Painters in Northwest Arkansas "How to paint trim".

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Of all of the painting projects that you will attempt, painting your trim will probably be the most challenging.  Professionals make it look easy but this is because they have been painting trim for years.
There are two ways to paint trim.
1. Purchase a battery powered airless sprayer.  Several companies offer these and they range from $75.00 to $600.00.  We purchased a Graco Proshot II and it has proved to be the best tool I have purchased in years.  It cost about $500.00.  I have used it on several jobs since we got it and it has made life some much easier when painting trim.


If you are not going to use one everyday then you will do fine with the less expensive models.
This method of painting trim will require some masking over the areas that you do not want to get paint on like walls, floor and ceiling.  So you will also need to purchase a masking machine. All I can say is that if you are planning on painting a lot or all of your trim, this is the way to go.  The more you use this method the more you will like it.
2.  Hand Paint with a sash brush.  I recommend a 2 1/2 inch sash brush.  Be sure and buy a very good quality brush. The better brushes show less brush marks and are a real treat to use.  They hold a good amount of paint and will release it onto the trim evenly.  The more you use it the more you will be glad you sprung for the better brush.
This method will only require minimal masking off with tape.  This will give you a straight line and you won't get the paint on the walls, floor or ceiling. I recommend Frog tape.  It will not let paint bleed under it.
For those of you that are in too big a hurry to do the masking or taping, here is a little advise.
Cutting in along trim that's not protected by masking tape takes a steady hand. And once you get the knack for it, you'll never want to fuss with taping trim again. Sure, cutting in can be hard for some DIYers, but you can learn to do it effectively. This does take extra time.  The time spent masking and taping will speed up the actual painting job and you will then have a nice straight line and paint only on the trim. Whether you tape or not, here is how you proceed.
Use a tapered paintbrush. The angled bristles uniformly unload the paint as you cut in. Dip the brush into the paint, then tap (don't wipe) this could also be called a slap on each side against your container to knock off the excess. Brush the paint on the trim, about 1/2 in. from the wall or floor. Then make a second pass, cutting in all the way to the edge of the trim. Avoid “pushing” the paint with your bristles or you'll leave a ridge where you're cutting in. Apply just enough pressure to let the bristle ends glide next to the trim edge. To help keep the brush steady, move your entire arm as you paint instead of moving your arm only from the elbow down. If you are a golfer then you will recognize this full arm movement verses just hand movement.

Of the two methods that we have talked about I prefer the airless spray method.  There is a learning curve with both but once you learn how to do the spray job you will say," I should have been spraying all of my trim"!
The other important factor in painting you trim is the importance of painting with the best paint available.The combination Paint and Primer that is offered today is excellent.  You will need this product if you are going to be painting over Oil or Lacquer paint with Acrylic or water based paint.  You will want to use Acrylic.  Painting with Oil is messy and Lacquer has to be sprayed with a special sprayer.  You cannot use your battery powered airless for lacquer.  They usually will paint only Acrylic paints.  And clean-up will be much easier.
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