Baseboard Painting Tips
- Best Trim Brush
- What Kind Of Paint Brush Is Best For Trim
- Best Paint Brush For Trim Work
- Trim Paint Brush Reviews
- Paint Brushes For Trim Work
Painting baseboards can instantly add life and vibrancy to your baseboards. Whether you are adding new baseboards or painting over with a fresh coat of the same color – you will be happy with the results of your home improvement project.
But the real secret is in the combination of the plastic side guard and tiny underlying brush that lets the roller glide right along the edges of corners, ceilings, baseboards, and trim without the need for protective painter’s tape, and without smudging paint where.
While all baseboard painting projects require paint and a brush (or roller or sprayer), you might be surprised to find a few baseboard painting tools you didn’t think of.
Generally, we wrote this assuming you would be painting in place. However, even if you are using a sprayer or a roller brush in the garage – many of the tools here will still be applicable.
- How to Cut in Paint With a Brush Vs. A paint roller makes quick work of a wall or ceiling, but it isn't much use in the corners, where it won't reach. You have to paint those.
- Brush End Types Chisel Trim Brush - slanted bristles produce a good, straight line for trimming in corners and edges. Square Trim Brush - the ends of the bristles are cut square and used primarily for applying paint over flat areas. Angled Brush - bristles are cut to make it easier to apply paint to.
- If you are installing baseboards, check out 26 Awesome Baseboard Tools for your project for a list of installation tools.
- If you are looking for more information on painting baseboards, check out the following articles:
Preparing to Paint
1. Tape (Painters Tape, Masking Tape)
Is It Required? No, it is not required, but it should be. Only professionals or very experienced painters should try painting baseboards without any tape.How Will I Use It? Tape primarily protects against the surrounding areas of the baseboard. Areas can include carpets, walls, door casing, or hardwood floors. Painters tape also serves as a guide for your painting. It is designed to be peeled off easily so you can use it to ensure you get accurate, clean lines.
2. Drop Cloth
Is It Required? No, a drop cloth is not required, but it will come in handy.How Will I Use It? Dropcloth creates an excellent place to set the paint while you are painting. With drop cloth, you don’t need to worry about spilling on the floor. It also works as a ready towel in case something does happen where you need to clean up paint quickly.
3. Rosin Paper
Is it Required? Rosin paper is not required, but paint is all about preparation and rosin paper is a great way to go above and beyond when prepping to make your job run smoothly.How Will I Use It? It is a great, quality way to cover your floor and surrounding areas in the process. It is inexpensive, large, and durable. We recommend lining it up along the baseboard on the floor, so you have a consecutive space to paint without having to stop and move the cloth as you go.
4. Sanding Pad
Is It Required? It is hard to envision a baseboard painting project without the need for any sanding.
How Will I Use It? A sanding pad is a great ergonomic way to sand your baseboards. If your baseboards are being painted by hand while they are installed, a sanding pad will help you get more leverage in your limited angles. Buy different grits to be safe, start with a higher grit and work your way down to a lower grit.
5. Fill Stick or Spackling (Paste)
Is It Required? Whether your baseboards are brand new or already installed, they probably have some dings and dents. Don’t expect the paint to do the job. Fill sticks or spackling paste work better than caulk because they don’t expand and contract throughout the year.How Will I Use It: Anywhere you see dings, dents, you will want to use a fill stick or spackling paste. What’s more, if you need to do any work on the baseboards, like adding nails or removing any pieces and reinstalling, you are going to want to have some ready.
Best Trim Brush
Painting
6. Brush (Angled)
Is It Required? Yes, you need a brush. Angled brushes are preferred.
How Will I Use It? In most cases, you will need a brush to apply the paint. Brushes help apply the paint in any position. We have discussed using the right type of paintbrush and paint combination previously.
7. Paint Guide
Is It Required? A painting guide is not required, but this inexpensive tool can save you from much additional work later.
How Will I Use It? Use the paint guide to help create edges for your painting. You can use them above the baseboard, on the floor, on the casing – or wherever you don’t want the paint touching.
8. Knee Pads
Is It Required? They might be! Knee pads can provide much-needed relief over the duration of your project. Especially if you have hardwood floors.
How Will I Use It? Kneepads will save your knees. Painting baseboards in place can be a time-consuming project. If your knees don’t mind at first, they might by the time you finish.
9. 5 in 1 Tool
Is It Required? Do yourself a favor and get one – they’re cheap.How Will I Use It? For everything. A 5 in 1 Tool has a ‘C’ shape on them specially designed to help scrape excess paint from a roller brush. They can help open paint cans, remove caulk or dried paint.
10. Work Light
Is It Required? You can’t paint baseboards in the dark.How Will I Use It? Having a light nearby can help apply the paint. Throughout the course of the day, natural light may come and go, and the lights in your home are not designed to illuminate your baseboards. With light applied directly on your baseboards as you go, it will help prevent blemishes, paint build-up, and other eye-catching problems.
