with ease by reading this article.
Due to their closeness to the ground and all the dust that accumulates there, baseboards, also known as wall trim or molding located along the floor of a room, may rapidly get dingy and scuffed.
Let’s start with how to paint baseboards:
Best Paint to Use for Baseboards (How to Paint Baseboards)
Begin by deciding whether you want to use oil-based or water-based paint. Oil-based (alkyd) paint lasts longer and only needs one coat, but water-based (latex) paint is less hazardous and dries faster. Water-based paint is the best choice for most DIYers since it’ll be easier to wipe up any stray paint.
There are many gloss levels to select from with both paint options. Choose semigloss for baseboards because it is more damage-resistant and easy to clean. Also, do read Making Black and White House exterior stunning.
Choosing a higher gloss sheen than the walls has the added benefit of highlighting the molding.
There are various gloss levels to choose from with both paint options. Choose semigloss for baseboards because it is more damage-resistant and easy to clean.
Choosing a higher gloss sheen than the walls has the added benefit of highlighting the molding.
When it comes to white trim paint, this is our personal favorite. It’s a softer white with warm undertones.
Paintbrushes and Other Materials
If you’re using water-based paint, apply it with a nylon or poly-nylon combination brush. Use a natural-bristle brush with oil-based paint. For painting baseboards, a 2 to 212-inch angled brush is a suitable choice.
Plastic sheeting, a vacuum, a moist cloth, painter’s tape, and a putty knife are also required for this job. You may also need spackling products and sandpaper, depending on the state of your baseboards.
A Guide to Acrylic Painting Brushes
This brief tutorial on picking acrylic brushes is intended to cut through all of the uncertainty that arises while browsing in an art store or looking for information online. There are numerous manufacturers from which to pick, each with a varied variety of products and pricing.
As a result, there are practically hundreds of options available to you. But which is the best option for you?
Well, this tutorial will show you an excellent beginner selection of acrylic paint brushes, which will help you improve your confidence and ability levels by mastering a few important pieces of equipment rather than fumbling with a lot of them.
Brushes are commonly used because they are available.
Brush Types
Here are the brushes I recommend, along with some photos, to give you a clear idea of their shape.
Round Brushes
Round brushes are universally popular and give you a whole variety of different marks.
Filbert Brushes
Filbert brushes are essentially flat brushes with a tapered, rounded end, as shown below. They can make a variety of markings and are very good at blending.
Flat Brushes
Flat brushes are easy to size since the flattened section of the ferrule (the metal fastening) from which the hairs emerge measured across the end of the flattened part of the ferrule (the metal fixing).
Rigger Brushes
The rigger brush is an extremely thin, spherical, long-haired brush suitable for sketching similarly fine lines, such as the rigging on a ship, from whence it gets its name.
Steps for How to Paint Baseboards
Step 1: Prep the area
- Protect the floor by placing down a drop cloth or taping down plastic sheeting in the room.
- Examine the baseboards for any apparent nicks or significant dents. Scrape away any peeling paint, use a spackling compound to patch gouged-out portions, and sand the surface smooth using fine-grit sandpaper.
- Vacuum the baseboards and nearby floors, then wipe them down with a moist cloth to remove all dust and grime. Before continuing, allow the area to dry fully.
Step 2: Adhere painter’s tape.
Painter’s tape should be used on both the top and bottom edges of the baseboard, where it touches the wall and the floor. Choose a broader tape if you’re worried about getting paint on the wall. Without overlapping the tape, get it as near to the trim as feasible.
Do you have a carpet that goes all the way around the room? Getting the tape between the baseboard and the carpet is the trick. To begin, ensure sure the tape can adequately attach to the carpet without furling up.
Then, when you apply the tape, leave approximately a quarter-inch beyond the carpet’s border to cover the baseboard slightly—but don’t attach it to the baseboard. Push the tape with a putty knife, tucking it into the gap between the wall and the carpet’s edge.
Step 3: Start painting
Before you begin, make sure the paint in the container has been properly mixed.
- Fill the paintbrush approximately halfway with paint, then tap the bristles lightly on the inside of the can’s lip to remove any excess paint.
- A corner of the room is the greatest area to start painting the baseboards. In one-foot chunks, work your way around the perimeter. Rather than brushing up and down, go horizontally along the length of the trim.
- Instead of brushing back and forth, apply your strokes in a single direction. Before the paint dries, paint around the margins of previously painted areas to avoid lap marks.
- Make sure the paint gets into the recessed sections if the molding has complicated shapes. If paint drops or goes on the wall or floor by mistake, rapidly wipe it off with a moist towel before it dries.
- Allow at least a day for the paint to dry. By the next day, it should be dry to the touch.
Step 4: Remove the painter’s tape
It’s time to remove the painter’s tape once the paint has dry. When doing this, make sure the room isn’t too cold or too hot, as colder temperatures may make the tape brittle and difficult to remove, and hotter temperatures may cause the tape’s adhesive to leave a sticky residue on the wall.
- Hold the blade of a putty knife flat on the wall, slip it under the tape, and run it down the edge to separate the tape from the paint, taking care not to scrape the wall to prevent breaking the paint or having it pulled up along with the tape.
- Then, working slowly and firmly, draw the tape back at a 45-degree angle to expose a tidy line.
So, this was all about How to Paint Baseboards. We have discussed in detail about How to Paint Baseboards in this article. Hope you have learned it now.