11. Edging Pad
Is It Required? You don’t need an edging pad to paint the baseboards.
How Will I Use It? Edging pads are helpful to paint and blend the paint on the walls or surrounding areas. We do not recommend them for painting the baseboards.
12. Tape and Paper Dispenser
Is It Required? No, it is not required, but if you want to make the job faster and limit clean seriously consider picking up this tool.
How Will I Use It? The dispensers are made in different sizes for larger and small tape and paper selections. Upon choosing the tape and paper that best suits your job, follow the instructions on the dispenser and load it with your selected tape and paper. The beauty of the dispenser is that it overlaps a portion of the tape on the paper as it is reeled off. To get started, unreel 6 or so inches of the tape and paper from the dispenser and place along the edge of your soon to be painted baseboard. Once in place, you are good to go.
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Ever wonder just how to paint a smooth surface without leaving brush marks?
You see all these items in your house that are painted with a brush, such as cabinets, furniture, railings, trim, baseboards, and other woodwork, yet you don’t see brush marks when a professional does it.
What’s their secret?
When you do it, after everything dries, you see a line-up of deep canyons left behind by the brush. They show your every move, each bristle and strand of brush marks going where you went with your brush.
The truth is there’s no magic going on with the pros. They just use the tricks of the trade. Knowledge + technique + a little experience goes a long way to getting your professional painting look.
Covered below, we open up the book on how to avoid brush marks and also see if you can fix brush marks that are already there.
5 Steps to No More Brush Marks
What Kind Of Paint Brush Is Best For Trim
Here’s the best 5 tips to use to get the most professional look out of your brush painting.
1. Fast Isn’t Always Best
When it comes to painting fast, the most important speed we’re talking about is paint drying time. What’s that old saying about something extremely slow and boring– “it’s like watching paint dry!”
The main reason you get paintbrush marks in the first place is because the paint hasn’t flowed out completely before it’s dried.
So, the first tip in avoiding paintbrush lines is to buy slow-drying paint. This is usually higher quality paint that is labeled to take up to 24-hours to dry.
Beware of labels that say “dry to the touch” after a couple hours, or Quick-Dry. While this might be helpful if you’re in a hurry to complete a project, it may not lead you to the best results.
You really do want to remember that phrase from above about watching paint dry. Remember an even better phrase too when it comes to painting: “Slow Makes Paint Flow!”
And flowing paint means a smoother finish.
The only word of caution here is to be careful not to bump the paint or handle painted surfaces while they’re drying since you may be used to faster drying times.
2. Go Horizontal
A second trick to help you avoid those unwanted brush marks is to always paint on a horizontal plane if possible.
In other words, take down doors for painting or paint trim before installing. This will allow you to lie them flat and paint on top of them, so paint can flow evenly as it dries.
One of a painters best tools is actually a pair of saw-horses. These also help make painting large or long pieces easy as they can be positioned at just the right level.
This tip really piggy-backs off of the first one above about paint flowing. A nice, flat surface will allow gravity to pull the paint in all directions evenly…like a small pebble dropping in a placid lake.
So what happens when you paint vertically?
When you paint up and down with a brush those vertical brush lines just stay there as nothing allows them to spread out into each other.
You want those ridges from your brush strokes to flatten out, going side-to-side.
3. Go with the Grain
Another tip that you may already know (but need to do!) is to paint with the grain on wood surfaces.
Go in the same direction as the grain so that any brush strokes that do end up showing, will not be as noticeable.
4. Don’t Skimp, Do Two Coats
Next, realize that just about every paint job, done well, will need at least two coats. This is exactly whatgood, professional painters do.
That means, don’t try to lather it on thickly and soak it on in one coat.
Just make sure to cover the surface area with a good amount of paint evenly. Let it dry, and then come back and apply the second coat.
5. A Quality Brush Means a Quality Job
Finally, always (a big always!), buy a quality paintbrush. You’ll know it’s good because it’ll be a little more expensive than the rest on the shelf.
With proper paintbrush cleaning and care, you’ll have your brush for a long time. Bristles and hairs on these brushes will be of varying lengths and have a “slit-end” look at the ends of them instead of coming to a small point.
Best Paint Brush For Trim Work
This “non-uniform” end lets paint clump more there, giving you a smoother application as paint glides on. Think of layered bangs in a good haircut, or carpeting with many fibers of different lengths – that’s what you’re after.
Now, if for any reason you didn’t end up with a really smooth surface and the paint has already dried, you can carefully sand down the fine grooves and ridges left by a brush with a fine, 120-grit type sandpaper.
Trim Paint Brush Reviews
Go over with a lint-free damp cloth to clean and try painting again keeping the tips above in mind.
Paint Brushes For Trim Work
There you have it, a few basic how-tos on avoiding paintbrush marks.